Researchers have discovered a tattoo of the name "Michael" on a female Egyptian mummy dated to 700 A.D. The tattoo bearing the name of a biblical archangel may have been a symbol for protection, Fox News reported.
A team at the British Museum made the discovery over the weekend, finding the tattoo on the mummy's thigh while using advanced medical scans.
Written in ancient Greek, the tattoo as deciphered by the researchers says Μιχαήλ, transliterated as M-I-X-A-H-A, or Michael, Fox News reported.
Museum curators have speculated that the woman, who was likely between 20 and 35 years of age, got the tattoo "for religious and spiritual protection" but declined to elaborate further.
Egypt had a substantial number of Christians in its population during the 700s, and many of the literate Egyptians were fascinated with designs that used letters, Maureen Tilley, professor of theology at Fordham University in New York, told Fox News.
"Christian women who were pregnant often placed amulets with divine or angelic names on bands on their abdomens to insure a safe delivery of their child," Tilley said.
"Placing the name on the inner thigh, as with this mummy, may have had some meaning for the hopes of childbirth or protection against sexual violation, as in 'This body is claimed and protected.' Michael is an obvious identity for a tattoo, as this is the most powerful of angels."
The Egyptian woman's mummy will be showcased with seven other mummies in "Ancient Lives: New Discoveries," an exhibition scheduled to run from May 22 to Nov. 30 at the British Museum.
The researchers have discovered details about the eight individuals that will allow the exhibition to tell their stories as people instead of just archaeological finds, Fox News reported.
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