Archeologists announced they have identified the red liquid found in an ancient sarcophagus, and unfortunately, it won't give magical powers to anybody who drinks it. Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities said that an initial analysis determined the liquid was sewage water that mixed with the decomposing remains of the three skeletons and their wrappings.
They also announced that they have determined the estimated age and gender of the skeletons.
Dr. Nadia Kheider, Head of the Central Department of Antiquities of Lower Egypt, said that the first skeleton belongs to a woman between the ages of 20 to 25 years old, with a height of around 160 to 164 cm. The second one belongs to a man between the ages of 35 to 39 years old, with a height ranging between 160 to 165.5 cm, and the third skeleton is from a man between the ages of 40 and 44 years old whose height was between 179 to 184.5 cm.
They believe that the three were soldiers during the Ptolemaic period, which lasted from 305 B.C. to 30 B.C. One of the skeletons had a hole in the back of its head, which was the result of surgery.
Dr. Hashish said that this probably the “Trepanation” surgery where a burr hole is drilled or scraped into the human skull. “This surgery is the oldest surgical intervention ever known since pre-history but was rare in Egypt,” said Dr. Zeinab Hashish, director of the department of skeleton remains studies at the Ministry of Antiquities.
The skeletons will now undergo further testing, including CT-scans and DNA tests to determine whether or not the three people were related.
Photo: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities