If you’re not exactly sure what you are looking at, it’s the remains of a mummy with a golden tongue. Just recently, an entire set of mummies were found in Egypt, but only one of them happened to have a gold tongue.
One theory suggests that these mummies were buried when Egypt was living under the rule of Ptolemies. Although another theory suggests that they date back to the Greco-Roman period, which was after the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 B.C. when the Romans came to take over Egypt.
They were found in “wall-hole” tombs in the Temple of Taposiris, Magna, inside gilded sarcophagi, in the Classical-Era city that goes by the same name.
According to the press release by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, when found in the small chambers, the mummies were considered to be ‘in a poor state of preservation.’ What this shows is the typical characteristics surrounding the mummification processes that occurred during the Greek and Roman periods.
The gold foil amulet that was shaped like a tongue was found inside the mouth of one mummy. Notably, the site where the mummies were found also had temples that were dedicated to the god of the underworld, Osiris and Isis – who was considered a Goddess, and was the wife and sister to Osiris. It was also believed that she would help the dead in the afterlife.
The gold tongue was thought to help the deceased in the afterlife when they met Osiris, allowing them to speak to the dead. Although they aren’t sure exactly why the tongue had to be made out of gold, it was believed that it was just an “added measure” for the dead.
The Smithsonian, on the other hand, said that there is a possibility that the deceased actually had a speech impediment. Meanwhile, two of the most important of all the mummies were discovered wrapped in golden bonds of papyrus. One of them had decorations that were traits of Osiris, and another one was wearing an Atef crown, which had horns and a coiled cobra around the head, as well as a falcon design on the chest, which was to honor the god Horus.
The amazing discovery was done by a joint Egypt-Dominican team that happened to be led by Dr. Kathleen Martinez. The team also found eight marble masks portraying faces that looked to be of Roman and Greco influence within the region, as well as a female funerary mask around the size of an adult.
The Ministry’s website also states, “In the last 10 years, the mission has found several important archaeological finds that have changed our perception of the Temple of Taposiris Magna. A number of coins bearing the name and image of Queen Cleopatra VII were found inside the temple walls, in addition to many part of statues.”
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