Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of 16 people and a mummified dog crammed into an ancient Egyptian tomb.
The extraordinary burial chamber in the Theban Necropolis, opposite the modern city of Luxor, was repeatedly reused by mourners for more than 700 years.
Researchers found bodies stacked on top of one another, with later burials carefully squeezed into whatever space remained between those who had died centuries earlier.
Among the most bizarre discoveries was a mummified dog placed directly on top of the remains of a man and woman.
The researchers say the unusual arrangement may indicate the animal had a special relationship with the pair – or could even have been intended as a guide to the afterlife.
‘We found a total of 16 mummified human individuals, a mummified dog, and a disturbed deposit containing the remains of at least four individuals,’ first author Dr Jared Carballo-Pérez, a researcher at the University of La Laguna, in Spain, said.
‘The detailed study of the bodies indicates neither chaotic accumulation nor a loss of the original ritual over time.
‘Rather, there was a spatial logic in which each new deposition was adapted to the presence of previous bodies – a kind of funerary memory in the processes of reuse.’
Mummified individuals from Side Chamber 3 of Theban Tomb 209, showing variation in body orientation and arm position. The burial chamber was used by mourners for more than 700 years
Among the most bizarre discoveries was a mummified dog (M9) placed directly on top of the remains of a man (M7) and woman (M6)
For the study, the team examined a chamber in tomb TT 209 – just one of hundreds of burial sites at the Necropolis.
They excavated the chamber, photographed the mummies and produced sketches and descriptions of their position and orientation.
For the earliest deposits, which dated back 2,500 years, the researchers found relatively separated burials where bodies were placed in coffins.
‘The earliest individuals buried here appear to have been of high social standing, as they were interred in coffins, with funerary nets and amulets, and with an assemblage containing costly items,’ senior author Dr Molinero Polo said.
Later, towards the end of the 25th dynasty and the Persian period – around 680-404 BC – bodies started being inserted into any space available.
This triggered a change in how bodies were positioned – for example, with arms folded in whereas earlier burials had arms stretched out.
They also started stacking bodies on top of each other to make the most of the space.
‘The bodies buried in vertical superposition did not have coffins but were carefully mummified,’ Dr Polo said. ‘They also can be associated with upright jars that point to a specific ritual not found in the earlier phases of the tomb’s use.’
An exterior view of the tomb that was excavated. It is one of hundreds of burial chambers at the Theban Necropolis
This diagram shows roughly how the individuals were placed in the tomb, with some buried individually in coffins while others were layered on top of each other
In the southeastern section of the chamber, four mummies and one mummified dog are buried on top of one another.
‘One detail I find quite beautiful is the presence of a mummified dog placed directly on top of the mummies of a man and a woman,’ Dr Carballo-Pérez said.
‘This could indicate a close relationship between these human individuals and the animal, an idea that I think is quite easy to empathize with.’
It could also reflect a change in ritual practice, with an animal taking on the role of a symbolic helper in the journey to the afterlife, the researchers said.
Despite the increasingly cramped conditions, experts say the tomb was not simply a chaotic mass grave.
Instead, each new burial appeared to adapt to those already inside.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, reads: ‘Overall, the chamber can be understood as a funerary space with an accumulative biography, in which reuse did not simply involve the addition of burials, but the progressive transformation of the organization, materiality, and meaning of the space itself.
‘Rather than acting as a passive container, the chamber can be interpreted as a dynamic mortuary environment where bodies, objects, sediments, and architectural constraints shaped the material construction of funerary continuity over time.’
The researchers said there was some evidence that earlier burials had been disturbed by later mourners who also laid their dead to rest in the chamber
Last week, researchers warned the growing global trade in mummified body parts could unleash ancient fungal spores on the world.
Experts say the buying and selling of centuries-old hands, feet and heads could release ‘a real mummy’s curse’.
They revealed there are alarming risks from dormant microorganisms and the toxic materials used to preserve the dead hundreds of years ago.
Dormant fungal spores can become airborne when moved or disturbed, posing health risks to the living, the experts said.
Some could even cause severe poisoning, brain damage, cancer, liver and kidney issues, skin lesions and lung irritation.
