I Went To California And All I Saw Was This Lousy Medical Mystery

When we went to California in September last year, I snuck in a field trip to the Rosecrucian Egyptian Museum. Partly as research for one of the books I’m writing; partly because of my obsession with all things Ancient Egyptian.

We’ve been putting together our photos into a coffee table book – a great way to revisit our trip – and this one of the mummy Usermontu is one of my favorites – and as it turns out, a bit of a marvel, and I didn’t even know it at the time!

First off, researchers discovered that the mummy contained in the sarcophagus they’d acquired isn’t actually Usermontu. The identity of the mummy is still unknown to this day, but is still referred to by the original owner of the sarcophagus.

Secondly, and most surprisingly, it was discovered via x-rays in the mid ’90’s that Usermontu had a 9-inch metal pin in its left knee.

Initial thoughts were that the pin was placed there in modern times to keep the mummy’s leg in place, but further research found ancient organic resins as well as traces of ancient fats and textiles, which proved that the procedure was done 2,600 years ago, not in modern times.

So, I was pretty impressed by the mummy to begin with. Now that I know how much more remarkable it was under its ancient wrappings, it makes my trip to the Egyptian Museum that much more fascinating.