Before life and after life, the most mysterious reality of our life! There are many unknown facts about the life we live. And there always revolves a story related to our life. The stories and mysteries surrounding ancient mummies, their life before death, the mummification and their tomb has always lured a lot of attention of researchers, scientists and people around the world. So, here are some of the most interesting facts about the world's oldest mummies!

The Mummy of Ramesses II

Discovered Location: The Valley of Kings, Egypt

Year of Death: 1213 BCE

Discovery of Mummy: 1881

Facts: Ramasses the Great, or commonly known as Ramasses II was one of the most powerful, greatest and renowned Pharaoh of the Ancient Egyptian Empire. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings and was later shifted by the priests and buried in Queen Inhapy's tomb. His mummy was again shifted and buried in the tomb of Pinudjem II, the high priest. Every single detail about his mummification and burial was inscribed on the piece of linen cloth used to cover his body. With the help of modern day science and the examinations performed on his body, it was known that he was a red head, who suffered from arthritis that lead him to hunch towards his later life.

The Mummy of King Tutankhamun

Discovered Location: The Valley of Kings, Egypt

Year of Death : 1323

Discovery of Mummy: 1922

Facts: Fondly called as King Tut, the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun was one of the most important archaeological discoveries. The tomb was found absolutely intact with more than 5,398 different artifacts buried with him. Researchers working on his tomb got to learn about a lot of the ancient Egyptian rituals that were followed during the royal burials and the mummification process. However, the cause of King Tut's death is still an unsolved mystery and why his tomb chamber was smaller than the other Pharaohs remains unknown.

The Mummy of Otzi - Iceman

 

Discovered Location: Otzal Alps,

Year of Death: 3300 BCE

Discovery of Mummy: 1991

Facts: Ritual sacrifices were and still are a part of our civilization. The death of Otzi, the iceman is believed to have been caused due to such rituals. Being the chieftain of his tribe, he was probably chosen for a sacrifice. The mummy of Otzi was discovered by 2 German scientists in the year 1991, during their hike. The discovery soon attracted a lot of media attention and the mummy was recovered from the mountains for research and study purposes. The According to the studies, Otzi had more than 50 tattoos on his entire body. His main diet included pollens and meat of goat. He also had certain anatomical abnormalities. Scientists in 2012 successfully extracted red blood cells from his body.

The Mummy of Lady Rai

Discovered Location: Thebes, Egypt

Year of Death: 1530

Discovery of Mummy: 1881

Facts: The mummy of Lady Rai is one of the oldest mummies that have been discovered in Egypt. Based on the researchers and the studies done on her mummy, it was known that she was around 30 to 40 years old when she passed away. According to the inscriptions on the mummy, it is known that Lady Rai was the nursemaid of the Egyptian Queen Ahmose-Nefertari, also the first Queen of Ancient Egypt belonging to the 18th Dynasty. According to the research, Lady Rai suffered from atherosclerosis.

The Mummy of Amenhotep I

Discovered Location: Deir el-Bahari, Egypt

Year of Death: 1506 BCE

Discovery of Mummy: Not Known

Facts : What makes the mummy of Amenhotep I unique from that of all other royal Egyptian mummies is its exquisitely preserved face mask. The mask is extremely beautiful and delicate as a result of which the mummy was never unwrapped or studied by the scientists or Egyptologists. He was the second Pharaoh of Egypt and ruled the empire till his death in the year 1506 BCE. However, his resting place was shifted to Deir el-Bahri and was purposely hidden with the mummies of other royals belonging to the Egypt's kingdom.