BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS—The New York Times reports that a mummified head discovered on top of a coffin in an Egyptian tomb in 1915 has been identified through DNA analysis. The tomb, located in the necropolis of Deir el-Bersha, belonged to Djehutynakht, a Middle Kingdom governor, but it was ransacked, robbed, and set on fire in antiquity. Scholars have been unsure whether the head, now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, belonged to the governor or his wife. A CT scan of the head in 2005 revealed it was missing its cheek bones and part of its jaw hinge, which may have been able to help scientists determine whether the skull had belonged to a man or a woman. But a new genetic study of material from one of its molars has solved the mystery. “I honestly didn’t expect it to work because at the time there was this belief that it was not possible to get DNA from ancient Egyptian remains,” said Odile Loreille, an F.B.I. forensic scientist. Heavy damage to the DNA she extracted from the tooth confirmed it was ancient. Analysis of the material suggests the owner of the tooth was male, and, therefore, that it was Djehutynakht himself. For more, go to “Tut’s Mesopotamian Side.”
