Scenes from the Past: Multidetector CT of Egyptian Mummies of the Redpath Museum

Abstract

As a nondestructive method of historical and anthropologic inquiry, imaging has played an important role in mummy studies over the past several decades. Recent technologic advances have made multidetector computed tomography (CT) an especially useful means for deepening the present understanding of ancient cultures by examining preserved human remains. In April 2011, three ancient Egyptian human mummies from the Redpath Museum of McGill University were examined with 320-section multidetector CT as part of the IMPACT Radiological Mummy Database project headquartered at the University of Western Ontario. Whole-body scanning was performed with a section thickness of 0.5 mm and a peak voltage of 120 kVp, and the raw CT datasets were postprocessed by using smooth body and high-resolution bone convolution filters. Two of the mummies were scanned at different energy levels (80 and 135 keV). The high-resolution CT scans revealed the details of mummification and allowed observations about the socioeconomic and health status of the human subjects based on both the mummification technique used and the appearance of the remains, particularly the bones and teeth. The paleopathologic information obtained from the scans confirmed some findings in studies performed in the same mummies in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The CT scans also demonstrated a high degree of variability in Egyptian mortuary practice, variability that is not generally recognized in the literature. Unusual features that were observed included a relatively uncommon retained heart in mummy RM2718, retained lungs in a mummy from which the heart had been extracted (RM2720), and a cartonnage plaque placed over the left abdomen of a mummy that had been eviscerated transperineally (RM2717).

Testing “Saintly” Authenticity: Investigations on Two Catacomb Saints

“…Radiography allows noninvasive and hence nondestructive inspection of elements under soft tissues, textiles, and jewelry and is commonly performed on mummified remains (1,(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). Mobile projectional radiography was the method of choice to determine the relics' authenticity, as the entire assemblages were too large and fragile for conventional computed tomography and hence required a technique without major displacement of the objects.…”

Radiological Diagnosis of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in 17th Century Korean Mummy

“…Nowadays, non-invasive CT is recommended as the primary diagnostic tool for archaeologically obtained, mummified human remains worldwide [33], [43]. The rapid advancements in the technique have made possible the obtainment of high-quality images of mummies, thus enabling precision non-invasive identification of any pathological changes.…”

Application of clinical imaging and 3D printing to the identification of anomalies in an ancient Egyptian animal mummy

“…Animal mummies were amongst the first artefacts upon which radiographic techniques were tested in the 1890s (Glasser, 1933), although imaging by radiography and computed tomography (CT) is now widely applied in the study of mummified human and animal remains (D'Auria and Marx, 1988;Hoffman et al, 2002;Ikram and Iskander, 2002;Jackowski et al, 2008;McKnight, 2010;McKnight et al, in press;Moodie, 1931;Raven and Taconis, 2005;Vanlathem, 1983;Wade et al, 2012). The ability of imaging to assess the contents of wrapped mummy bundles whilst maintaining their integrity has ensured its place as the preferred investigative tool.…”