Artfully EnrobedWrapped in linen, this so-called sacred ibis—a hatchling housed at Montreal's McGill University—provided some of the first evidence that ancient Egyptians sent animal mummies on their final journeys fully fed, a new study says.CT scans of the 2,500-year-old bird, one of four specimens used in the study, show that its body was packed with grains after death to sustain it in its afterlife mission as a messenger to the gods, according to findings published January 13 in the Journal of Archaeological Science."The ancient Egyptians intended to send this ibis to eternity with a full belly," the study team writes.(Also see "Egyptian Animals Were Mummified Same Way as Humans.")—James Owen
Photograph courtesy Andrew Nelson, University of Western Ontario

Pictures: Bird Mummies "Fed" After Death, Stuffed With Snails

Some of the millions of ancient Egyptian ibis mummies were "fed" after death, scans reveal—the better to live through the afterlife.

February 8, 2012

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