A new study has highlighted the oldest documented instance of a teratoma discovered within the 3,000-year-old burial chamber of a young woman found in an ancient Egyptian cemetery. Teratomas are a type of tumor that typically originates in the testicles or ovaries. In this case, the teratoma was nestled within the pelvis of the deceased woman, who was discovered with a Bes ring on her left hand.
This marks the fifth documented occurrence of a teratoma, with three cases reported in Europe and one in Peru. This teratoma has been found within the New Kingdom period cemetery at Amarna, Egypt, a city founded around 1345 BC. It marks the first ancient case of this condition found in Africa, according to the study published in The International Journal of Paleopathology.
The teratoma tumor was discovered within Tomb 3 of the North Desert Cemetery at Amarna, Egypt. (M. Wetzel / Amarna Project)
Extensive Investigations at Amarna Reveal Rare Teratoma
Amarna, a city situated on the eastern bank of the Nile River, roughly midway between the cities of Cairo and Luxor (ancient Thebes), served as the epicenter of Pharaoh Akhenaten’s worship of the sun god Aten and housed his royal court. While the city featured temples, palaces and other structures that supported a population of approximately 20,000 to 50,000 people, it was abandoned within a decade following Akhenaten’s death in 1336 BC, as detailed in the study.
Archaeologists have extensively investigated four cemeteries linked to the city of Amarna. Among…
