10 Crocodile Mummies from 2,500 Years Ago Found in Egyptian Tomb Near Nile River

Scientists discovered 10 crocodile mummies in an Egyptian tomb close to the Nile River. These crocodiles may have been dead for more than 2,500 years when they were preserved in a ritual likely to honor Sobek, a fertility god revered in ancient Egypt.

The remains of 10 adult crocodiles, most likely from two different species, were recently discovered in a tomb at Qubbat al-Hawa located on the west bank of the Nile River. Among them were the mummies.

Crocodile Mummies and Ancient Egyptian Culture

De Cupere studies everything, including animal prints, coprolites (or fossilized feces), bones, teeth, and shells. She explained that when archaeologists are excavating, her team will be called upon if they come across animal remains that they deem to be interesting.

One of the ten adult crocodile remains that were discovered was nearly complete, measuring over seven feet long. Of the ten, five were decapitated heads, and the remaining five were in various stages of completion. Since linen bandages secured by resin are frequently found wrapped around animal mummies and human mummies, scientists must use methods like CT scans or X-rays to see through the material.

Crocodylus Suchus and Crocodylus Niloticus

The lack of resin in the Qubbat al-Hawa crocodiles and the fact that the only linen fragments were nearly completely devoured by insects allowed the researchers to analyze the mummies found at the excavation site.

The team proposed that the majority of the crocodiles in the tomb belong to one species, Crocodylus suchus. Meanwhile, the others were Crocodylus niloticus. This assumption is based on the arrangement of the animals' bony plates, or scutes, and the shape of their skulls.

Salima Ikram, an American University Egyptologist in Cairo who was not involved in the study, said that since Niloticus will eat a human prey, whereas Suchus allows the human prey to theoretically swim in the same pool and live, gathering this kind of information supplied insight into ancient Egyptian understanding of the distinctive behaviors of these two crocodile species. Noticeably, the Egyptians interact with these species.

This is according to research published in Nature detailing the two species found in the Nile.

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Lack of Resin

The absence of resin also suggested that the crocodiles were likely mummified by being entombed in the hot, sandy soil, where they naturally dried out before being entombed. The researchers proposed that this process occurred prior to the Ptolemaic period, which lasted from 332 BC to 30 BC.

De Cupere explained that the ancient Egyptians used a ton of resin starting in the Ptolemaic period.

The group proposed that the crocodile mummies were interred sometime in the fifth century BC when Egyptians began to increasingly practice animal mummification. However, radiocarbon dating will be necessary to be certain. The researchers anticipate having the opportunity to conduct DNA testing and such dating in the foreseeable future to confirm the two species.

Dr. Jiménez Serrano claims that the discovery of these mummies provides fresh insights into ancient Egyptian religion as well as the treatment of these animals as offerings. The discovery by De Cupere, Jimenez, and several colleagues, was detailed in the journal PLoS ONE on Wednesday.

The relationship between the Qubbat al-Hawa necropolis and the people, from the earliest burials more than 4,000 years ago to the present, is another important aspect of Ikram's view of these discoveries.

Ikram raised questions such as, how these tombs were perceived by the locals. What were these tombs used for? He pointed out that these tombs had afterlives and lives, the New York Times reports.