New Study
The mines produced the mystic green emerald, which was one of the sacred stones linked to divine powers in the ancient world.
The 3,500-year-old mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I has remained virtually unexamined since its discovery in Luxor in 1881.
The researchers analyzed fragments of the pottery found at Hierakonpolis, an ancient city and current archaeological site in southern Egypt.
“The newly discovered algae have not been recorded elsewhere, and likely playing important roles for heat resistance in the northern Red Sea," said the study author Eslam Osman.
