Mummified baboons found in Egypt have puzzled scientists for 118 years. Now we finally might know how they got there and why.

Sun, 11/05/2023 - 09:05

The skull of a mummified baboon preserved and held by the British Museum — Specimen EA 6738, held by the British Museum: Skull of a mummified baboon recovered from Thebes, Egypt and connected isotopically to Eritrea/Ethiopia/Somalia.
Trustees of the British Museum

Mummified remains of baboons in Egypt found over a century ago have long puzzled researchers.
The primates were not native to Egypt and had their canine teeth removed before being preserved.
New findings show the baboons may have spurred the creation of historic trade routes that shaped the world.

New research on the mysterious remains of mummified baboons, found far from their natural habitat over a hundred years ago in Egypt, has shed light on the sacred significance of the primates in the ancient Arabian Peninsula.