united due to illness

Analysis showed that one-third of the mummies had signs of anemia. This is a condition in which the body lacks healthy red blood cells that carry oxygen to body tissues.

Our study is the first to show radiological findings not only of the cranial vault, but also of the facial bones and postcranial skeleton, suggesting thalassemia in an ancient Egyptian infant mummy.
– writes a team of scientists in their published papers.

paleopathologists from Germany, USA and Italy, Anemia was common in ancient Egypt and was likely caused by factors such as malnutrition, parasitic infections, and genetic disorders.is still the cause of health problems today. Researchers even suggest that Tutankhamun died of sickle cell anemia. However, as the authors of the new study explain, “Direct evidence of anemia in human remains from Ancient Egypt is rare.”

It is impossible to determine from a CT scan whether anemia plays a role in every child’s death, but research the group probably believes it contributed. They also looked for signs of disease that could cause anemia.

When ancient people were mummified, their bodies were preserved to hide more information than those buried. Although modern science doesn’t allow researchers to remove the mummy wrappings used in the mummification process, they often use the scans to “peek” inside and see what’s inside. Computed tomography allows you to examine mummy bones, which can indicate anemia, as the bone marrow produces red blood cells. Chronic hemolytic anemia and iron deficiency anemia are often accompanied by enlargement of the cranial dome (the region of the skull that houses the brain). The researchers hoped to detect this along with other signs of anemia, such as bone porosity, thinning, and changes in shape.

• Overall, the team found that: Of the 21 child mummies they examined in museums in Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, 7 had obvious signs of anemia, particularly an enlarged anterior skull dome..
• One child had facial and other bone changes associated with thalassemia, a genetic disease in which the body cannot produce enough hemoglobin. This case also had a larger-than-normal tongue “possibly indicating Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome,” according to the authors. This child probably died within 1.5 years of birth from most of the symptoms of thalassemia, including anemia.