Have Mummies Ever Been Found in Pyramids_ _ Part 1

Yes, to answer the question in the title, the mummies of pharaohs have indeed been discovered within their pyramids before. Conspiracy theorists who think the pyramids were built by aliens often claim that mummies haven't ever been found within any pyramids, so instead they must have been stargates or whatever instead of tombs, but that's probably just because the discoveries I'm about to go into haven't been well publicized, despite how extraordinary they truly are. In this video, I'll be presenting one of multiple cases of the bodies of pharaohs who all lived and ruled over 4,000 years ago, surviving into the modern day. And these aren't even all! Next week, I'll be coming out with another video about an ancient pharaoh found in his pyramid. But still, these are incredibly exceptional finds, considering the pyramids basically acted as huge billboards advertising the treasure they contained, and so they've all been thoroughly looted, no matter what. That's why later on, the pharaohs of the new kingdom wisened up and ditched pyramids in favor of more discreet, raw-cut tombs, which were also all robbed, except for Tutankhamun's. But without further ado, let's begin. I'm going to cover the three in chronological order, so the first pharaoh we've got is Neferefre, also known as Ra-Neferef, who was the fourth or fifth king of the fifth dynasty, and briefly ruled Egypt, probably during the 25th century BC. We don't know all that much about his reign, because it only lasted for around two or three years, but he did start construction on an ultimately unfinished pyramid at the royal necropolis of Abusir, just south of Cairo. Only the first step of the pyramid's core and four courses of limestone casing were finished before Neferefre ultimately kicked the bucket. Niusere-Ini, his brother and successor, wasn't interested in completing it, and so the surface of the top was just leveled and covered by a layer of clay and desert stones. Afterwards, it became referred to as the Mound, or Iyat, referencing the primeval mound of creation. But compared to other pyramids, it was definitely the dollar-store version. In 1980, the Czech Institute of Egyptology began excavating Neferefre's unfinished pyramid and the adjoining mortuary temple dedicated to him. They were able to prove that the temple had indeed been used, despite his pyramid being unfinished, which meant that he had to have been buried there, too. The descending corridor leading to the king's burial chamber within the pyramid was investigated in the mid-80s and in 1995. At the end of the corridor, a mason's inscription was found, and it was dated to the year of the first census of Neferefre's reign. This could have happened anytime during his first, second, or even third year on the throne, and it suggests that Neferefre died and work on the pyramid stopped soon after it was written. But it also helped confirm that the pyramid actually belonged to Neferefre in the first place. And then, in the excavation season of 1997 to 98, the antechamber and the burial chamber it led into were thoroughly excavated. Scattered fragments of a red granite sarcophagus, pieces of four alabaster canopic jars, and three alabaster offering containers were discovered on the blocks underlying the floor slabs torn out by robbers. Six fragments of human remains were also found in that level, somewhere in the eastern half of the burial chamber. Most of these fragments bear traces of layers of linen wrapping stained by black resin and covered by white dots, which is assumed to be limewash for whatever reason. These fragments include a fragment of soft tissue still covered by skin, which might be from around one of Neferefre's eye sockets, a fragment of the central region of the occipital bone, which protrudes strongly, showing that the body belongs to a male, his whole left clavicle, with remnants of skin and ligaments still on it. Apparently, his muscular relief was feeble. A narrow growth fissure, which was partly fusing, was found using x-rays at the medial end of the bone, and that's something that would have occurred between the ages of 18 and 25. The lateral third of the left scapula, which actually fits together with the clavicle, most remarkably, Neferefre's whole left hand survived, apart from one missing bit at the end of the middle finger. It's coated in a thin layer of black resin, which stained the fingernails and even got to the surface of some of the bones. It's also covered in those whitish limewash stains mentioned earlier. Finally, his right fibula was found, with its proximal end broken off. Since it was about 370 to 380 millimeters in length, it's estimated that Neferefre was 167 to 169 centimeters tall, meaning he was around 5 foot 5. So for all the manlets watching, you're the same height as the pharaohs, so keep that in mind. We know that all five fragments had to belong to the same person, because they're all covered in the same whitish varnish and resin. They all share similar physical features, and remember, two of them were actually perfectly articulated. Overall, their length, robustness, and the external occipital protuberance show that the body definitely belonged to a guy, and due to a combination of reasons, including how gracile and slender the bones otherwise were, and traces of epiphyseal lines closing, it's also been determined that Neferefre was between the ages of 20 and 23 when he died. This, of course, adds up with how the small portion of his pyramid that had been built by the time of his death was left unfinished, and even how youthful and even plump the statues of him found in his mortuary temple depict him as. But how else do we know that this is actually Neferefre, and not just some imposter buried in the pyramid after him? Well, the authenticity of the remains was finally proven when the occipital bone was radiocarbon dated to between 2628 and 2393 BC. In fact, during the excavation of the debris left in the antechamber, two other fragments of remains were discovered, a white hallux and skin from a left foot. They had no traces of wrappings or resin on them, and ultimately, they were radiocarbon dated to between 1297 and 1421 AD. So sometime in the late medieval period, a man was buried just meters away from the ancient forgotten king, and he was probably just laid on racks and covered in sand. The mortuary- But at least he got to be buried in a pyramid, right? The mortuary cult dedicated to Neferefre had come to an end long before, by the 6th dynasty. It was only briefly revived at the beginning of the 12th dynasty. It was plundered. His pyramid was plundered in the first intermediate period, along with other pyramids in Abusir, and was repeatedly plundered for its stone, starting in the later New Kingdom, down into the 19th century. So for around 3,000 years, it was continuously plundered. Extensive quarrying occurred right inside the pyramid itself, and the white limestone burial chamber was severely damaged, which makes the medieval man's choice of burial all the more odd. But by some miracle, while so many other pharaoh's mummies have been completely obliterated and lost to time, and despite all this looting, Neferefre survived. Well, at least partially. We have his hand, at least, right? Another mummy from a 5th dynasty pharaoh has been found, but despite searching far and wide for pictures of it, none seem to exist, so I'm not gonna do a video on it. The mummy belongs to Jedkare Izezi, the 8th and 2nd last pharaoh of the 5th dynasty. His parentage isn't certain, but he was probably either Neferefre's grandson or nephew. Depending on how many people ask for this in the comments, I will publish my script on him, and of course, all the sources associated with it. And of course, in the description of this video, I've added all the sources I used on Neferefre's mummy. So I hope you enjoyed, and see you later.