The scent of the afterlife unbottled in new study of ancient Egyptian mummification balms
Many such fossilized cocoons have been found, some going back 100 million years in the fossil record, yet none so far have been found with the preserved body of its occupant still inside.
Students from San Marcos University and researchers initially found remains of the mummy's hair and skull in a cotton bundle during excavation, before uncovering the rest of the mummy.
Museum staff do not know the situation inside the museum because they halted work there after the conflict suddenly erupted on April 15, forcing police guarding the facility to quit.
The discovery was made after a year-long excavation near the sanctuary of the goddess Bastet, which is home to the catacombs of mummified cats in Saqqara.
The mummified adolescent was found in a "good state of conservation."
A team of scientists used modern non-invasive techniques to take a peek into ancient boxes that are still unopened all these years later.
Photos from the scene show the mummy in a fetal position, wrapped in bandages, inside a cooler bag for the Latin American food delivery service Pedidos Ya.
Long before the preservation methods of today came to life, ancient Egyptians had to use unique local remedies to prepare mummies.
The mummy, found with three others, is thought to be one of the best-preserved and oldest discovered in Egypt.