Ever wondered what you'd look like at the ripe old age of
2,500? Scientists at the Chicago Field Museum recently cracked opened the
coffin of a mummified 2,500-year-old Egyptian.
The remains uncovered are that
of a 14-year-old boy named Minirdis, who was the son of a priest. Through the
expertise of scientist JP Brown, the coffin was gently pried open. Before
opening the coffin, Brown jokingly explained "The last bit of Indiana
Jones and all that, that's not going to happen." Fortunately for the
staff, it truly didn't.
The anxious Brown ensured that clamps and metal pieces were
used to fashion a cradle of sorts, that could aid in lifting the lid of the
coffin. Imagine using an almost similar kind of caution one uses, when lifting
the foam paper lid of an extremely hot cup of coffee, brimming to the very
edge, lest it spill and burn the skin; in the case of Brown, it was a heavy
coffin lid which if broken, could have caused irreparable damage to the
remains. While the hot coffee would have only burnt the skin, a damage like
that, caused to such a priceless artifact, could possibly have burnt Brown's
career down. Which is probably why Brown only relaxed once the lid was safely
lifted off. "Sweet!" Brown exhaled, once he had helped put the lid
down.
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