It’s quite unbelievable how, after 2000 years, the natural hair of a mummy can still be intact.According to researchers, the high-status ancient Egyptians styled their hair using a fat-based substance as a part of their natural hair care and to keep their style in place in both life and death. High-status ancient Egyptians, like Queen Nodjmet, may have employed fatty ingredients to preserve their hairstyles after death. This could be one of the possible reasons for a mummy to still have natural hair.Natalie McCreesh, an archaeological scientist at the University of Manchester’s KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, and her colleagues studied hair samples from 18 mummies. The oldest is over 3,500 years old. The majority of the hair samples were discovered in a cemetery at the Dakhleh Oasis in the Western Desert and date from Greco-Roman times, around 2,300 years ago. Males and females ranging in age from four to 58 years old are among them. Some were artificially mummified, while others were preserved naturally by being buried in dry sand.A new post on the internet has been circulating about the hair of an Egyptian mummy that has remained unbroken for over 2000 years. Keep reading to unveil the truth behind this mystery! Also, check out some more fun facts with Kidadl, including our articles on spinosaurus fossils and Sobek, the Egyptian god.Why are Egyptian mummies found with red hair?Let’s find out why it is so common to spot red hair on Egyptian mummies.The hair color of mummies might change over time. Hair is made up of a mix of eumelanin, a black-brown-yellow pigment, and pheomelanin, a red pigment. When oxidized, eumelanin is less chemically stable than pheomelanin and breaks down more quickly. Egyptian mummies have reddish hair as a result of this. Under extreme conditions, hair color changes more quickly. It changes more slowly in dry, oxidizing environments, such as sand or ice graves, than in wet environments, such as burials in wooden or plaster coffins.Mummies’ HairstylesIt turns out that there are some mysterious secrets about mummies with natural hair.Mummies’ hairstyles ranged from long to short, with curls being especially popular; metal equipment, resembling curling tongs, has been unearthed in numerous graves. A fatty gunge would have held the curly hairstyle in place when the hair was done.The natural hair on a mummy indicates that Egyptians were Africans. Egyptians also had warmer skin tones than what’s portrayed in movies.The Real Story Of A 2000-Year-Old MummyBelow are some of the weirdest and most shocking facts about ancient mummies.Researchers assumed they were looking at the body of a male priest when they examined an ancient Egyptian mummy. Instead, they were surprised to learn that the body was that of a woman who was pregnant for seven months at the time of her death.X-rays and computer testing, according to a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, eventually revealed the mummy’s actual identity, also revealing the little hands and feet of a fetus. It is the only known case of a well-preserved, mummified, pregnant woman, according to researchers in Poland. The woman was between the ages of 20-30 when she died, according to researchers. Additionally, she was around 26-28 weeks pregnant, based on the size of the baby’s skull. The exact reason for her death is unknown.The mummy is thought to have come from the royal tombs in Thebes, Upper Egypt, and dates from the first century BC. It arrived in Warsaw for the first time in 1826.The coffin’s inscription stated that it belonged to a male priest by the name of Hor-Djehuti, and no additional tests revealed otherwise at the time. Mummies, on the other hand, frequently do not match their coffins due to robbery mix-ups.Discoveries Made From The Mummy’s Natural HairThe fatty coating found on the mummy’s hair, according to Natalie McCreesh, is a styling agent that was used to keep hair in place. She believes it was a cosmetic product during life as well as a significant part of the mummification process because it was detected on both natural and artificial mummies.Egyptians may have used beeswax on their own hair as well. Although the wax contains fatty acids like palmitic acid, McCreesh claims her results so far reveal no indication of beeswax.Mummies have also been found to have a certain protein treatment done to the hair to preserve it for a longer time.The discovery of a pregnant mummy sheds new light on ancient burial practices related to pregnancy. The mummy, according to researchers, broadens the scope of pregnancy studies and burial rituals associated with maternity in ancient times.How Science Uncovered The Truth Behind The Mummy’s Natural HairScience has played a major role in identifying the secret behind the preserved natural hair of mummies.Nine of the mummies had hair coated in a mystery fat-like material, according to light and electron microscopy. The researchers separated the individual chemicals in the samples using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and discovered that the coating contains biological long-chain fatty acids, such as palmitic acid and stearic acid.Researchers were finally able to uncover the pharaoh’s secret hair balm serum using cutting-edge technologies. Beef fat, castor oil, beeswax, and pine gum were included in the particular mix, along with optional aromatic pistachio oil.The ancient Egyptians used the serum on their hair, which resulted in flawlessly preserved curls that lasted for nearly three centuries. Scientists believe the components in the hair formula were different from those used on their bodies.Scientists were able to examine the mummies without disturbing their cocoons thanks to current technology, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and computer tomography (CT).We hope you have had a fun time reading this article and discovered some unknown facts.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked reading about the 2000-year-old mummy that still has natural hair, then why not take a look at our articles on the history of the Mississippi river or interesting facts about Argentina.
It’s quite unbelievable how, after 2000 years, the natural hair of a mummy can still be intact.
