1. The Mummy of Tutankhamun

In 1922, the famous British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the mummy of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

When discovered, Tutankhamun’s tomb was filled with ancient treasures, including jewelry, gilded religious objects and a solid gold mask. This “shocking” discovery fueled a worldwide fascination with Egyptian civilization.

Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in 1922.

After decades of speculation about whether the young king died of murder, Dr Zahi Hawᴀss of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities said his team believes Tutankhamun died after breaking his leg in a chariot accident. The leg wound became infected and killed Tutankhamun.

The mummy of King Tutankhamun.

King Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of nine and reigned for around 10 years. The discovery of his tomb gave rise to the mummy’s curse myth when Carter’s partner and financier, Egyptologist George Herbert, died of a mosquito bite a few months later.

2. The mummy of Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut was one of the most prominent female figures in Egyptian history, establishing new trade routes and undertaking major building projects before her death at the age of 50 in 1458 BC after a reign of nearly two decades.

Hatshepsut was both the half-sister and wife of the pharaoh Thutmose II. By custom, she was made regent for her son after her husband’s death. However, within a few years, she had declared herself pharaoh. Hatshepsut was also discovered by Carter in 1902, but her sarcophagus was found empty.

Hatshepsut Mummy

Carter excavated a separate tomb containing two coffins – one that belonged to the queen’s wet nurse and the other to an unidentified woman. In 2006, Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi Hawᴀss and his team set out to determine whether the other woman could be the missing queen.

A molar found in a wooden box bearing Hatshepsut’s name fit perfectly into the cavity in the mummy’s upper jaw, leading Dr. Hawᴀss to believe that the mummy was indeed Hatshepsut. CT scans of the mummy believed to be Hatshepsut’s showed that she died in her fifties from a ruptured abscess after a tooth was extracted. Metastases of bone cancer, as well as liver cancer and diabetes, were also found.

3. Thutmose III Mummy

Thutmose III was the son of pharaoh Thutmose II; his mother was one of the king’s concubines, named Isis. Thuthmose III ruled the country with his stepmother and aunt, Hatshepsut, for 22 years.

A few months after coming to power, Thutmose III led his army of 20,000 soldiers to Megiddo, in modern-day northern Israel – a place better known by its Greek name, Armageddon. Thutmose III’s scribe accompanied him on this trip and recorded the details of the campaign, an invaluable chronicle now known as the Chronicle of Thutmose III.

Portrait sculpture of Thutmose III.

Thutmose III was a brilliant military strategist. He transformed Egypt from an inward-looking kingdom into a victorious and conquering nation. Historians have called him the “Napoleon of Egypt”.

4. The mummy of Seti I

Menmaatre Seti I was a pharaoh of the 19th dynasty of Egypt. Seti I was the only child of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre. During the early years of his reign, Seti led his army north to restore Egypt’s prestige, which had been somewhat lost during the difficult years of the late 18th dynasty.

He fought in northern Palestine and Syria. Seti I’s greatest foreign policy achievement was the capture of the Syrian city of Kadesh and the neighboring territory of Amurru from the Hitтιтe empire.

Seti I’s Mummy

Seti fortified Egypt’s borders, opened mines and quarries, dug wells, and rebuilt temples and shrines that had fallen into disrepair or were damaged. He also took over the construction of the great temple of Karnak, which his father had begun.

Seti I was buried in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes, Egypt. The tomb was discovered in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni. His mummy was not found there, but in tomb DB320 in Deir el-Bahri.

5. Ramesses II’s Mummy

Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, was one of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs of all time. Ramesses II reigned for nearly 60 years and died when he was around 90 years old. Many sources claim that he had more than 100 children.

Ramesses II mummy

His mummy was discovered in 1881 in the Valley of the Kings. Ramesses II’s body was taken to Paris in 1974 to be treated for a fungal infection. Under Egyptian law, the deceased must have proper documentation before being allowed to leave the country.

Rames II’s mummy was issued a pᴀssport by the Egyptian government, becoming the first mummy to receive this privilege. In addition to a pH๏τo of Ramesses II’s face, the pᴀssport also listed the ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s occupation as “King (deceased)”. Ramesses II’s mummy was welcomed with royal honors upon arriving in France.

Pᴀssport of Ramesses II.

6. The Mummy of Meritamen

Meritamen was the daughter and queen of Pharaoh Ramesses II – the great Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Inbreeding was common in ancient Egypt.

The mummy of Meritamen.

It is unclear whether Meritamen died during the reign of her father or during the reign of Merneptah. The lid of Meritamen’s sarcophagus is now in Berlin, Germany. On it are inscribed her тιтles and names such as: Daughter of the King, Great Royal Wife, Osiris…

7. The mummy of Ahmose-Nefertari

Queen Ahmose-Nefertari was born in the ancient city of Thebes. She was the first queen of the 18th dynasty. Ahmose-Nefertari was the main queen of Pharaoh Ahmose I and the mother of AmenH๏τep I.

Ahmose-Nefertari mummy.

The queen died in 1495 BC. She was buried in Dra Abu el Naga, Egypt. Ahmose-Nefertari’s mummy was later moved to DB320 to avoid the prying eyes of tomb robbers.