Tuesday, 12 March 2013

17 year old Cleopatra from Thebes

Courtesy of www.britishmuseum.org

 

Technically known as EA 6707, from the Henry Salt Collection at the British Museum, Cleopatra was a 17 year old girl, who lived in Thebes during the reign of the Emperor Trajan, and based on the inscription on her coffin, she is the daughter of a vital official of the government. She should not be confused with the infamous Cleopatra VII, who died approximately 150 years before this Cleopatra.

It is unlikely that her mummy has been unwrapped, nevertheless, Cleopatra has undergone an X-ray and based on the X-ray evidences, under the loose and messy outer wrappings, she is tightly bandaged - so tightly wrapped that it seems her left hip has been dislocated.

Unfortunately, without further  in-depth examination, we are unsure of her cause of death. Nonetheless, owing to her young age, death during childhood cannot be dismiss, especially since during those days, simple cuts and grazes could be fatal as a result of the lack of proper medication or antibiotics, or if she had a weak immune system, she would have succumbed to any childhood diseases.




 
 
-chelle-

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