First identification of an ancient Egyptian mummified human placenta

Abstract

AbstractIn the course of excavations at Thebes‐West, Upper Egypt, a human organ was recovered from the poorly preserved torso of a female mummy, which was archaeologically dated to the New Kingdom. In the field, the organ was tentatively identified as a liver, but without much certainty. After rehydration and fixation, histological observations led to a rejection of this diagnosis and resulted in the hypothesis that this organ could be a placenta. Comparative histology, performed on an experimentally mummified modern human placenta, revealed a close similarity of microstructural features, which strongly supports the diagnosis of the organ as a placenta. In this paper, we can therefore present the first report of an ancient Egyptian mummified human placenta and provide new insight into Egyptian funeral practices in general, and the fate of the excavated female in particular. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.