Mystery Of Egyptian Tomb 10A And The Mummy’s Head – A 4,000-Year-Old Crime

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - All ancient Egyptian tombs are unique, but some pose a greater mystery than others.

In 1905, archaeologists excavating in the Egyptian necropolis of Deir el-Bersha discovered a hidden tomb that contained something unexpected.

After 33 days of digging a 30-foot shaft, the archaeological team, led by archaeologists George Reisner and Hanford Lyman Story from the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, entered the 4,000-year-old Egyptian tomb, but they were unprepared for the frightening sight that awaited them.

Inside the cramped limestone chamber was a beautifully painted cedar coffin, and on top of it was a mummy's severed head.

Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Riddle Of The Decapitated Egyptian Mummy

Where was the rest of the mummy? Why was only the head there? Who and why had beheaded the deceased? Decapitation was not an ancient Egyptian burial practice anyone was familiar with at the time. The researchers had encountered a mystery, and it would take 104 years before modern forensic experts could shed some light on this peculiar story.

As archaeologists continued exploring the hidden tomb's secrets, they realized this was no ordinary burial site.

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See also: 

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