317a and 317b mummies
Mummies 317a and 317b were the infant daughters of pharaoh Tutankhamun of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty and their mother was likely his Great Royal Wife Ankhesenamun, who has been tentatively identified as the mummy KV21A. They were buried in their father's tomb, which was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. The mummy referred to as 317a is of a girl who was born prematurely at 5–6 months gestation, and mummy 317b is that of girl born at or near full-term. No names have been preserved for these children. These princesses represent the final generation of the Eighteenth Dynasty.
Discovery and description
The mummies were found in a plain wooden box in the north-eastern corner of the Treasury. The lid had been removed in antiquity by robbers. The anthropoid coffins were placed side by side, head to toe. Chips had been taken off the foot of the coffin of 317b to fit it into the box. Both mummies were contained within two nested wooden coffins: the outer coffin was covered in black resin, with gilded bands that name the deceased only as 'the Osiris'; the inner coffins were covered in gold foil. Bands of linen with mud seals of the jackal over nine bound captives sealed the outer coffins. The lid of the outer coffin was attached to the base by eight tenons.317a
Carter unwrapped this mummy in 1925. The head was covered by a gilded death mask that was much too big. The linen wrappings were secured by five transverse bands and two triple longitudinal bands over the front, back, and sides. The wrappings were in thickness, with pads over the chest, legs, and feet. During the 1932 autopsy by Douglas Derry, the mummy was found to be long. The skin was noted as being very brittle and greyish in colour but overall was found to be in good condition. Derry concluded the mummy was likely female and estimated the age to be five months gestation. No sign of an abdominal incision was found. The hands were placed on the front of the thighs. The mummy lacked eyebrows and eyelashes, presumably due to its early gestational age, but light-coloured silky hairs were present on the head. The eyelids were slightly open. The remains of the umbilical cord was preserved to a length of.CT-scanning was conducted as part of the Egyptian Mummy Project in July 2008. The mummy was found to be in very poor condition, which meant the sex could not be determined. A gestational age of 24.7 weeks was inferred from the length of the humerus. The cranium was found to be filled with high and low density contents which may represent brain tissue or embalming material. The torso was also filled with high and low density contents which are likely embalming packs. No deformities were noted, nor could cause of death be determined.
317b
This mummy lacked a mask, though its intended mask is likely the one found earlier in Tutankhamun's embalming cache KV54. The length of the wrapped mummy was and the length of the body itself was. The manner of wrapping was very similar to the smaller mummy - two triple longitudinal bands and four transverse bands around the head, neck, abdomen, and ankles - on top of a shroud. Below the shroud were various layers of pads and bandaging on the feet, legs, abdomen, and chest to provide shape. The mummy was noted as not being as well preserved as the smaller mummy. It was found to be female and estimated to be seven months gestation. The skin was the same greyish colour and brittle condition as the younger mummy. Fine hair remained on the back of the head, and eyelashes and eyebrows were present. The eyes were wide open, containing only the shrunken eyeball. The hands were placed palm down beside the thighs. The interior of the cranium was examined through the fontanelle and found to be filled with linen which had been inserted through the right nostril. The umbilical cord was not preserved but the navel was not retracted indicating that the umbilical cord had been cut off rather than drying off naturally. An incision long was made parallel to the inguinal ligament and sealed with resin. The body cavity was stuffed with linen.The mummy was next examined in 1978 using x-rays and was found to have been damaged over the intervening years, with the skull crushed, and ribs broken. The age was estimated to be thirty five weeks gestation to full term, and she was diagnosed with Sprengel's deformity, spina bifida, and scoliosis. Serological analysis was also conducted and determined that this mummy had an O blood group. A later re-examination of the x-rays suggested that the child may have been as young as 31 weeks based on the degree of ossification.
It has also been suggested that the two were twins who suffered from twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome resulting in one twin who was large for its gestational age and one who was much smaller. It has not been conclusively proven or disproven if this in fact the case but the possibility is considered remote.
CT-scanning was also conducted on this mummy in July 2008 as part of the Egyptian Mummy Project. It was found to be better preserved than 317a and so could be examined more thoroughly. The mummy was confirmed to be female based on the external genitalia and the sub-pubic angle. The age at death was estimated at 36.78 weeks. The diagnosis of Sprengel's deformity was rejected. The left scapula is higher than the right but this is due to the left scapula and clavicle being entirely separated from the body and rotating upwards. Both scapulae and clavicles were of normal and comparable dimensions. The spine was found to be in poor condition and fractured postmortem with fragments missing; this gave the appearance of a deformed spine with neural tube defects but no anomalies were found. It is possible that damage caused by lack of preservation in the modern age has caused spinal damage due to spina bifida to be indistinguishable from postmortem damage. Spina bifida, along with other neural tube conditions, can be passed down genetically, and Tutankhamun had a partially cleft hard palate and a clubfoot, both of which can be related to spina bifida. The female mummy referred to as KV21A, possibly the mother of the two children, also had clubfeet on both sides. A child with spina bifida born in Ancient Egypt might have survived to term, but could not have survived past early infancy, as lifesaving surgery was not available. This may explain this child's survival to full-term, followed by death as a newborn. Mild thoracic scoliosis was also present, but was this was determined to be postural. Evidence of subcutaneous padding was found in the legs. This was used to restore a life-like appearance but resulted in the left thigh being larger than the right.