| Persian Princess | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Persian Princess, Rhodugune |
| Age | 21-25 |
| Sex | Female |
| Status | Unknown |
| Height | |
| Source | |
| Culture | Unknown |
| Date(s) | Died around 1996 |
| Site | |
| Current Location | |
| Location | National Museum of Pakistan |
| Catalog # | |
The Persian Princess was discovered in Pakistani Baluchistan October 2000. Pakistani authorities learned that a Karachi resident was trying to sell a mummy on the black market for $11 million. When confronted, he told police had obtained it from a Iranian man. Selling the mummy violated Pakistan's Antiquity Act, however, and police brought the mummy to the National Museum in Karachi.
The body was encased in a wooden coffin, that featured a mixture of Egyptian and Persian elements, it bore a gold plaque with a cuneiform inscription that identified it as a 2,600-year-old Persian princess and the daughter of the king Xerxes, according to one translation, "I am the daughter of the great King Xerxes, I am Rhodugune." The body was dressed with golden artifacts.
Mummification[]
The body was mummified in mimicry the Ancient Egyptian burial style. Her remains were discovered lying on top of a mat coated with wax and honey covered by stone and inscriptions. Her organs were completely removed and the body cavity was filled with white powder.
Further examination of the inscription, as well as CT scans, chemical testing, and carbon dating, found the mummy to be a fake. Further investigation revealed that the body belonged to a woman who had only been dead since about 1996, and may well have been a murder victim.
Studies[]
A CT scan performed at the Karachi's Aga Khan Hospital determined that this was indeed the body of a modern woman who was 21-25 at the time of death.
The inscription in the old Persian language, contained several grammatical errors, and the entire second half of the inscription was actually plagiarized from an inscription credited to King Darius of Iran in around 520 B.C.E, further study found the inscription was not proper Ancient Persian, and that the cuneiform lettering wasn't at all correct. It was not an authentic example of Ancient Persian inscription, techniques, or tools
The wood inside the sarcophagus dated to within 250 years, and there were pencil marks around the inscriptions
Pathology[]
The cause of death, determined by autopsy, was a broken neck as a result of blunt force, leading to Pakistani authorities to open a murder investigation, though it was unclear if the injuries were deliberate or the result of an accident.
Additional[]
January 2001 - Announced to be of Iranian origin.
The woman was never identified. In 2005, the Edhi Foundation announced that it planned to perform last rights and lay the body to rest.
The man who claimed to have found the mummy, Sharif Shah Bakhi, an Iranian, said he discovered the sarcophagus with the mummy inside, shortly after an earthquake, sticking out of the ground and had claimed it for himself. Police did not detain him and when they tried to find him for questioning, he could not be located Law enforcement doesn't even know if Sharif Shah Bakhi was his real name.
External Links[]
http://archive.archaeology.org/0101/etc/persia.html
https://www.grunge.com/232326/the-crazy-true-story-of-the-persian-princess/