Technology Unlocks Secrets of Ancient Egyptian Mummy

September 2011, Daily News

Wed, Nov 02, 2011

A team of investigators use medical technology and analysis to uncover mysteries of a mummy from Roman period Egypt.

Technology Unlocks Secrets of Ancient Egyptian Mummy

A scientific team led by Sarah Wisseman, director of the Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials (ATAM) at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, has found answers to a series of questions surrounding the mystery of the Egyptian mummy that has resided at the Spurlock Museum of the University of Illinois for over two decades. Before that, it was maintained by private owners for about 60 years, after originally being removed from its location in Egypt.

Tests were conducted in 1990 and then in 2011 using X-rays and CT scans, including analysis of cloth fragments, insects and hardened resins from the base of the mummy. Dr. Joseph Barkmeier, medical director of diagnostic services and regional outreach at Carle Foundation Hospital and Physician Group in Urbana, conducted the CT scans. No invasive measures, such as unwrapping or cutting, were used to examine the mummy.

The scans, analysis of embalming material, and Carbon-14 dating of a wooden plank supporting the mummy revealed some tantalizing information. They provided a clear view of the bone structure, and that the brain, lungs and heart were actually left intact within the body when mummified. Moreover, the images provided clues to how the ancient technicians wrapped and stabilized the body during the mummification process. And other indicators, including a cracked skull without evidence of any bleeding, and carrion beetles in the body, suggested substandard treatment. According to Wisseman, they either "did a crummy job or this body was lying around for a while before it was treated. If the child died during an epidemic, there could have been a lot of corpses to deal with, causing delays or forcing the embalmers to rush."

Scans also showed that the mummy had some baby teeth along with some adult teeth emerging. In addition to this, there was evidence that the child was still growing at the time of death, based on examination of the long bones. This allowed the scientists to estimate that the child was 7 to 9 years old.

"All of the evidence, however, suggests that this is a child from a wealthy family," Wisseman said. "They're using expensive red pigment from Spain. They're using gold gilt decoration. This is a fairly high-class kid."

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An analysis of CT scans and other studies indicate that the mummy was a child from a wealthy family in the Roman period of ancient Egypt. Credit: Photo by Melissa Sotelo, Spurlock Museum

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Virtual examination has its limitations, however. It does not allow a detailed understanding of the remaining soft tissues, and because the mummy's hands are positioned in front of its pelvis, it is difficult to ascertain the sex.

The face portrait attached to the mummy offers a possible clue. "There's a suggestion around the portrait of a tunic with a stripe on it," says Wisseman. "This alone would suggest that the child inside is a boy. But there are other mummies that have one person depicted on the outside and then you discover it's a different sex or even an animal instead of a human, so you can't tell a book by its cover."

Scan indicators of a possible lock of hair on one side of the child's head may be another clue. According to Wisseman, "in the Roman period in Egypt, around A.D. 100, we do have examples of Roman face portraits with a shaved head and then a lock of hair on one side. Boys had the lock on one side, girls on the other. But the evidence is not conclusive."

The cause of the child's death is still unknown.

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The team plans to discuss its findings during the symposium, "The Return of the Mummy: New Imaging Results on the Spurlock Museum's Egyptian Mummy," on Nov. 2 at 4:00 p.m. in the Knight Auditorium of the Spurlock Museum, located at 600 S. Gregory St. in Urbana, Ill. Admission is free.

The event is co-sponsored by ATAM and the Dr. Allan C. Campbell Family Distinguished Speaker Series, with research funded in part through the Richard and Barbara Faletti Gallery of African Cultures Fund.

The Illinois State Archaeological Survey is a unit of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinoise.

See More information about the symposium.

Sarah Wisseman is also the author of "The Virtual Mummy," a book about the research.

Photo, above right: Sarah Wisseman, director of the Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey at Illinois and author of "The Virtual Mummy," who led the effort to study the mummy without removing its shroud. Credit: L. Brian Stauffer

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