Ancient mummies of the world. Alien mummy in Peru? What scientists have actually found. What is a mummy

Although the image of a mummy in the human imagination is invariably associated with ancient Egypt, mummified remains can be found in ancient and modern cultures around the world. Some mummies survive to this day due to exposure environment, while others are the result of human intervention. From ancient animals to sad victims, here you will learn about mummies that, despite their age, are perfectly preserved to this day.

Pharaoh Ramesses II, who ruled from 1279-1213 BC, is considered one of the most powerful rulers ancient egypt. In ancient times, the body of Ramesses was reburied 5 times because of grave robbers. In modern times, in 1974, scientists discovered that the pharaoh's mummy quickly deteriorates. Then it was sent to France for examination and restoration. For a visit to another country, a modern passport of Ramesses was needed, therefore, during the creation of the document, in the column "occupation" they indicated "king (deceased)". At the Paris airport, the mummy of the pharaoh was met with all military honors due to the visit of the head of state.

A well-preserved human body was discovered in 1952 in a peat bog in Denmark. Judging by the cut throat, he was killed and then thrown into the swamp. According to analyzes, the man died around 290 BC. e. "The Man from Groboll" is considered "one of the most impressive discoveries from early history Denmark", since the mummy is one of the best preserved bog bodies in the world.

An amazingly well-preserved mummy of a hunting dog that probably belonged to the pharaoh's family. When the dog died, it was buried in a specially prepared tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

Buried with a dog (previous photo), the baboon keeps a little secret that helps identify it as a pet. The X-ray revealed missing fangs, the absence of which may indicate human surgery to prevent the animal from biting hard.

Human leg mummy found in a peat bog in 1944. Often, farmers find in such swamps well-preserved fragments of organic origin, the age of which can exceed thousands of years. This is due to the fact that the environment of peat bogs slows down the growth of bacteria, which is why the bodies of organic origin, immersed in such bogs, are practically not destroyed.

The gazelle of the queen of ancient Egypt was mummified and buried with the same generous care as a member of the royal family. The animal was buried around 945 BC.

This mummy was found in Lima, Peru. After death, the Incas embalmed some of the bodies of the dead or wrapped them in cloth. And the arid climate contributed to the mummification of bodies.

Pharaoh Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for almost 22 years. While Hatshepsut's tomb was discovered in 1903, her mummy was only identified in 2006. This discovery was declared "the most important in the Valley of the Kings after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun."

The mummified remains of two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo have survived to this day almost unchanged. The girl died of pneumonia in 1920 - her father was so worried about the death of his daughter that he turned to the famous embalmer, Dr. Alfredo Salafia, with a request to save Rosalia's body from decomposition. Only in the 2000s did the first signs of decomposition of the mummy begin to appear, so the body was transferred to a drier place and enclosed in a glass container filled with nitrogen.

Last week the internet was buzzing with the discovery of a mummy "alien" near the Nazca lines. However, let's be clear right away: this "discovery" has all the signs of a hoax, and not a very good one at that.

Evidence of alien origin?

The mummy covered with white powder was called the "alien" because the "creature" found had six fingers and toes each. In addition, the elongated skull of the mummy has also been perceived as some kind of mysterious sign, despite the fact that such burial practices were quite common in the pre-Columbian era in Peru.

The "discovery" of the mummy was first announced by Gaia.com, a website that describes itself as a skeptical portal against "conventional wisdom" (most often evidence and logic). A series of videos related to this "find" is filled with questions about what this creature could be. Also, the authors of the videos conclude that the “find” is clearly of extraterrestrial origin.

mummy DNA

“From the DNA sample, we were able to determine that this is a woman who was named Maria, since the mummy lacks a Y chromosome,” Mikhail Aseev, head of the genetic analysis department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented in the video.

It is worth explaining the previous paragraph in more detail. If a team of scientists was really able to extract and analyze DNA, and even find out that the mummy belongs to a woman, then she can just as well determine whether this creature was a person or not. And let me assure you, if researchers do find alien DNA, they won't announce it through a dodgy site called Mysterio.

Also, a quick Google search reveals that Mikhail Aseev has nothing to do with the Russian Academy of Sciences or the Institute of Molecular Genetics.

Hoax lovers

If all this information did not convince you, then you should tell about one more important fact. It turns out that the three members of the "expedition" who found the mummy have already been involved in the creation of hoaxes in order to earn money more than once. For example, Jamie Maussan and Jesus Zalche Benitez in 2015 announced another “alien” mummy, which actually belonged to an ordinary child. Information about this mummy appeared in a non-commercial source called Be Witness.

The third member of the team of scientists, Dr. Konstantin Kototkov, who also claims that the mummy from Peru belongs to an alien creature, has previously claimed that he has a camera that can photograph souls.

Mummification technique

The last point that many Internet users have noticed concerns the mummification technique. Real mummies found by scientists usually look leathery (after all, their skin dries out during the mummification process), while a recent find looks very much like a plaster sculpture with tight-fitting fingers attached to it.

This "discovery" has more red flags than a rodeo, so it's highly unlikely that it will be the first evidence of aliens.

Ancient Egypt is probably the most famous civilization of the ancient world. The people who lived on the banks of the Nile a thousand years before our era had their own distinctive pantheon of gods and a rich culture. In the philistine mind, the mummies of the pharaohs are most associated with Ancient Egypt, which attract interest with their mystery and belonging to the cult of death.

The meaning of mummification

The ancient Egyptians believed that after death, a person goes to the afterlife. Therefore, the bodies of the richest and most influential residents of the country were necessarily mummified after death. This was done with pharaohs, high priests, aristocrats. The process of processing a corpse was full of various subtleties that were known only in ancient Egypt.

The superstitious inhabitants of the African country believed that the mummies of the pharaohs help their owners to freely go to the afterlife. In the mass consciousness, there was a strong opinion that the rulers were of divine origin, this made their connection with supernatural phenomena even closer. The mummies of the pharaohs were buried in special tombs - pyramids. This style of architecture was a unique Egyptian invention that was an unprecedented innovation in ancient world. Neither in the Mediterranean nor in Mesopotamia was anything like that built then. The most famous are the pyramids of Giza.

Mummification process

Mummification was considered the lot of the elite, but in fact it could be bought if a person wanted to ensure a peaceful stay in the afterlife, and also if he had enough money for this. But there were procedures available only to the pharaohs and their family members. For example, only their organs were placed in special vessels (canopies). For this, the body of the deceased was cut in a special way. The holes were filled with oil, which was drained after a few days. The masters who were engaged in mummification were privileged members of society. They knew the science of embalming, which was inaccessible to others. Over the centuries of the existence of the Egyptian civilization, these secrets did not become known to other peoples, such as the Sumerians.

Organs in vessels were kept next to the mummy's sarcophagus. The secrets of the pharaohs were buried with their bodies. All personal belongings were placed in the tomb, which, according to the religious conviction of the ancient Egyptians, also regularly served their owners in the future. other world. The same was with the organs that were supposed to return to the pharaohs when they find themselves on the other side of being.

Mummy Processing

The treated body was subjected to drying, which could last up to 40 days. The procedure allowed him to survive for many years. In order for the body not to lose its shape from natural processes, it was filled with a special solution, which also contained sodium. The necessary substances were obtained by embalmers on the banks of the Nile, which was the sacred river of all civilization.

The mummies of the pharaohs of Egypt were also treated by cosmetologists and hairdressers. On last step the body was covered with a special oil made from wax, resin and other natural ingredients. Finally, the corpse was wrapped in bandages and placed in a sarcophagus, where a mask was put on it. In total, the mummification process took about 70 days and included the work of a dozen people. The secret craft was taught by the priests of the cult. It was impossible to disclose it. Those who broke the law faced the death penalty.

Valley of the Kings

Together with the mummy, all the property of the deceased was also buried in the tomb: jewelry, furniture, gold, as well as chariots, which in general were a symbol of belonging to the main social stratum. Members of the same family, as a rule, had their own tomb, which became the family crypt. Archaeologists find several mummies in such pyramids. There were sacred places where especially many pyramids were built. They were in southern Egypt. This is the Valley of the Kings, as well as the Valley of the Queens. Representatives of several dynasties that ruled the ancient state found their rest here.

There was the city of Thebes. It is in its place that the famous Valley of the Kings is located. This is a vast necropolis, which kept many of the mummies of the pharaohs. The valley was discovered almost by accident by the brothers-scientists Rasuls during their expedition in 1871. Since then, the work of archaeologists has not stopped here for a single day.

Cheops

One of the most famous is the mummy He ruled Egypt in the 26th century BC. e. His figure was known to ancient historians, including Herodotus. This fact alone indicates that this pharaoh was indeed great even in comparison with his predecessors and successors, because the names of many pharaohs were not preserved at all in any historical source.

Cheops was a despot who severely punished his subjects for any oversight. He was merciless towards his enemies. Such a character was habitual for whose power, as contemporaries believed, came from the gods, which gave the pharaohs carte blanche to any whims. At the same time, the people did not try to resist. Cheops also became known for fighting in the Sinai Peninsula against the Bedouins.

The Pyramid of Cheops

But the greatest achievement of this pharaoh is precisely the pyramid that was built for his own mummy. The rulers of Egypt were preparing for their death in advance. Already during the life of the pharaoh, the construction of his pyramid began, where he was supposed to find eternal rest. Cheops was no exception to this rule.

However, his pyramid struck with its size all contemporaries and distant descendants. It was included in the list of 7 ancient wonders of the world and remains the only monument from this list that has survived to this day.

Cult complex in Giza

The lost mummy of an Egyptian pharaoh was kept inside a huge labyrinth of corridors inside a 137-meter-high structure. This figure was beaten only at the end of the 19th century, when the Eiffel Tower appeared in Paris. Cheops himself chose the place of his tomb. They became a plateau on the territory of the modern city of Giza. In his era, it was the northern edge of the cemetery of ancient Memphis - the capital of Egypt.

Together with the pyramid, a monumental sculpture of the Great Sphinx was created, which is known to the whole world as well as the pyramid itself. Cheops expected that over time a whole complex of ritual structures dedicated to his dynasty would appear on this site.

Ramses II

Another great pharaoh of Egypt was Ramses II. He ruled for almost his entire long life (1279-1213 BC). His name went down in history thanks to a series of military campaigns against neighbors. The conflict with the Hittites is best known. Ramses built a lot during his lifetime. He founded several cities, most of which were named after him.

It was the ruler who changed and transformed Ancient Egypt. The mummies of the pharaohs were often hunted by grave diggers. The tomb of Ramses II was no exception. The priests of Egypt ensured that the royal necropolises remained untouched. Bye ancient civilization still existed, the body of this ruler was reburied several times. First, the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses was placed in the crypt of his own father. It is not known exactly when it was plundered, but in the end the priests found a new place for the body. They became a carefully hidden cache that belonged to Pharaoh Herihor. Mummies from other tombs robbed by robbers were also placed there. These were the bodies of Thutmose III and Ramses III.

Fight against grave robbers

The cache was discovered only in the 19th century. It was first found by Arab grave robbers. At that time it was profitable business, because there were still many treasures in the African sands that were sold for a good price on European ones. As a rule, robbers are interested in treasures and gems and not the mummies of the pharaohs of Egypt. Photos of ruined graves confirm this trend.

However, already in the 19th century, the Egyptian authorities created a special ministry that monitored the illegal trade in antiquities. Soon the source of the jewels was discovered. So in 1881, the untouched mummy of Ramses fell into the hands of scientists. Since then, it has been kept in various museums. Studying it, researchers around the world are still getting new information about mummification. In 1975, the remains were subjected to a unique modern conservation procedure that allowed the surviving artifact of the past to be preserved.

Such a case is an extreme stroke of luck for the scientific community. As a rule, when a new tomb is discovered, there is nothing left in it, including mummies. The secrets of the pharaohs and their riches have attracted adventurers and merchants for centuries.

Tutankhamun

Tutankhamun's mummy is best known in popular culture. This pharaoh ruled at a young age from 1332 to 1323 BC. e. He died at the age of 20. During his lifetime, he did not stand out in a series of his predecessors and successors. His name became known due to the fact that his tomb was not touched by ancient marauders.

Modern scientific studies of the mummy made it possible to study in detail the circumstances of the death of the young man. Prior to this, it was widely believed that Tutankhamun was forcibly killed by his regent. However, this is not confirmed by the mummy of the pharaoh of Egypt itself. The pyramid in which it was kept was full of bottles of malaria medicine. Modern Analysis DNA did not rule out the version that the young man had been ill with a serious illness, due to which he died prematurely.

When a team of archaeologists discovered the crypt in 1922, it was full of all sorts of unique artifacts. It was the tomb of Tutankhamun that allowed modern science to recreate the environment in which the mummies of the pharaohs of Egypt were buried. Photos of the tomb immediately penetrated the Western press and became a sensation.

Curse of the pharaohs

Even more hype around the tomb of Tutankhamen began when Lord George Carnavon, who had funded the study of the distant find, died unexpectedly. The Englishman died in a Cairo hotel shortly after the ancient tomb was opened. The press immediately picked up this story. Soon there were new dead associated with the archaeological expedition. Rumors spread in the press that there was a curse that fell on the heads of those who entered the tomb.

A popular view was the idea that the pharaoh's mummy was the source of the evil. Photos of the dead were included in widely circulated obituaries. Over time, denials emerged that debunked the myth of the curse. Nevertheless, the legend has become a popular plot Western culture. In the 20th century, several feature films dedicated to the curse.

To a large extent, it was thanks to them that the theme of Ancient Egypt gained popularity among the general public. Any news in which this or that mummy appears has become known. The tomb of the pharaohs, which would be intact and intact, has not been found since the discovery of Tutankhamun.

Each of us has ever heard of mummies, at least at school lessons in the history of ancient Egypt, there is much more about them interesting stories than you can imagine.

The legendary wife of Argentine President Juan Peron died on July 26, 1952, when she was only 33 years old due to cancer. After her death, her remains were preserved so that they could be displayed during the funeral procession.

Three years later, anti-Peronist militants stole her mummified body, which was subsequently unknown for 15 years. later, her body, already in a very bad condition, was returned to her ex-husband, who paraded her in his own home, and his second wife supposedly combed her hair and even lay down next to her in a coffin to absorb her greatness. Later, her body was interred and she now rests in her family's crypt.

La Doncella

This impeccably preserved mummy of a 15-year-old Inca girl was probably sacrificed over 500 years ago. She was discovered in 1999 along with two other children on the Llullaillaco volcano at an altitude of 6,700 meters above sea level in Argentina. While the girl looks like a victim of tragedy, there is evidence that she suffered deadly disease similar to tuberculosis, or a chronic lung infection. Her family did everything possible to ensure that the girl passed away less painfully, grain liquor was found in her system, and coca leaves were found in her mouth.

wet mummy

In 2011, Chinese builders were digging the foundation for new road and discovered in the ground the perfectly preserved mummy of a woman who lived about 600 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. It got its name due to the fact that it was in damp earth for a long time, and despite the high humidity, it was very well preserved. Her skin was practically not damaged, hair and even eyebrows were preserved on her body.

Precious accessories were also found on her, such as a jade ring and a silver barrette that still held her hair together. Mummification was rarely used in China, which makes this discovery more unique. Archaeologists believe that the mummification of the "wet mummy" was part of a natural process associated with a lack of oxygen in the moisture surrounding the woman's body, for this reason, there were no bacteria in the water that could contribute to the destruction of her body.

The Man from Grauballe

In 1952, several mummified bodies were discovered in a peat bog in Denmark, but the best-preserved guy was called the "Man from Grauballe." He was about 30 years old when he died over 2000 years ago, most likely his death was connected with a sacrificial ritual, judging by the deep wound on his neck. He retained red hair and facial features.

Ramses III

Unlike other mummies made in the era of Ramesses in Egypt, his found remains are proof that he did not die of natural causes, but fell victim to murder. His throat was deeply cut and many historians believe that he was killed by his own sons.

Princess Ukok

The body of Princess Ukok once again proves that tattoos are forever. Despite the fact that she died almost 2,500 years ago, tattoos are perfectly preserved on her withered body. She was about 25 years old when she died, scientists believe that she was a member of the Pazyryk tribe, which lived in the mountains of Siberia. Members of this tribe believed that tattoos would help them find each other in the afterlife.

Tutankhamen of Torquay

After dying of lung cancer, 61-year-old English taxi driver Allan Billis bequeathed his body to science. The body of the Englishman was mummified and he was nicknamed "Tutankhamun of Torquay". Thanks to Dr. Stephen Buckley, Allan Billis's body was the first mummified body in over 1,000 years to mummify using the methods of the ancient Egyptians. Allan's wife commented on this situation saying: "I am the only woman in the country who has a husband's mummy"

Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov

Itigelov spent his life as a Buryat Buddhist lama in best traditions Tibetan Buddhism. He began his spiritual journey at the age of 16 in 1927. Once he told his students that his time to pass into the other world had come, he also asked them to join him in meditation. He passed away peacefully in the middle of his meditation and was soon buried in a pine box, sitting in the lotus position. Since then, he has been exhumed twice, and despite the lack of an act of mummification, analysis of his body showed that he had died within about 36 hours, rather than the actual 100 years.

Mummies of the Franklin Expedition

Hoping to find the Northwest Passage, an expedition of over 100 men set sail for the New World in 1845. No one else heard of this expedition, but five years later, a separate expedition stumbled upon the graves of three men, John Torrington, John Hartnell and William Brain, who were buried on Beachy Island in the Canadian Arctic archipelago of Nunavut. In 1984, a group of anthropologists traveled to the icy island to exhume the bodies of the men, which are very well preserved due to the frosty tundra climate. They were able to determine the cause of death of the 138-year-old men, which, despite the wild cold, was pneumonia and tuberculosis, and scientists were able to find out that each of them had a lethal amount of lead in their bodies, probably from the ship's water distillation system.

woman with petrified fetus

In 1955, a Moroccan woman named Zahra Abutalib was brought to the hospital to deliver her first child. When she was told that she would need to have a caesarean section, she was very frightened of the procedure and fled the hospital. Later, the unborn child died in her womb, and despite this, she refused to remove the dead fetus from her stomach. Almost 50 years later, she again ended up in the hospital, complaining of excruciating pain in her abdomen. Doctors discovered that what they thought was a tumor was the calcified remains of her dead unborn child. This happens extremely rarely, in history there are only about 300 such officially registered cases.

Egypt is a mysterious and beautiful country that attracts and surprises, makes you fall in love and frightens at the same time. Legends are made about her, films are made, songs and poems are written. Mummies remain the most majestic mystery to this day.

This article is intended for persons over 18 years of age.

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We all know about the curse of Tutankhamun or the mummy of Imhotep (who was a great scientist, architect and doctor) thanks to cult films and media publications. But what is a mummy? What is the difference between mummification and embalming? What frightens and impresses the researchers of ancient burials so much? Why were the dead in Egypt subjected to this procedure? We will try to find answers to all these questions.

A mummy is a human corpse treated with special agents, compounds and oils using ancient techniques and methods to maintain optimal conditions in order to stop the development of decomposition in the corpse. The very word "mummy", according to scientists, denotes a special resin, a kind of bitumen, which, according to most researchers, was used to process the body of the deceased.

Mummification is different from embalming in a number of ways. If in the first case the body of the deceased was treated with special drugs and dried, then in the second variant the main task was to stop the processes of tissue decomposition and leave the body as close as possible to that which a person had during his lifetime.

Many specialists from different fields are studying this phenomenon in world culture. This knowledge is of particular value for:

• archaeologists;
• historians;
• physicians;
• anthropologists;
• chemists.

All of them explore different aspects of the same phenomenon (living conditions, social and political processes, chemical compositions substances, analysis of the DNA of the dead, what processes underlie the cremation of a corpse) trying to clarify the dark sides and fill in the blank spots in the question of how the dead were cremated and buried in those days.

How and why did they do it in ancient Egypt

Mummification in ancient Egypt has a religious aspect, which is based on the belief that the pharaoh is of divine origin and his body must be preserved so that the soul can be reborn after death, find its body and recognize it.

It all started with the legend of the goddess Isis and her beloved Osiris, who was killed by Set, and parts of his body were scattered around the world. But the god Anubis (according to legend), with the help of Isis, found them, put them together, treated them with oils, wrapped them in a long cloth and breathed life into the dead body.

It was the belief in divinity, immortality, high social status and wealth that made it possible to mummify their bodies only to the wealthy classes in Egypt at that time. They belonged to:

• pharaohs and their relatives;
• approximate pharaohs (guards, advisers and assistants);
• priests.

Concerning ordinary people, then for a long time there was an opinion that they, in principle, have no soul, therefore they do not need this procedure at all. However, over time, the common population could also mummify their deceased relatives if they had enough funds and opportunities for this.

Researchers of burials and sarcophagi in Ancient Egypt say that in addition to the mummy of the deceased himself, the bodies of girls and wives (who, according to some rites, could be buried alive), stocks of food and drink, money, jewelry, and weapons are also found in the burial. All this only confirms the religious basis of mummification, because the soul was given what it needed for a comfortable stay in the other world.

In addition, animal mummies are also found in burials. Especially often these are cats, which were especially honored in those days, were considered inviolable and lived at temples and palaces.

Mummification: stages and processes

Mummification as a physical phenomenon is a rather complex and long process, the secrets of which were known only to a certain number of people in ancient Egypt. In order to properly mummify a deceased person, knowledge of the structure of the human body, chemistry, physics and climatic conditions of a certain territory was needed, as well as the conditions necessary to bring the corpse into the desired state.

There are two types of mummification:

• natural (when the human body dries up, and does not decompose under the influence of certain climatic factors);
• artificial mummification (involves the use of special means to achieve the desired effect).

The first option took place when, after death, a human corpse was buried in the sand. It was the sand that absorbed all the moisture from the human body and did not give it the opportunity to decompose. And the constant high temperatures and winds dried the remains naturally.

As for the second option, here you need to more thoroughly understand all the processes and nuances in order to understand the meaning of how the whole process takes place. After death, the body of the deceased was taken to a special room, where the whole ceremony took place, which lasted 70 days. This figure is connected with the interweaving of religion and astronomy in the minds of that time: it is precisely this number of days that the star of Osiris is beyond the horizon and is not visible in the sky.

The most complete and reliable description of the process of cremation of the deceased can be found in the writings of Herodotus. He talks about all the steps and methods.

The first thing they did with the body was a special device (most likely it was an ebonite stick - a prototype of a modern scalpel, they made an incision in the inguinal zone in order to take out the insides). Everything was removed from a person, except for the heart, because it was in him, according to the beliefs of the Egyptians, that the soul lived. The removed parts of the body were washed with water and special compounds, oils and incense (most likely this was done in order to remove the unpleasant odor and destroy harmful organisms, which can start the process of decay).

Each organ (lungs, stomach, liver, intestines) was cleansed, treated with certain oils and infusions, and then immersed in vessels - canopies, where these parts of the body were kept. The lid of each vessel was made in the form of a certain deity, who was responsible for this or that inside.

As for the brain, it was obtained by a special method. With the help of a long hook through the nostrils or a special hole in the nose, they penetrated into the cranium and extracted the contents in parts. Another option - with the help of the same hook, the brain was liquefied (blurred), and then the body was turned over and it was poured through the nostrils.

When internal organs were removed, the corpse was smeared with salt, compounds of oils and soda and left for 40 days to dry. Soda and salt took moisture from the body, oils had a bactericidal effect, and certain spice compounds were used to remove unpleasant odors.

After the allotted time had passed, the remnants of the means used were removed from the body, it was coated with special compounds based on oils and bituminous resin. To give the dried remains a shape and volume, sawdust, sand, salt were placed in the cavity and the holes were sewn up. To make the mummy look like a dead person, they could put on a prepared mask or make up, make an imitation of eyeballs and teeth.

The last step was wrapping the body with bandages or long strips of cloth. They were soaked in resin, which was instead of glue, incense and oils. In order for the human spirit to be able to successfully reincarnate, gold jewelry, coins, pieces of papyrus were placed between the balls of fabric with a prayer for resurrection. Having completed all these stages, the finished mummy was handed over to relatives, who laid it in a sarcophagus (like a modern coffin), made in the form of a man, who was placed in the family tomb.

As you can see, the process of mummification in ancient Egypt was a very long and complex process that took a lot of time and effort, required certain knowledge and skills. The most famous mummies that have survived to this day are the remains of the priest Pa DiIsta, Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Seti I. All of them were carefully studied in order to understand all the nuances of life, the social system.

No matter how many secrets and horror stories surround the mummies of Ancient Egypt, they will attract the eyes and attention of scientists, travelers and hunters for prey.