Mummies and skeletons from the Coptic monastery complex Deir el-Bachit in Thebes-West, Egypt

Research on human remains from the Coptic monastery complex Deir el-Bachit in Thebes-West, Egypt, reveals significant social stratification during the Late Antiquity period (6th to early 10th century AD). Analysis of 26 individuals—22 excavated directly at the necropolis and four special burials found elsewhere—showed distinct categories: 'mummified' remains, likely due to ritualistic practices involving bitumen, a substance no longer commonly used during that era; and 'skeletonised' remains. Among the special burials, a three-year-old child was found enclosed within a wall, while a juvenile or young adult female, possibly pregnant, exhibited signs of violent trauma, including an intravital skull fracture and a six-month-old foetus. This suggests she was not contemporary to the monastery's active period but was later deposited in the area.

Lösch, S., Hower-Tilmann, E., & Zink, A. (2013). Mummies and skeletons from the Coptic monastery complex Deir el-Bachit in Thebes-West, Egypt. Anthropologischer Anzeiger, 70(1), 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1127/0003-5548/2012/0218