12. The Mummy of an Egyptian Toddler
During the 1st Century AD, a toddler who passed away was mummified and buried in Egypt. An artist drew a portrait of him while he was alive, which is in keeping with Egyptian tradition. This was included in the burial, and attached to the mummy itself. As tragic as this story is, it still gives us valuable insight into a part of ancient Egypt that we don’t often hear about. In an article from Smithsonian Magazine, they explained that sometimes, the portraits included on mummies don’t always match up. For example, an elderly man was found with a portrait of what he looked like in the prime of his youth when he was 20 years old. However, this 3D face was made by reconstructing his skull, without using the painting as a reference at all. The end result was strikingly similar.