Scientists Uncover Talismans of 'Unknown Mummy' in Egypt

 A mummy is seen inside the newly discovered burial site in Minya, Egypt May 13, 2017. (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY)
A mummy is seen inside the newly discovered burial site in Minya, Egypt May 13, 2017. (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY)
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Scientists Uncover Talismans of 'Unknown Mummy' in Egypt

 A mummy is seen inside the newly discovered burial site in Minya, Egypt May 13, 2017. (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY)
A mummy is seen inside the newly discovered burial site in Minya, Egypt May 13, 2017. (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY)

Since the beginning of the archeological excavations in the region in 2014, archeologists discovered 30 mummies inside 23 cemeteries dating back to different eras in the Agha Khan area, Aswan, last week. One of the mummies has an unfamiliar state.

The mummy was intact and wrapped with linens, but, the coffin in which it was placed and the cemetery accommodating the coffin didn't feature any engraves that determine its identity. The mummy, which dates back to the late period of ancient Egypt has been classified as "unknown."

The lack of information that may help in proceeding DNA tests and comparing them with other mummies' DNA makes it almost impossible to reach data determining the identity of the mummy. But, according to Director General of Aswan Antiquities Abdel Moneim Saeed, scientists will be able to gather information that at least precise the class to which the mummy belongs, its work, and whether it had diseases or not.

Saeed told Asharq Al-Awsat: "once discovered, the mummy was moved to the study lab at Aswan Museum, and then it will be moved into Aswan University Hospital to undergo a CT scan that helps us gather more data within six months."

This is not the first time scientists rely on CT scans in their studies on mummies. In February 2017, CT scans were used to examine four mummies discovered at the nobles' cemeteries in Aswan by the archeological mission of the University of Jaén, aiming at detecting the disease history of the mummies, and analyzing the scientific and medical advancement that had been achieved by the ancient Egyptians in diagnosing and treating diseases. The scan took place after detecting clear symptoms of breast cancer in one of the mummies.

Saeed says: "these scans provided us with a great result. It showed that the lady (mummy) took a treatment that helped her survive for a long time," noting that after moving the mummy to the hospital for further tests, they will likely need six months before they announce their findings on the mummy.



Copper Cable Thefts in Spain Leave Passengers Trapped in Trains Overnight

Passengers wait to be given access to their trains after cable stolen from a high-speed train line between Madrid and Andalusia caused delays at Atocha station in Madrid, Spain, May 5, 2025. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Passengers wait to be given access to their trains after cable stolen from a high-speed train line between Madrid and Andalusia caused delays at Atocha station in Madrid, Spain, May 5, 2025. REUTERS/Susana Vera
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Copper Cable Thefts in Spain Leave Passengers Trapped in Trains Overnight

Passengers wait to be given access to their trains after cable stolen from a high-speed train line between Madrid and Andalusia caused delays at Atocha station in Madrid, Spain, May 5, 2025. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Passengers wait to be given access to their trains after cable stolen from a high-speed train line between Madrid and Andalusia caused delays at Atocha station in Madrid, Spain, May 5, 2025. REUTERS/Susana Vera

Copper thieves brought part of Spain's high-speed train network to a standstill on Sunday evening, leaving some trapped in trains overnight and thousands stranded at stations.
Thieves stole cables in four areas within a 10-kilometer radius in what Transport Minister Oscar Puente called a "serious act of sabotage" in a post on X.
Train services on the affected lines were suspended Sunday evening, and while on Monday morning a few trains left Madrid for Toledo, 70 kilometers south, services to cities such as Seville and Malaga further south were still suspended, Adif said on X, according to Reuters.
Thousands of people were left waiting in Madrid's Atocha station. It comes after hundreds of passengers were left trapped on trains last week during a nationwide blackout.
Nine trains were left stranded between stations, with many passengers forced to spend the night onboard, according to interviews on state broadcaster TVE.
The state-owned railway infrastructure operator Adif said its staff were working to replace the stolen cables and reestablish the service.
The high-speed network has rapidly expanded in Spain as part of a government push to decarbonize public transport.
The network connects almost all the country's big cities but is vulnerable to cable thefts because it crosses large swathes of empty countryside.