The Mummy with the Golden Tongue

In 2021, archaeologists in Egypt made a fascinating discovery—a 2,500-year-old mummy with a golden tongue. Found at the Taposiris Magna temple near Alexandria, this remarkable find is believed to be linked to ancient burial rituals aimed at ensuring the deceased could speak in the afterlife.

The Mummy with the Golden Tongue was discovered in early 2021 at the Taposiris Magna temple, west of Alexandria, by a team of Egyptian and Dominican archaeologists, led by Dr. Kathleen Martínez, who has been searching for the lost tomb of Cleopatra.

The mummy itself is that of a woman, and the burial style and artefacts surrounding this woman’s burial suggest she was interred during a time when Egyptian and Greco-Roman cultural influences blended, creating a period when traditional Egyptian burial customs were still practiced alongside Greek and Roman influences. Thus, it is believed she lived sometime during the Ptolemaic – Greco-Roman Period.

Due to the poor state of preservation, archaeologists could not determine her name, status, or cause of death. However, the presence of the golden tongue suggests she may have been a person of some importance, and at the very least, she was somebody connected to wealth who could afford an elaborate burial.

Alongside the golden-tongued mummy, archaeologists discovered other mummies, statues, and burial tribute, including a funerary mask and various cartonnage pieces. Some statues were believed to represent figures of nobility or priests, which is perhaps to be expected, considering the burial was at the site of a temple, which would have had significant religious and political importance. This could mean the woman was a priestess or had connections to the temple herself, but as yet, that is unknown and just an educated guess and conjecture.

Why a Golden Tongue?

In Egyptian religious texts, gods are described as having golden skin, silver bones, and lapis lazuli hair. Many temple reliefs and statues depict deities with golden-toned bodies, emphasizing their divine nature. Unlike other metals, gold does not rust or deteriorate over time. The Egyptians saw this as a symbol of the gods’ immortality and divine essence. The sun god Ra, one of the most powerful deities, was often linked to gold. His flesh was believed to be made of gold, and he was associated with the radiance and life-giving power of the sun.

Pharaohs, who were seen as living gods, adorned themselves with gold jewellery, golden masks, and golden coffins to connect with the divine. The famous death mask of Tutankhamun is made of solid gold, reinforcing the belief that gold was the flesh of the gods.

This belief in golden flesh reinforced the eternal and godly nature of Egyptian deities and influenced burial customs, such as the golden tongues found in mummies, which were meant to help the deceased speak like the gods in the afterlife.

As is common knowledge, Ancient Egyptians believed in preparing the dead for the Afterlife. The golden tongue amulet and or foil was therefore most likely placed in the mummy’s mouth to allow the deceased to speak beyond death, specifically to the deities of the Underworld, especially the ruler of the Underworld, the god Osiris. The golden tongue would, therefore, adorn her speech, and allow her to speak up with a “golden” and divinely inspired confidence during the judgment of her soul, preserving her with a safe passage to the heavenly realm, known to the Egyptians as the “Field of Reeds”.

Golden Mummies of Quesna

In December 2021, archaeologists in Egypt uncovered a group of golden mummies at the Qewaisna (or Quesna) necropolis in the Menoufia Governorate, north of Cairo. This burial site dates back to the Late Period, c. 664–332 B.C. and the Ptolemaic era, c.305–30 B.C., and it revealed several mummies with golden tongues, similar to the earlier discovery at Taposiris Magna.

The mummies were found in poor condition, but many had golden tongues. Some mummies were adorned with gold leaf decorations covering parts of their bodies, including gold amulets shaped like scarabs and lotus flowers. The tomb also contained rich burial materials, indicating that these individuals may have belonged to a wealthy or noble class.

This discovery at Quesna adds to previous finds, such as the Taposiris Magna golden-tongued mummy discovered in the beginning of 2021, provides more evidence of this type of burial ritual. Archaeologists continue to study the site to uncover more insights into the Egyptian funerary traditions of this period.