In 1976, the mummy of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II was transported from Egypt to France more than 3,000 years after his death for comprehensive forensic testing.
The mummy was discovered in 1881 and has been housed in the Museum of Ancient Egypt in Cairo since 1885. In 1974, the museum discovered that the condition of the mummy was deteriorating and agreed to send it to France for examination.
By law, a passport is also required for the deceased to leave Egypt. The Egyptian government issued a passport for Ramses II with the words "King (deceased)" in the occupation column. After the mummy arrived in France, the French government greeted him according to the king's ceremonies.
The examination revealed that Ramses II had war wounds, fractures, arthritis and poor circulation. It is believed that arthritis caused him to hunch over for the last decades of his life. A large hole was found in the mandible, and researchers believe that "although his tooth abscess was severe enough to cause death from infection, the cause of death could not be determined." ”
