Archaeologists examine the mummy. Everyone thinks this is an “unprecedented” archaeological find, but the truth is just a sophisticated scam. Shocking discovery In October 2000, police in Karachi, Pakistan received a tip that a man named Ali Akbar was selling a mummy for 600 million rupees, or about $11 million. According to the source, it was not an ordinary mummy, but “Princess of Persia”. Immediately, the police raided Akbar’s house, searched and questioned the suspect. Akbar then took the police to the home of his accomplice, Wali Mohammad Reeki, in the desert region of Baluchistan province. Here, the mummy in question along with the coffin was found. Reeki admitted to buying the artifact from a man named Sharif Shah Bakhi. This person told him that the body was discovered after an earthquake near Quetta, on the border between Iran and Afghanistan. Two men are arrested for smuggling antiquities, but the mystery of the mummy has only just begun. If it is true “Princess of Persia”, this will be a very important discovery, because no mummies of the Persians (present-day Iran) have been found. The mummy was brought to the National Museum in Karachi for experts to analyze and many mysteries surrounding this ancient man were revealed. The body was mummified in the Egyptian style, with a mask and a golden crown, placed on a reed mat. But the most interesting find was a breastplate covering the mummy’s chest, on which the ancient Persian inscription, “I am the daughter of the great king Xerxes. Mazereka protects me. I am Rhodugune.” In addition, the gilded wooden coffin is also decorated with carved lines also in ancient Persian letters. It all seems to show that this is indeed the Princess of Persia. Pakistani archaeologist, Ahmad Hasan Dani, of Islamabad’s Quaid-e-Azam University, excitedly announced in a press conference that, from what was recorded, the mummy was indeed a Ba princess. Tu, lived around 600 BC. This event sparked a dispute between Iran and Pakistan over the ownership of this unprecedented archaeological find. The Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization declared the “princess” to be a member of the royal family of Persia and demanded that Pakistan return the mummy, and even the Taliban movement in Afghanistan claimed it was their own artifact. Unexpected truth Mummy “Princess of Persia” in coffin. The fierce arguments between the parties have become a political problem, easily leading to conflicts. Meanwhile, some other archaeologists have raised doubts that this is the “Princess of Persia”, even a mummy. An independent examination was conducted and the archaeologists went from surprise to surprise. First of all, ancient linguists found that the writing on the mummy’s breast shield and the coffin was written by someone who was not fluent in the ancient Persian language, rife with grammatical errors, and even traces of pencil marks for inscriptions, which pencils were only invented in the 16th century. In addition, a piece of coffin was examined, it was only about 250 years old, and the carpet underneath the body was discovered to be only… 5 years old. Unusual signs were also found in the body of the “princess”, such as the delicate tendons and ligaments of the middle ear that were still intact, despite thousands of years and the mummification process. did not follow the strict methods of Egypt. For example, the heart was removed, which the Egyptians never did, as it was considered important to regenerate a person’s body when they went to the next world. Multiple CAT scans (computerized axial tomography), accelerated mass spectrometry dating, radiocarbon testing, and X-ray scans all proved this to be a hoax. delicate. In the end, scientists determined, there is no “Princess of Persia”, but this is the body of a 16-year-old girl, who may have died in 1996, not 600 BC. Not only that, there is evidence that the girl was murdered for this fraudulent purpose. Experts also discovered that the “mummy” had died from trauma caused by the force of the impact, which broke her cervical and back vertebrae. Her organs were removed, her body cavity filled with table salt and baking soda, a fake embalming process. All of this was likely done within 24 hours of her death. From an antiquities smuggling case to a murder case. It is said that a group of fake antiquities traders brutally killed this poor girl, or at least stole her body shortly after her death, to be processed into a donkey mummy. sell for money. However, although the police questioned everyone involved in the sale of the mummy, as well as several other suspects, it led to nothing. In the end, not only was no one arrested in connection with this young woman’s death, but the victim was also not identified. She languished in museums for a while, before being buried in 2008 by the Pakistan-based charity Edhi Foundation. Although she was finally laid to rest, she remained anonymous, unclaimed, and the cause of death was not clear, forever referred to simply as “Princess of Persia”.

The laboratory where Frankenstein’s monster was born in the movie released in 1931. Photo: Universal Studios Licensing LLC. On a stormy, rainy night, the mad scientist is trying to revive an inanimate monster he created by piecing together parts of an exhumed corpse. After receiving a high-voltage electric shock, it suddenly moved its long, bony fingers and raised one arm. “It’s alive! It’s alive! It’s alive!” shouted the doctor. It was a memorable scene in the Universal Pictures film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s horror novel Frankenstein (or The Modern Prometheus) (first published 1818), starring Mary Shelley. by Vladimir Karloff as the monster. The work became a blockbuster at the box office when it hit the public’s taste for horror cinema, and paved the way for Universal to release a series of iconic monster movies later, including The Mummy (Mummy), Dracula (Vampire), Creature from the Back Lagoon (Creature from the Black Lagoon), … Whether emerging from the swamp, lying in an Egyptian stone coffin or patched up like Frankenstein, … all these monsters are the product of fascination (and sometimes even fear). ) of the community towards science. More than just the creative work of the design and makeup team, the knowledge (which may still be limited) about amphibians, mummification, anatomy … has been borrowed to bring to mind. aghast. Frankenstein movie poster. Photo: Universal Studios Licensing LLC. Shelley was only 18 years old when she wrote Frankenstein while on vacation in Lake Geneva. A special lover of science, she often attends lectures to keep up to date with new trends and research, including the relatively new field of electrophysiology. She was very interested in the work of 18th-century Italian scientist Luigi Galvani, whose initial experiments showed that electric currents could cause (dead) frog legs to twitch, and then used it as inspiration for Dr. Frankenstein. It was also during this period that scientists began to learn about the nature of resuscitation techniques—sometimes bringing back a person thought to have drowned by manipulating air into their trachea and squeezing their abdomen. Shelly’s own mother had experienced such an emergency when she jumped off the Putney Bridge on the Thames, two years before she was born. More than a century later, Universal adapted her novel into a Frankenstein movie, and then released another monster classic: The Mummy (1932) – also starring Boris Karloff as the monk Imhotep, a master of mummification; The film tells the story of a soul punished by being buried alive and accidentally released to return to earth to cause chaos. Before that, in 1922, a team led by British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the tomb of the famous King Tutankhamun, which has remained a mystery for 3,000 years. The event ignited the curiosity and imagination of millions around the world, and sparked a passion for ancient Egypt – decades after the original release of The Mummy. “Monsters have always been a mixture of conscious and unconscious fear.” – Leo Braudy, author of Haunted: On Ghosts, Witches, Vampires, Zombies and Other Monsters of the Natural and Supernatural Worlds , Witches, Vampires, Mummy and other monsters of the Natural and Supernatural worlds) commented. For example, the fear of vampire bites in the movie Dracula (released in 1931) was based on Bram Stoker’s medieval horror novel (published 1897) and the play Dracula ( performed in 1924) by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. Vampire legends existed for hundreds of years before Stoker published the novel, but researchers believe it was deadly mid-19th-century epidemics like cholera and tuberculosis that inspired and spread vampire myths. “In the absence of science, vampire theory is easy to accept. If someone gets TB and spreads it to other family members, they’ll blame the vampires instead of the bacteria.” — Sarah Crawford, longtime curator at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles , identify. In the movie Creature From the Black Lagoon (released in 1954), designer Milicent Patrick did a lot of research on prehistoric animals and sea creatures to shape the vision for the character “Gill-Man”. She is especially fascinated by the illustrations of reptiles and amphibians that lived about 400 million years ago on Earth. Director Jack Arnold drew inspiration for Gill-Man from the story of the long-extinct coelacanth and thought to be the ancestor of land animals, with unusual fins (which look like like limbs) allowing it to crawl from the ocean to the land. The connection between the sea and land animals, along with the story that the producer heard at a dinner party about a half-human, half-fish creature living in the Amazon River, … all have been brought into creation by Patrick. Figure. Designer Milicent Patrick sketched the sea monster Gill-Man in Creature from the Back Lagoon. Photo: Universal Studios Licensing LLC. Science has not only inspired characters on screen, but has also led to technical experiments and inventions in the field of filmmaking. While staging Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, designer Kenneth Strickfaden – who spent many years as an electrician – devised techniques to simulate ball lightning and electrical discharges. And artist Jack Pierce – the head of Universal’s makeup department – spent eight hours with Karloff on The Mummy, using a mixture made of fuller’s earth and more than 150 feet of ice. gauze. It was the science behind Hollywood’s iconic monsters that made the movies of this golden age even more “horrifying”. In terms of perception, perhaps most viewers know those creatures do not exist. But the thrill and excitement of watching the dramas on the screen made them think, What if they really existed? “Horror movies have been continuously produced, more than any other genre. Because they (monsters and horror things) are, to a certain extent, born within our selves, and as such can never fail,” Braudy said.

However, have you ever wondered where this huge treasure of knowledge, from drawings, historical books or records of artistic quintessence, is kept? The answer is papyrus. Traces of majestic history, primitive knowledge from one of the first human civilizations recorded on papyrus, passed from generation to generation. Therefore, the papyrus has become a symbol of culture, spirituality and history of ancient Egyptian society, as well as the precious heritage of modern Egypt. Paper roll of papyrus. (Source: UK McClung Museum) Ancient, versatile The papyrus papyrus is one of the oldest known plant species known to mankind and Egypt is considered the origin of this plant. The papyrus grows in the swamps on both sides of the Nile River, relying on the sediments of the Nile to nurture and grow. The oldest recorded record of the appearance of the papyrus tree is that of the Greek historian Herodotus, in 450 BC: “The papyrus grew from the swamps, the body was fine. cut and processed into different products, the lower rhizome is eaten or sold ”. The ancient Egyptians discovered the value of papyrus in everyday life. Not only was the main material in papyrus paper production, papyrus also had many other uses in the daily life of ancient Egyptians. The lower stems and roots can be eaten raw or grilled. One can chew on the papyrus stalk, swallow the water and then spit the pulp like gum. Papyrus is also braided as a rope, fishing net, even a boat or decorative details on a boat. In households, papyrus can be used as firewood for cooking, knitting into everyday items such as bags, corks, bed sheets, carpets, curtains, slippers … In the medical field, dry papyrus ash is used to treat skin diseases (caustic, calluses …) or prevent cold sores from developing. The Papyrus habitat is wetlands along the banks of the Nile. (Source: African Plants – A Photo Guide) Witness of history In ancient Egyptian cosmology, the world was created when the first god stood on a mound emerging from the infinite darkness, indistinguishable between darkness and water. Every year, this mound will emerge from the water with the papyrus. Therefore, the papyrus is the symbol of fertility, rebirth, the germ of creation. In that sacred sense, the ancient Egyptians used papyrus as amulets, funerals, mummies or paintings in temples. Amulets made from the papyrus tree are worn around the neck, sewn on a mummy’s scarf, or placed under the mummy’s head to help the deceased feel as warm as they were alive despite having stepped foot into the afterlife. The paintings on the walls of many tombs show that papyrus was used in ceremonies or funerals. The attendees at the ceremony often carry papyrus stalks as an offering to the gods. There is an opinion that when thinking of Egypt, people immediately think of papyrus. The ancient Egyptians invented papyrus paper for so long, so long that it is impossible to determine the exact time. Much of the history of Egypt and the ancient world came to the modern world through information written on papyrus. The use of papyrus paper from the I Dynasty, 3100 BC is recorded on frescoes in the shape of a scroll, and is also considered an image of a book. So how was papyrus produced by the ancient Egyptians? First, they pulled the papyrus stalk out of the swamp, tied it in bundles and brought it to the processing plant. Then, the stalk is cut into thin slices, soaked in water for several days to soften. Finally, the slices are layered, squeezed out of water and strengthened adhesion. The papyrus is dried, which can be glued to increase length depending on the intended use. The image of the papyrus tree is used as a decorative detail on the boat. (Source: UK McClung Museum). Ancient papyrus is found in many places, but mainly in tombs. During the 1903-1920 excavation at the village of Deir al Medina (the residence of those working for tombs in the Valley of the Kings), in the city of Thebes (now Luxor) by the Italian Egyptologist. Leading Ernesto Schiaparelli, historians found 16 meters of papyrus, known as the “Book of the Dead” on the tomb of the main craftsman Kha and his wife Merit (built around 1386-1349 BC ). This is an ancient Egyptian religious document, another name is “The Book of Light” or “The Letter”, a collection of spells and spells recorded to help the soul of the dead to the next world. the other through “Underworld Gate”. The book was written by many priests over a period of 1,000 years. Originally, this book was inscribed in hieroglyphs in pyramid mausoleums and served only to the Pharaohs. However, by the New Kingdom period (1550-1352 BC), this book was copied on papyrus by priests and used for princes, officials, and the upper class. The letter will be read during the mummification process and left in the tomb of the dead. Kha and his wife Merit in front of Death Osiris sitting under a papyrus tree in the Underworld. (Source: UK McClung Museum). Wait for the day “reborn” Today, under the influence of topography, environment and the development of modern settlements on the banks of the Nile, the papyrus tree is almost extinct in Egypt, and as a result, papyrus paper making has gradually faded. one. A small village in Egypt, one of the last to retain the papyrus tradition, is called Al Qaramous (Al Sharqia province). Artist Atef Mohamed Shehata is one of the few artisans in the village who also harvests papyrus and produces papyrus paper. Papyrus seeds are planted and it will take about a year to reach harvestable maturity. After harvest, the tree will regrow in about 1-2 months. Once upon a time, the whole village was covered with papyrus tree, but up to now, the area of ​​this tree is only about 4 hectares. At the end of the finishing process, the papyrus will be sold to other artists in the village, one of which is painter Saied Tarakhan. Finally, paintings on Papyrus paper will be sold at souvenir shops. However, the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, causing a significant decrease in the number of tourists, directly affecting the livelihoods of the villagers, who mostly depend on the harvest and sale of papyrus paintings. Tarakhan artist had to leave all of the studio’s painting staff and partially shut down the workshop. However, with the craftsmen Shehata and Tarakhan, papyrus has become a sacred part of life. They will continue to preserve the tradition of papyrus and papyrus painting for many generations to come, with the same hope that this tradition will continue to be restored, more brilliant and true to the meaning of the “rebirth” of the papyrus species. .

The ancient Egyptians turned countless cats into mummies, and even built the world’s first “pet cemetery”. These cemeteries have a history of nearly 2000 years, with most of the cats buried there wearing iron and bead necklaces. So why did cats have such a high status in ancient Egypt? The ancient Greek historian Herodotus has even recorded that the ancient Egyptians shaved their eyebrows to show respect when their cats died. In 2018, the Smithsonian Asian Art Museum in Washington, DC, USA hosted an exhibition on the importance of cats in ancient Egypt. Many exhibitions have revealed to everyone the origin of this veneration – ancient Egyptians believed that gods and rulers should have cat-like qualities. Specifically, the ancient Egyptians believed that cats had some ideal personalities: on the one hand, they would love, nurture their children and be very loyal; on the other hand, they can also be very aggressive, independent, and assertive. To the ancient Egyptians, these traits made cats seem like a special animal and deserved attention, which may explain why they built so many statues involving cats. Sphinx (sphinx) is a statue next to Kafra Pyramid, 73 meters long and looks like the head of a man and the body of a lion. This is possibly the most famous statue in ancient Egypt, although historians do not know why the ancient Egyptians made this giant statue. Similarly, Sakhmet, the goddess of war and powerful medicine in Egyptian mythology, is also depicted as a female lion or a lion-headed girl in a blood-red dress. She is also considered a protector, especially at dawn and dusk. Another goddess, Bastet, is often depicted as a lion or a cat. The ancient Egyptians believed that the cat was their divine relic. She used to be the goddess of war in Lower Egypt, due to her resemblance to the lion goddess Sekhmet in Upper Egypt, she gradually changed from the god of war to the guardian of the family, symbolizing warmth and family fun. The ancient Egyptians were particularly fond of cats, possibly because they were extremely capable of hunting, especially rats and snakes. Researchers at University College London say that ancient Egyptians even named their children after cats or gave them names meaning cats – for example naming girls “Mitt. “(means cat). It is not clear when cats began to be domesticated in Egypt, but archaeologists have uncovered some ancient graves of cats and kittens dating back to 3800 BC. However, many studies have shown that this obsession is not limited to love. There is archaeological evidence that the ancient Egyptians’ passion for cats had a more cruel side. Between 700 BC and 300 AD, ancient Egypt probably formed a cat industry, first breeding large numbers of kittens, then killing them and making mummies for burial. with human mummies. In a study published in Scientific Reports in 2020, scientists performed micro-CT x-rays of animal mummies in ancient Egypt, including cat mummies. Through the scan, the researchers were able to understand the cat’s bone structure in detail and the materials used in its mummification process. When the researchers received the scans, the cat used for the mummification was in much smaller condition than expected. “It was a very young cat, but we didn’t realize that prior to scanning because most of the mummies (about 50%) were made of cloth,” study author at Swansea University, Wang UK, said Professor Richard Johnston. “When we saw it on the screen, we realized it was still very small when it died” – at less than 5 months old, the cat’s neck It was artificially broken. Mary-Ann Pools Wegner, associate professor of Egyptian archeology at the University of Toronto in Canada, said that many animal mummies were actually used as sacrifices to ancient Egyptian gods. This is a way to quench your anger or ask the gods for help in addition to a verbal prayer. But until now, we still don’t know why the ancient Egyptians wanted to buy cats for mummies during funerals.