Gebelein predynastic mummies

The Gebelein predynastic mummies are six naturally mummified bodies, dating to approximately 3400 BC from the Late Predynastic period of Ancient Egypt. They were the first complete predynastic bodies to be discovered. The well-preserved bodies were excavated at the end of the nineteenth century by Wallis Budge, the British Museum Keeper for Egyptology, from shallow sand graves near Gebelein (today, Naga el-Gherira) in the Egyptian desert. However, according to Live Science reporting on an article published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, “ancient humans found with red hair weren't necessarily redheads in life, but may have acquired their carrot tops after death”. Live Science quotes the lead author, Silvana Tridico, as stating that the sun degrades these pigments in a process known as photo-oxidation. However, the hair pigment for darker hair is not as stable as that for red hair, resulting in hair turning a reddish colour when exposed to sunlight for extended periods. This explains why the hair of ancient Aboriginal people in Australia has a reddish tint. Nevertheless, there is no evidence to suggest that the Gebelein mummies were subjected to years of prolonged sunlight following their burial.

Alternatively, some researchers studying bodies that had been mummified with natron, unlike the Gebelein mummies, propose that lighter hair among Greco-Roman era Egyptians may have occurred naturally rather than being solely the product of post-mortem changes. Forensic Egyptologist Janet Davey of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine conducted experiments using synthetic natron and found that mummification did not alter hair colour, supporting the view that a minority of ancient Egyptians could have had naturally fair or reddish hair.

Budge excavated all the bodies from the same grave site. Two were identified as male and one as female, with the others being of undetermined sex. The bodies were given to the British Museum in 1900. Some grave goods were documented at the time of excavation as "pots and flints", however, they were not passed on to the British Museum and their whereabouts remain unknown. Three of the bodies were found with coverings of different types (reed matting, palm fibre and animal skin), which still remain with the bodies. The bodies were found in fetal positions lying on their left sides.

Since 1901, the first body excavated (EA 32751, nicknamed "Ginger" for his red hair) has remained on display in the British Museum. It is dated to Naqada II, c. 3400 BC (Cal. C14 dating 3341-3017 BC, 95.4%), consistent with the Naqada IID-IIIB periods.