“The Opening of the Mouth”—A New Perspective for an Ancient Egyptian Mummification Procedure

Seiler, Roger; Rühli, Frank J

doi:10.1002/ar.23140

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Fractured teeth appeared only on the maxilla in the incisor area. This fact might be correlated with modern hypotheses [22] about the significance of the opening of the mouth ceremony, which appears to not only be an abstract religious act. Periapical lesions (cysts, granuloma, osteitis) and caries were present in mummies from the XVIII Dynasty.…”

Section: Dental Status Of the Mummiesmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…Teeth were displaced in 5 cases, they were not displaced in 15 cases, and no information was provided in 11 cases. Teeth were found to be displaced in the oral and neck area in 5 cases (from the XVIII Dynasty), in the skull in 1 case [22], and in another area (larynx) in 1 case. There seems to not to be a relationship between sex and the displacement of teeth outside of the maxillae.…”

Section: Dental Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Packing inside the mouth, ears, nose, eyes, and the outer appearance of the head and face Different combinations were described concerning the mouth opening or closing together with its packing. These combinations may also be related to more practical aspects of the ceremony of the opening of the mouth [22]. Ear embalming is almost unknown and has been omitted from the articles dealing with descriptions of Egyptian mummy heads using CT imaging.…”

Section: Dental Status Of the Mummiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Computed tomography of the heads of ancient Egyptian mummies: a systematic review of the medical literature.

Olszewski

Hastir

Tilleux

et al. 2020

Nemesis

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Objective: To summarize the current knowledge on CT scanning of Egyptian mummy heads and faces and provide more valid methodology than that previously available. Material and methods: A systematic review was performed by one observer using two biomedical databases: PubMed and EMBASE. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied along with language restrictions. Finally, 2120 articles were found, 359 articles were duplicated among all search equations, 1454 articles were excluded, 307 articles were retained for full review, and 28 articles (31 mummies) were selected for the final study (PRISMA workflow). Results: The data were categorized into the following groups: 1) general information; 2) 1st author affiliation; 3) CT radiological protocol; 4) excerebration pathways; 5) soft tissue preservation; 6) dental status and displaced teeth; 7) packing of the mouth, ears, nose, and eyes, and 8) outer facial appearance. The evidence-based quality of the studies was low because only case reports and small case series were found. Discussion: The embalming art applied to a mummified head and face shows great variability across the whole span of Egyptian civilization. The differences among the various embalming techniques rely on multiple tiny details that are revealed by meticulous analysis of CT scans by a multidisciplinary team of experts. Conclusion: There is a need for more systematization of the CT radiological protocol and the description of Egyptian mumm’y heads and faces to better understand the details of embalming methods.

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Section: Dental Status Of the Mummiesmentioning

confidence: 59%

Section: Dental Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dental Status Of the Mummiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Computed tomography of the heads of ancient Egyptian mummies: a systematic review of the medical literature.

Olszewski

Hastir

Tilleux

et al. 2020

Nemesis

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“…There is no material inserted into this carious cavity as a filling. The right and left maxillary first molars were lost, most likely antemortem, as there are no open alveoli at their positions, and there are no displaced teeth in the oral cavity, sinuses, pharynx, or larynx (Seiler & Rühli, 2015).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Ptolemaic mummy reveals evidence of invasive dentistry in ancient Egypt

Pantazis

Tourna

Maravelia³

et al. 2020

The Anatomical Record

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Over the last decades, it has been confirmed that computerized tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for studying mummies. In joint efforts put forth by the Mummy Research Project of the Hellenic Institute of Egyptology, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Athens Medical Center, a mummy was transported to the Radiology Department of the Athens Medical Center for study. Thus, a complete CT scanning was performed of this Ptolemaic mummy (AIG 3343: Sekhem, male, 150-30 BCE), belonging to the Egyptian Collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. The most significant finding is an interproximal carious cavity packed with protective material. This is the second case of dental packing in the literature among ancient Egyptian mummies studied to date. Its remarkable resemblance to the previously published study may indicate a common dental intervention performed by ancient Egyptians. Despite the well-known early medical traditions of ancient Egypt, spanning from the Old Kingdom to the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods, little evidence remains of their practices in dentistry. Our finding represents a rare perspective on the origins of what remains today a major allied health field discipline.

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“…The latter is supported by the fact that the snake's jaw is wide open, an unlikely final position without some intervention to prize open and maintain separation of upper and lower jaws. There is also clear trauma to the jaw bones and teeth, which has been observed in human mummies that have undergone the opening of the mouth procedure 66 ; although this practice is previously undocumented in mummified snakes. If confirmed in other specimens, this could suggest that the mummification process for venomous snakes included complex ritualistic elements comparable to those described for the Apis Bull and human mummies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of diet, deification, and death within ancient Egyptian mummified animals

Johnston

Thomas

Jones

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The clues to life and death of mummified animals can remain hidden beneath their wrappings. Developments in non-invasive imaging have enabled detailed study of their internal structures. Laboratory-based X-ray microcomputed tomography (microCT) and focussed imaging protocols permit smaller mummified remains, such as animals, to be studied at higher resolution. In this study, we use microCT to image three different animal mummies. Revealing the internal structures provides insights into their biography, the conditions in which they were kept, complex mummification practices, possible causes of death, and subsequent handling damage. Thousands of years after the production of these mummified animals, the X-ray microCT technique facilitates new investigations, revealing 'harder' skeletal structures, mummification materials, and even desiccated soft tissues. Potential evidence for an 'opening of the mouth' procedure was found in a snake, along with indicators of the poor conditions in which the snake was kept when alive, leading to dehydration. Examination of a cat mummy revealed it was less than five months old and had its neck purposefully broken. It was also possible to identify a bird mummy to species level from the X-ray data. Improved understanding of animal mummification through scientific imaging can thus inform conservation and understanding of past human-animal relationships. Ancient Egyptians mummified their human dead to ensure their rebirth in the afterlife. Human mummification is known throughout the Pharaonic period. In addition to humans, animals were mummified, including cats, ibis, hawks, snakes, crocodiles and dogs. Ikram 1,2 has suggested that mummified animal remains can be divided into six categories: {1} pets buried with their owner; {2} victual mummies buried with the human to provide food in the afterlife; {3} sacred animals which were worshipped during their lifetime; {4} votive offerings which depicted the gods and were placed in temples as offerings; {5} false/amalgam; and {6} other. Votive offerings are by far the most common animal mummies. Their production began in earnest in the Late Period (672-332 BC) and continued into the Roman Period, at least through to the fourth century AD, when they number in the millions 3. Votive offerings were given to gods, with particular animals associated with specific deities. Gods could also be symbolised as animals, such as the goddess Bastet, who could be depicted as a cat or other feline, or a human with feline head; and the god Horus who was often depicted as a hawk or falcon 1,4,5. Mummified animals were purchased by visitors to temples, who, it has been suggested, would offer them to the gods, in a similar way that candles may be offered in churches today. Egyptologists have also suggested that the mummified votive animals were meant to act as messengers between people on earth and the gods 1,6. The animal mummification 'industry' required high production volumes, necessitating significant infrastructure, resources, and staffing of farms that rea...

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“The Opening of the Mouth”—A New Perspective for an Ancient Egyptian Mummification Procedure

Cited by 11 publications

References 18 publications

Computed tomography of the heads of ancient Egyptian mummies: a systematic review of the medical literature.

Computed tomography of the heads of ancient Egyptian mummies: a systematic review of the medical literature.

A Ptolemaic mummy reveals evidence of invasive dentistry in ancient Egypt

Evidence of diet, deification, and death within ancient Egyptian mummified animals

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