LONDON: Researchers at York University claim to have identified an Egyptian mummy exhibit in Britain as a son of the powerful Pharaoh Remesses II.
Using CT scanning, they solved the mystery of the 3,000-year-old mummy kept on display at Bolton Museum for 80 years, which was earlier thought to be that of a female temple dancer, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported on Saturday.
According to the researchers, the CT scan results showed the mummy's features reminiscent of the Egyptian royal family. It is one of the 110 children Ramesses is thought to have fathered, they concluded.
In fact, test results revealed that the mummy had a pronounced over-bite and misaligned eyes, akin to members of the 19th Dynasty, and his facial measurements were found to be almost identical to those of Ramesses himself.
Even chemical analysis showed that the body had been embalmed using expensive materials, including pistachio resin and thyme, the preserve of priests and royalty, the research team said.
They estimated that the mummified man died in his thirties between 1295 and 1186 BC of a wasting disease, likely to be cancer.
The York University team is to reveal their findings in 'Mummy Forensics' series to be aired on History Channel.
"When the mummy was taken away for analysis we thought we were looking at a female temple dancer, we certainly didn't expect to make a significant discovery like this. It has been a very exciting and ground-breaking process.
"After conducting a series of tests, including a hospital scan, we're 90 per cent sure he is a son of Ramesses, and other evidence suggests he was probably also a priest," Gillian Mosely, the programme producer, was quoted as saying.
LUXOR, Egypt (AFP) — Egyptian and European archeologists on Saturday announced they had discovered a giant statue of an ancient pharaonic queen on the spectacular south Egypt site of the Colossi of Memnon. 
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