CT Scan of Thirteen Natural Mummies Dating Back to the XVI-XVIII Centuries: An Emerging Tool to Investigate Living Conditions and Diseases in History

Abstract

ObjectivesTo correlate the radiologic findings detected with computed tomography scan with anthropological data in 13 naturally mummified bodies discovered during works of recovery of an ancient church in a crypt in Roccapelago, in the Italian Apennines.MethodsFrom a group of about sixty not-intentionally mummified bodies, thirteen were selected to be investigated with volumetric computed tomography (CT). Once CT scan was performed, axial images were processed to gather MPR and Volume Rendering reconstructions. Elaborations of these images provided anthropometric measurements and a non-invasive analysis of the residual anatomical structures. For each body the grade of preservation and the eventual pathological changes were recorded. Furthermore, in order to identify nutritional and occupational markers, radiologic signs of bone tropism and degenerative changes were analysed and graded.ResultsMummies included seven females and six males, with an estimated age ranging from 20 to 60 years. The first relevant finding identified was a general low grade of preservation, due to the lack of anatomic tissues different from bones, tendons and dehydrated skin. The low grade of preservation was related to the natural process of mummification. Analysing bone degenerative changes on CT scan, the majority of the bodies had significant occupational markers consisting of arthritis in the spine, lower limbs and shoulders even in young age. Few were the pathological findings identified. Among these, the most relevant included a severe bilateral congenital hip dysplasia and a wide osteolytic lesion involving left orbit and petrous bone that was likely the cause of death.ConclusionsAlthough the low grade of preservation of these mummies, the multidisciplinary approach of anthropologists and radiologists allowed several important advances in knowledge for the epidemiology of Roccapelago. First of all, a profile of living conditions was delineated. It included occupational and nutritional conditions. Moreover, identification of some causes of death and, most importantly the definition of general living conditions.

The Sommersdorf mummies—An interdisciplinary investigation on human remains from a 17th-19th century aristocratic crypt in southern Germany

“…Besides, it can occur in built environments, including attics and churches [ 79 , 80 ]. Constant airflow as well as low humidity promote natural mummification due to desiccation that progresses faster than decomposition and thus inhibits bacterial decay [ 10 , 81 – 83 ]. The crypt protects the coffins from rain and seasonal variation in temperature, and the parapets are well ventilated through the crenels.…”

“…CT imaging was used in this research to assess a variety of parameters, including bone and soft tissue preservation [ 27 ], post-mortem damage [ 28 ], type of mummification [ 10 , 29 ], age at death, sex, pathologies, trauma, and cause of death [ 30 ].…”

“…Interdisciplinary investigations of post-medieval church crypts have recently been undertaken by different specialists in order to synoptically compare the archaeological, historical, anthropological and ancient DNA records [ 3 – 10 ]. However, the available biographical data are not always sufficient to unambiguously correlate historical records with the preserved human remains, especially when looters have disturbed the integrity of the coffins.…”

C4‐Plant Foraging in Northern Italy: Stable Isotopes, Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca Data of Human Osteological Samples from Roccapelago (16th–18th Centuries AD)

“…In northern Italy, the Roccapelago site is a unique case of natural mummification and a rare opportunity to reconstruct three centuries of the life, customs and traditions of a farming community that lived during the arrival of maize in Europe (Rebourg et al ). Several studies have followed this discovery, including DNA (Cilli et al ), gut microbiota (Cilli et al ), clothing and artefacts (Schoenholzer Nichols ; Vernia ), palaeopathology (Traversari et al ) and palaeoradiology (Petrella et al ). However, little is known regarding the eating habits and detailed practices related to the diet of the inhabitants of Roccapelago (Pelù ; Traversari et al ).…”

Testing the impact of two key scan parameters on the quality and repeatability of measurements from CT scan data

“…The non-destructive nature of this technique is invaluable for imaging scientifically important and delicate specimens that could not easily be loaned for study, or studied without destroying the specimen (Sutton, 2008;Garwood et al, 2010;Cunningham et al, 2014;Landman, 2018). Consequently, CT scanning has been used to investigate a wide range of specimens, from fossilized plankton and planktonic snails (Görög et al, 2012;Janssen et al, 2016;Peck et al, 2018) to fossil frogs (Matthews and du Plessis, 2017;Xing et al, 2018), ammonites (Hoffmann et al, 2014;Inoue and Kondo, 2016), flying reptiles (Witmer et al, 2003), mummies (Hoffman et al, 2002;Petrella et al, 2016), and meteorites (Jenniskens et al, 2012). Advances in staining techniques enable density differences to be artificially created so that soft-bodied organisms, such as leeches, can be imaged and described using CT scanning (Metscher, 2009;Cunningham et al, 2014;Tessler et al, 2016).…”