The mummy of a woman at the Lippisches Landesmuseum Detmold is more than just a case of poorly wrapped pharaohs—she’s a “princess” from a different continent and a different time. This particular mummy is not a woman at all, but a baby, a mummy of a child that has been named “Detmold Child.” She is, in fact, one of the oldest preserved mummies ever found, dating back approximately 6,500 years. The child, an infant between eight and nine months old, was not from ancient Egypt but from Peru.

The discovery of the Detmold Child has provided a wealth of information about the health and burial practices of ancient Peruvian cultures. CT scans and scientific analysis have revealed that the child suffered from a rare congenital heart condition and pneumonia, which likely led to her death. She also had a vitamin D deficiency and an abnormally shaped skull. The mummy was found wrapped in a linen burial cloth and had an amulet around her neck, indicating a loving and respectful burial

The Detmold Child has become a central figure in the field of mummy studies, offering a unique opportunity to compare preservation techniques and cultural beliefs from two different continents and eras. While ancient Egyptian mummies often underwent complex and ritualistic embalming processes, the Detmold Child represents a different form of mummification, one that was more a result of environmental conditions.