When we think of mummies, we often think of kings and queens and other adults (like those you see in the case to your left), but the ancient Egyptians also mummified children who passed away at an early age.

Here is an example of a mummy of a young boy. The head of the mummy has been unwrapped and you can see the skill of the ancient Egyptian embalmers. The head and face are perfectly preserved. Traces of gold leaf remain on the corner of the left eye and on the upper lip.

This child lived during the Roman period in Egypt, or about 2,000 years ago. We are uncertain how he died. A current project here at the Penn Museum involves the CAT-scanning of all of our mummies at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in order to retrieve information without having to unwrap the body.

The child here was buried inside a wooden coffin that was decorated with protective images. His name is not preserved on the coffin.

Two small toys are displayed with this child mummy. They are typical of the types of toys with which children in ancient Egypt might have played. One toy is a small duck or goose made of reeds, and the other is a wooden horse with wheels.