The gold tongues found with the mummies allowed them to speak with Osiris in the afterlife. Source: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The Gold Tongues of Oxyrhynchus: How to Talk to a God

Archaeologists from the University of Barcelona excavating the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus have uncovered a cache of mummies dating to the Ptolemaic period. Some of the mummies, which seem to have escaped the attentions of looters down the centuries, have golden tongues. Oxyrhynchus, known today as Al-Bahnasa, has been under excavation since 1992, producing