Spiral computed tomographic study of a pre-Ptolemaic Egyptian mummy

Abstract

We studied an Egyptian mummy housed in the Otago Museum, Dunedin, New Zealand. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the age of the mummy is 2,358 BP, which is the period of the 30th Dynasty of Nakhthorhebe. Serial CT scans show that the heart had been removed, which is unusual among Egyptian mummies. In contrast, the brain had been left in situ. The orbital breadth suggests a degree of hypertelorism, being at the upper limit of the values recorded for ancient Egyptian males. There is extensive dental disease with excessive tooth wear and tooth loss, typical of Egyptian mummies. The wrapping material, examined under SEM, is probably a linen textile with a selvage.

Multidisciplinary analysis of a mummified cranium claimed to be that of a medieval execution victim

“…As the tar-like substance covers the entire skull base and must therefore have been applied following separation of the skull from the body, it is also possible that brain tissue could have been removed through the foramen magnum. The above observations concur with features noted by previous studies of CT data acquired from Egyptian mummies comparing the appearance of preserved brain tissue with fabric packing and solidified resin in cranial cavities (Marx and D'Auria Haney 1986;Hughes 1996;Hoffman and Hudgins 2002;Jansen et al 2002;Boyer et al 2003;Kieser et al 2004;Nelson et al 2007). Similar observations regarding the appearance of resin as opposed to preserved cerebral tissue have also been made by Wade and Nelson (personal communication).…”

“…This was not diagnostic in itself of any specific style of textile. However, similar plain weaves have repeatedly been noted on mummy wrappings, with only the edges of such fabric generally showing greater variation (Benson et al 1979;Kieser et al 2004). The AMS date obtained from the cloth fragment provided conclusive corroboration for the other observations made.…”

CT imaging of human mummies: a critical review of the literature (1979–2005)

“…Over the period 1979 to 2005, 31 papers qualified on the basis of matching all of our inclusion criteria (Appelboom & Struyven 1999;Baldock et al, 1994;Cesarani et al, 2003Cesarani et al, , 2004Ciranni et al, 2002;Gaafar et al, 1999;Gardner et al, 2004;Harwood-Nash, 1979;Hoffmann & Hudgins, 2002;Hughes et al, 2005;Jansen et al, 2002;Kieser et al, 2004;Macleod et al, 2000;Magid et al, 1989;Marx & D'Auria, 1988;Melcher et al, 1997;Mininberg, 2001;Nedden et al, 1994;Notman et al, 1986;Pickering et al, 1990;Previgliano et al, 2003;Ruhli & Boni, 2000a,b;Ruhli et al, 2002;Shin et al, 2003;Sigmund & Minas, 2002;Thekkaniyil et al, 2000;Vahey & Brown, 1984;Yardley & Rutka, 1997). Only three papers had specific, stated hypotheses (9.7%), while 84% stated a purpose, either general or specific, for conducting the study (Table 3).…”

Who's That Lying in My Coffin? An Imposter Exposed by 14C Dating

“…Solvent extractions combined with AAA treatment have also been used to pretreat woven textile (described as cellulose, probably linen) to date an Egyptian mummy using a series of Soxhlet extractions with CHCl 3 /ethanol, ethanol, and acetone followed by 10% HCl, 1% NaOH, then a final HCl rinse (Kieser et al 2004). Gove et al (1997) performed both AAA washing and AAA combined with solvent extraction on cloth from a mummified Egyptian ibis; however, the linen results were consistently younger than that of the ibis bone.…”