Tjayasetimu is the name of a little girl
who was a star singer in ancient Egypt. Nearly 3000 years ago, she was a
member of the royal choir & sang for the pharaohs in temples on the
Nile. The 7-year-old girl, although heartbreakingly young when she
died, was important enough to merit an elaborate mummification, a
process normally reserved for Egyptian royalty & elite families.
Tjayasetimu had been wrapped in painted bandages, her face covered with a
delicate veil & hidden by a golden
mask, & she had been placed in a gilded sarcophagus. The child star
was well-preserved & still had a full head of shoulder-length hair.
They could even see her milk teeth pushing up through her gums. At a
height of just 4 feet, Tjayasetimu was far too small for her
sarcophagus, although it is not clear why a casing was not made to fit
her size. Scientists believe she died as a result of a short illness,
such as cholera.
No comments:
Post a Comment