Archaeologists in Egypt Uncover 2,000-Year-Old Mummy with Golden Tongue for Speaking to Underworld God
Gold Tongue Mummy
Mummies have always fascinated researchers because they serve as a window to past times and society. Discoveries in tombs and mummies have helped experts paint a picture of ancient social customs. In 2021, a team of archaeologists found a 2,000-year-old mummy with a gold tongue at an ancient Egyptian site Taposiris Magna, Live Science reported. Experts speculated regarding this unique find. Some believe that the gold tongue might be put in place because of the individual's disability, while others believe, it could be to communicate with a particular deity.
Taposiris Magna
Taposiris Magna was established by Ptolemy II, son of Alexander the Great’s general Ptolemy I around 280 B.C., Smithsonian Magazine reported. As per Egyptian lore, the place holds the remains of Osiris, a deity in their culture. For the last two decades, researchers from a dual Egyptian-Dominican mission have been exploring the area, to learn more about the past and people's beliefs during that time. The team found a cache of coins embossed with Cleopatra’s face at Taposiris Magna, during their excavations. They believe the coins prove that the place was in use during the Empress' rule. The area was utilized as a burial site and various statues depicting individuals interred in the place have been found by archaeologists.
Discovery of the Mummy
The team of archaeologists responsible for the discovery was led by Kathleen Martinez, from the Dominican Republic, Live Science reported. The gold-tongued mummy was unearthed in one of 16 burials at Taposiris Magna. Taposiris Magna contained temples dedicated to Osiris and Isis, a goddess who was both the wife and sister of Osiris. The golden-tongued mummy has been analyzed to be around 20,000 years old. The other 15 burials are also approximately of the same period, according to the researchers. The 16 individuals were put down in rock-cut crypts—a popular form of interment during Egypt’s Greco-Roman period, Smithsonian Magazine reported.
Reasons Behind the Gold Tongue
The tongue was found to be made of gold foil, Smithsonian Magazine reported. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities believes that the tongue-shaped gold amulet was put in place to ensure that the individual could speak in the afterlife. The organization further shared that researchers at the Alexandria National Museum have in their custody two similar gold foil amulets, as well as eight golden flakes representing the leaves of a wreath. This implies that using things of gold in burial might be a tradition for ancient Egyptian society. The team that found the gold-tongued mummy has yet to figure out why a particular individual in Taposiris Magna had such a unique appendage during burial. One guess is that the person could have been speech impaired, but that is yet to be proven.
Other Mummies
Martinez claimed that her team found two mummies at Taposiris Magna wrapped in gilded cartonnage or plastered layers of linen or papyrus, Smithsonian Magazine reported. Another one at the site had golden decorations mimicking the ones usually found on Osiris, as per researchers. The team also unearthed a mummy that wore a horned crown with a cobra snake affixed to its band and a necklace featuring a falcon. The experts continue to work on the findings to discover more about the mummies and the area.