Scientists found something shocking inside a mummified crocodile's stomach

Ancient Egypt is one of history’s most interesting civilizations, that included both spiritual devotion and detailed rituals , which included massive burial ceremonies and the preservation of the dead through mummification, which give us an insight into the civilisation. The Egyptians went to huge extents to honour their gods and ensure a safe passage into the afterlife.

But what is quite interesting is that these customs were not just limited to humans, but animals also played an important role in religious life. Cats, ibis birds, bulls, and even crocodiles were considered sacred and mummified as offerings to the gods they symbolised.

They represented a connection between the earthly realm and the divine. Temples had priests dedicated solely to the care, ritual sacrifice, and mummification of these animals, particularly in the worship of specific deities.

Similarly in the case of Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of strength, fertility, and the Nile, crocodiles were revered to the point that entire "crocodile cults" were established. And while these traditions have long interested historians and archaeologists, modern science is now giving a deeper look into the secrets buried within these sacred remains.

“In the guts of an ancient mummified crocodile, researchers have discovered a telltale bronze hook.” They used digital scans of the Egyptian hook inside the stomach to create a non-invasive replica to show in the museum. #history pic.twitter.com/Apsuaysti7

— Matt Swaim (@mattswami) July 25, 2024

Scientists researched on mummified crocodile
Researchers at the University of Manchester made a discovery involving a 3,000-year-old, 7.2-foot-long mummified crocodile, known as specimen 2005.335, that was kept at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Using non-invasive techniques like CT scanning and x-rays, the team examined the internal contents of the animal, revealing far more than just bones and dust.

In the study, published in Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, archaeozoologist Lidija McKnight explained that the use of 3D radiography allowed them “to see inside without damaging these important and fascinating artifacts.” Among the contents, scientists found gastroliths, stones crocodiles swallow to ease digestion and a bronze fish hook still lodged in the stomach, along with remains of a fish used as bait.

Mummified crocodile from ancient Egypt, delightfully translated as 'Krokodilmumie', Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna pic.twitter.com/0DZyY1lb1r

— Gareth Harney (@OptimoPrincipi) March 7, 2022

Because the stones hadn’t yet made their way into the stomach, researchers concluded that the crocodile had been captured shortly before its death, likely as part of a ritual sacrifice to Sobek. “Despite the passing of several millennia between the production of the ancient fish hook and the modern replica, the casting process remains remarkably similar,” McKnight said , referring to their digital reconstruction of the hook for display purposes.

This evidence suggests that the crocodile was deliberately hunted and offered in a ceremonial context. In places like Fayoum, the centre of Sobek worship, thousands of crocodile mummies, among which many of them were juvenile, have been found , which symbolise a highly organised sacrificial tradition.