Researchers Baffled by Discovery of First-Ever Pregnant Egyptian Mummy in Poland

Polish scientists made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery at the Warsaw Mummy Project. The project's findings were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science . Researchers discovered the only known Egyptian mummy that was pregnant.

Marzena Ożarek-Szilke, an anthropologist and archaeologist from the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, told the Polish state news agency PAP , "With my husband Stanisław, an archaeologist of Egypt, we took a final look at the images and noticed a familiar sight for parents of three children in the deceased woman’s abdomen—a tiny foot."

Knewz.com noted that the mummified body was first brought to Poland in 1826 by Jan Wężyk-Rudzki, who initially thought it was just a regular woman. The team then used computer tomography to examine the body without damaging it. The results showed no signs of male anatomy; instead, they revealed a delicate structure, with 3D visualization showing long, curly hair and mummified breasts.

Wojtek Ejsmond, one of the three co-founders of the Warsaw Mummy Project, told the Associated Press , "This was our most significant finding so far—a total surprise . It opened up possibilities for learning about pregnancy and the treatment of complications in ancient times." However, her cause of death remained unknown, and one thing that baffled researchers was the presence of the fetus.

Ejsmond explained to CNN , "We didn’t know why it was left there. Maybe there was a religious reason. Perhaps they thought the unborn child didn’t have a soul or that it would be safer in the next world." He added, "This was one of the most complex matters. We know that in ancient times, coffins were reused. Sometimes tombs were robbed, and bodies were replaced. During the 18th and 19th centuries, tombs were often looted by antiquity dealers who stole valuable items."

The archaeologists revealed that the woman was between 20 and 30 years old and that the fetus was about 26 to 30 weeks along. However, Wężyk-Rudzki, who brought the mummy to Poland, claimed it came from the Royal tombs in Thebes. Ejsmond expressed suspicion noting that it was common for false information to be given to make artifacts seem more valuable, so they needed to be cautious about such claims."

Ejsmond told Business Insider’s Marianne Guenot, "In ancient Egypt, women of reproductive age were probably not constantly pregnant, but they likely became pregnant every few years." He added, "Radiologists usually look for bones, but our case showed that you shouldn't. You should look for the soft tissue with a unique shape."

While scanning, researchers figured out that the woman did not die during childbirth because of the fetus's position and the closed birth canal. Besides her age, not much else was known about the mummy, so scientists gave her the name 'The Mysterious Lady.' Records at the Museum of the University of Warsaw indicated that around 10% of mummies' coffins might have been mismatched. Ejsmond and his team studied about 40 mummies and hoped to reveal new insights about the woman’s death and her fetus.