A research team led by archaeologist Lidija McKnight from the University of Manchester (UK) conducted a detailed examination of a terrifying mummy using advanced techniques, allowing for an exploration of its interior without damaging the artifact. This bizarre mummy, larger than a human mummy, represents a period when the ancient Egyptians’ mummification techniques reached their peak.
The mysterious mummy, catalogued as 2005.335, is currently housed in the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (UK) and was previously identified as a 2.2-meter-long crocodile. Researchers have found no documentation explaining where this terrifying crocodile came from or how it ended up in the museum, only that it could be up to 3,000 years old.
In this study, Dr. McKnight and her colleagues used advanced 3D imaging technology to examine the crocodile, aiming to shed light on the final hours of its life and the animal’s death. “The research has revealed surprising details about the life and afterlife treatment of this animal,” Dr. McKnight told Newsweek.
The scans revealed the presence of a fish, attached to a bronze hook, which the crocodile seemed to have swallowed whole, with its skeleton almost intact. According to researchers, swallowing the hook may have caused the crocodile’s death.
Other details within the digestive tract – for example, a large number of small stones called gastroliths concentrated in the upper part of the digestive tract – suggest that the animal died before the fish reached its stomach. Crocodiles often swallow such small stones to aid in digestion.
The short time between when the fish was swallowed and when the crocodile died suggests that the ancient Egyptians may have used baited hooks to catch these reptiles for the purpose of mummification from the beginning, rather than mummifying them after they died. In that case, the crocodile would have been mummified as an offering in some kind of ritual.
It is also possible that the crocodile’s death was an accidental incident while these ancient Egyptians were fishing. With this hypothesis, it was mummified because it was revered. In fact, the ancient Egyptians worshiped this large reptile as a representative of Sobek, the lord of the Nile.
As top predators, crocodiles were respected for the threat they posed, and their symbol was believed by the Egyptians to be able to ward off danger and protect sacred places from negative influences. Regardless of the reason for its mummification, 2005.335 remains a symbol of ancient beliefs as well as astonishing mummification techniques. The crocodile remains highly intact when the white bandage is removed and despite having passed through 3,000 years of history.
Mummies of some other crocodiles and many animals such as cats, eagles… have been found in Egyptian ruins, but 2005.335 is still a special specimen due to the research conducted on it. But where it came from remains a mystery.
