2023-12-06 21:00:00
Animals were raised in captivity and deprived of light before being mummified in ancient Egypt. But why ?
Undernourished, locked in small cages, deprived of daylight… the life of sacred baboons in ancient Egypt was not enviable. In any case, this is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Plos One by a Franco-Belgian team led by Wim Van Neer from the Royal Belgian Institute of Sciences. This work is based on the analysis of around thirty mummies whose bones attest to numerous malformations which testify to mistreatment.
Also read: The mystery of the eternal youth of Egyptian mummies finally revealed
Little is known about the role and status of baboons in ancient Egypt. Fewer than 500 mummies have been discovered over a period stretching from the first millennium BC to the Roman period. A drop in water compared to the millions of cat and dog mummies! Let us remember, in fact, that on the site of the royal necropolis of Saqqara alone, there are more than eight million dog mummies!
Wim Van Neer’s team analyzed 36 baboon mummies kept at the Lyon museum…
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