The interdisciplinary study

The mummy with three robes belonged to a child who lived in medieval Egypt in the 13th century AD.

Under the scientific direction of the Bologna Archaeological Museum and the Eurac Research Institute for Mummy Studies, a considerable program of diagnostic investigations was defined in order to reconstruct the biological (sex,  age at death and stature) and paleopathological profile of the mummy, the possible embalming techniques, and to determine optimal conservation treatment of the tissue.

This interdisciplinary work was carried out in collaboration with prestigious research institutes and professionals in the field, who effectively brought their expertise together.

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The CT analyses

The mummy, devoid of head and feet, belongs to a 2–3 year-old child, about 84 cm tall. It was not possible to trace the cause of death, but analysis revealed, particularly in the lower limbs,  a state of illness possibly due to inadequate nutrition or inflammation.

Measuring the mummy's bones in order to estimate age at death.

CT imaging showed that the body had not been eviscerated of its internal organs. The heart, trachea, bronchi, and diaphragm were naturally mummified. Examination of the skin, with its reddish-brown coloring, suggests that the body had been treated with some substances to prepare it for burial.

Radiocarbon dating

Radiocarbon analysis, performed on a sample of bone and tunic, allowed the mummy to be dated to the 13th century AD (Middle Ages).

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Genetic investigation

A bone sample from an exposed section on the fractured tibiae, which had already been taken for radiocarbon dating, was also subjected to genetic testing.

In the ancient DNA laboratory of the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research, the sample was prepared for aDNA sequencing following strict precautions so as not to add further external contamination to that which body had already been exposed to over the centuries.

The data obtained from the DNA sequencing was analyzed with specific bioinformatic programs to verify quality and thus the possibility of in-depth genomic analysis. Unfortunately, the sample did not provide the desired results, as the DNA was in a poor state of preservation.