A technique called portable X-ray fluorescence has helped Egyptologists identify changes and adjustments to details of tomb decoration that are invisible to the human eye.
Several studies have upended what we thought we knew about mummification using scientific dating techniques to reveal some fascinating – and surprising – insights.
An archaeologist works at the site of the discoveries in Saqqara.
Mohamed Hossam Eldin
Egyptians believed gold was the colour of the gods and gilding the dead expressed the idea that they acquired divine qualities in the afterlife.
A man takes a picture of a statue representing the 5,300-year-old mummy named Ötzi, discovered in the Italian Alps 30 years ago.
Andrea Solero/AFP via Getty Images
When the 5,300-year-old mummy of Ötzi the Iceman was found 30 years ago, researchers found 61 tattoos on it. A scholar explains how tattoos have been a sacred part of many cultures across the world.