A teenage 'golden boy' 2,300-years-old has been found mummified and covered in good luck charms.
He is believed to have died in Ancient Egypt and was covered in 49 protective amulets a or good luck charms to guide him in the afterlife.
Researchers found amulets on and inside the masked body of the “golden boy” after using computerised x-ray scans to uncover his remains without any disturbance.
They were discovered in 1916 at Nag el-Hassay cemetery which was used between 332 BC and 30 BC in the south of the country.
The bodies were excavated in Egypt in the 19th and early 20th centuries before being moved to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Like many others, the mummy remained unexamined upon its discovery and was moved into the museum’s basement.
When a teenage boy died 2,300 years ago in Egypt, he was mummified and adorned with 49 protective amulets and a golden mask to guide him in the afterlife.
Researchers discovered the amulets placed on and inside the body of the mummified “golden boy” when they used computerised tomography scans to digitally unwrap the remains without disturbing them.
The remains were first uncovered in 1916 at a cemetery called Nag el-Hassay used between approximately 332 BC and 30 BC in southern Egypt.
Thousands of bodies in original coffins, were found in the country in the 19th and early 20th centuries before being taken to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
But the boy's mummified body was not examined when first found and moved to the basement part of the museum.
The Egyptians' ancient forefathers reckoned another life followed them after their death, but could face a treacherous journey to the afterlife.
The 'golden boy' however, was prepared ready for his trip a study published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine says.
Dr Sahar Saleem, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Cairo University said: “Here we show that this mummy’s body was extensively decorated with 49 amulets, beautifully stylised in a unique arrangement of three columns between the folds of the wrappings and inside the mummy’s body cavity.
"These include the Eye of Horus, the scarab, the akhet amulet of the horizon, the placenta, the Knot of Isis, and others. Many were made of gold, while some were made of semiprecious stones, fired clay, or faience.
"Their purpose was to protect the body and give it vitality in the afterlife,”
The boy was wearing white sandals and his his body was covered in ferns.
The footwear was to allow him to 'walk out the coffin' and to ensure he was clean before reading the verses of the ancient Egyptians’ ritual Book of The Dead.
The boy's mummified body is now in the main exhibition hall of the museum surrounded scans and mages to give more insight into the process of mummification and ancient death rites.
