Ipswich Museum celebrates opening of new Egyptian gallery

Heritage Key (Ann Wuyts)

This Saturday, on the 7th of August, the Ipswich Museum celebrates the grand reopening of its Egyptian Gallery. At the centre of the new set-up is the mummy of Lady Tahathor, complete with her sarcophagus. Excitingly, the results from the Lady's recent visit to the hostpital - she needed a CT scan - are shown on video.

The scan on the 2,500 year old revealed that Tahathor likely died of natural causes, aged in her mid-twenties. Between her thighs, an odd bundle was discovered, thought to be the remains of her organs, removed during mummification. As was customary in ancient Egypt, the woman's heart had been placed back in her body, so it could be weighed against the 'feather of truth', a vital step on her journey through the afterlife.