Tutankhamun was a mummy that was discovered in Egypt in 1922, 25 years after Yde girl’s body was found in the Netherlands.  The two mummies were very different in how they were mummified, how they lived, how wealthy they were, and how they died.  They were both nearly the same age however, with only two years separating them.

 

Yde girl was a 16-year-old Celtic girl, who lived in the Netherlands between 54 BC and 128 BC.  She had a curved spine and could not walk properly because of this.  Being disabled, she would not have been able to work very much and contribute to her tribe.  The clothing found with her body, was made out of rough, woven wool, which might not have been very comfortable to wear.  Her life was probably very hard.  Her diet would have been the typical Celtic diet, made up of meat, grains, wild fruits and berries, nuts and fish.

 

It is not known whether she had a family, but because she was sacrificed, probably because she was disabled, she was obviously not considered of much value to her tribe.

 

Yde girl was strangled and stabbed, and her body thrown into a bog as a form of sacrifice to the Celtic gods.  After her body was found, the local people damaged it, and parts of her were stolen.  Her body, a braided band, and a woolen cloak were all that was found.  She had no jewels or any other artifacts with her body.

 

Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh that ruled Egypt between 1332 BC to 1323 BC.  He was healthy, although it was found that he also had a slight curved spine, like Yde girl, and it is thought that he may have had epilepsy.  However, he would have received the best medical treatment that was available at the time, and had his own personal doctors to look after him.

 

Tutankhamun was considered a good ruler of Egypt.  He improved relations with other nations, and built many great buildings, and contributed to Egypt’s wealth.  His clothing would have been made out of the finest linen, and he would have worn precious jewels and gold.  Slaves would have looked after him, and his body would have been massaged with oil.  He would have done no physical work.  His diet would have been of similar food to Yde girl but specially prepared by his many cooks.

 

Tutankhamun married his sister, and they had a number of stillborn children that were buried with him.  His wife survived him.

 

He was found to have had a broken leg, possibly caused by a fall during a seizure, and it is now thought that he died of an infection from that.  His body would have been prepared carefully and mummified.  Tutankhamun was placed in a gold sarcophagus and buried in a tomb made especially for him.  Items were placed in his tomb that he might need in the after-life such as gold, treasures, weapons, and even the bodies of his slaves.

 

The lives, deaths and burials of Tutankhamun and Yde girl were very different.  One was a prince, who lived a wealthy, privileged and valued life, and died of natural causes.  The other was a pauper, who was not considered of importance to her tribe, lived a hard life, and was killed in the end.  Tutankhamun had a magnificent tomb built especially for him, while Yde girl was thrown into a dirty peat bog.