Ginger (mummy)

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'Ginger'
'Ginger'

'Ginger' is believed to be the earliest known ancient Egyptian "mummified" body, being Late Predynastic and dating to approximately 3300 BC. The body, which lies in a fetal position and is nicknamed 'Ginger' because of its red hair, is not internationally renowned despite being older than other more famous mummies, such as those of Rameses II or Seti I. Currently on display in Room 64 in the British Museum in London, 'Ginger' was discovered buried in desert sand in Gebelein in Egypt where conditions can naturally preserve bodies as the hot and dry sand naturally absorbs the water that constitutes 75% of the human weight. Without this moisture bacteria cannot breed and cause decay, and so the body is preserved. Thus, it is uncertain whether the mummification of 'Ginger' was intentional or not. However, since he was buried with pottery vessels it is likely that the mummification was a result of the preservation techniques of those who buried him. Stones may have been piled on top of the grave to prevent the corpse from being eaten by jackals and other scavengers and the pottery might have held food and drink which may have been placed with the body to sustain the deceased during the journey to the after life.

Depite the heavy staining caused by more than 5,000 years of lying in the desert sand, it can still be discerned that in life 'Ginger' had yellowish-white skin. In the British Museum he is in an artificial sand grave, together with the pottery and other artifacts from his life which have been placed there by the Museum's Curators to simulate his grave when he was originally discovered. These are typical of household items placed with the dead of that era. 'Ginger' is an Egyptian of early Badarian or Naqada times.[1]

'Ginger' was roughly a contemporary of Ötzi the Iceman.

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