One of the largest Egyptian mummies research projects in the world. In December 2015, thanks to the cooperation of researchers from the Warsaw Mummy Project research group with the National Museum in Warsaw, Affidea Polska and Grey Group Polska, all human and animal mummies in the collection and deposit of the National Museum in Warsaw were examined using CT and X-ray.
The first results of the research revealed the secrets of the mummy. One of the mummies, previously believed to be the mummy of a man, turned out to be the mummy of a woman who died while being 7 months pregnant. The researchers published the results of their works in 2021 in two scientific articles in the Journal of Archaeological Science and the whole world heard about the “Mysterious Lady” unexampled mummy from Warsaw.
edition.cnn.com more on: muzeum.uw.edu.pl
In 2022 and 2023, there were very popular exhibitions entitled “The Mysterious Lady. Studies and Perspectives” (Would it be possible to put such a gallery here, a strip with photos from exhibitions?)
In 2023, the premiere of the film took place, presenting researchers from Warsaw and the mummy of a pregnant woman they were studying. www.canalplus.com You can see the mummy of the Mysterious Lady and other human and animal mummies in the
Gallery of Ancient Art in the National Museum in Warsaw.
More mummies studied by the Warsaw Mummy Project team in cooperation with the Mummy Research Center are revealing their secrets. Thanks to the use of the latest visualization methods, we can perform their virtual autopsies and see exactly what is hidden under the bandages, to create perfect photos and animations for publications and films.
Scientific publications
Chantal Milani, Wojciech Ejsmond, Marzena Ożarek-Szilke, Stanisław Szilke, “Comparing two different sets of soft tissue depths in the facial reconstruction of the mummy of the so-called Mysterious Lady” [in:] Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Feb. 2025
Ejsmond W., Ożarek-Szilke M., Szilke S., Jaworski M., “A pregnant ancient Egyptian mummy from the 1 st century BC” , [in:] Journal of Archaeological Science 133, 2021
Ejsmond W., Ożarek-Szilke Marzena, Szilke Stanisław, Jaworski Marcin, Jaroszewska Katarzyna, “Further
evidence to confirm the ‘pregnant mummy’: A reply to Saleem (2021) [in:] Journal of Archaeological Science
137, 2022
Ejsmond W., Ożarek-Szilke M. „The Collection of Egyptian Mummies of the University of Warsaw and Their Role
in the ‘Prehistory’ of Polish Egyptology”, [in:] Études et Travaux XXXV / 2022, p. 7-37.
Popular science publications
Ejsmond W., Ożarek-Szilke M., Malgora S., translation Malgora B.,”Una signora egizia a Varsavia. L’Egitto in Europa”, [in:] Archeologia Viva n. 225 – maggio/giugno 2024
pp. 28-37
Ożarek-Szilke M, Ejsmond W., Jaworski M., Szilke S., „Tajemnicza Dama, tajemnicza mama”. [in:] Archeologia Żywa 3/2021, p. 42-47.
Ożarek-Szilke M., Ejsmond W., Jaworski M., Szilke S., „The Warsaw Mummy Project”, [in:] Current World Archaeology, Sept. 23, 2021, vol. 109.
Ejsmond W. , Ożarek-Szilke M., Jaworski M., “Mummy Mummy !”, [in:] Ancient Egypt 22 no.1, 127, 2021
Warsaw Mummy Project is directed by:
Marzena Ożarek-Szilke and Wojciech Ejsmond