Many museums have either one or more mummies in their collections. The Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels is no exception and houses several Pre-Columbian mummies, including the one that inspired Hergé, author of the Tintin comics, to create the character of 'Rascar Capac'. The accurate identification of the sex of a particular mummy is important for testing hypotheses about social structures in ancient societies. Sexing of mummies is mostly based on visual analysis from CT and MRI scans and macroscopic examination from the skeletal tissue such as genitalia and breasts, although skeletal tissue is not always well preserved. Probabilistic Sex Diagnosis (DSP: Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste) is a sex estimation method which has recently proved to be highly effective on different modern human and ancient European populations. The aim of this study was to see if it was possible to apply and validate virtual DSP on a study of four ancient Pre-Columbian mummies from South America (which are outside the reference population of DSP). Virtual DSP was performed in the software 'lhpFusionBox'. All mummies were CT scanned, 3D models were created and virtual DSP was performed. Sex was determined with a probability of 99.9% or over in all cases (DSP determined one male and three females). Preserved skeletal tissue remains confirmed DSP results in half of the mummies. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was performed on the DSP results of the mummies and a modern human (MH) population. Half of the mummies were outside the 95% range of the DSP values of MH, largely due to their smaller size. When size was accounted for, they were within the MH range. The unknown sex mummies identified as females by DSP were found to be grouped with the known sex female mummy and the MH females. Similarly, the unknown sex mummy identified as male by DSP was also found to be grouped with MH males. The use of PCA analysis on DSP results is an effective tool to validate DSP results, even with individuals outside of the reference population. Despite differences in size from ancient to modern humans, DSP was found to be accurate and can be used with mummies and other ancient populations from different countries around the world.

The heart in ancient Egyptian mummification procedure is the central organ that should stay in place in the chest and waiting for the afterlife judgment. Here, we show the first case of three‐dimensional (3D) CT scan reconstruction of a mummified heart from a person embalmed in Egypt around 2,700 years ago, and present a 3D printing of the same heart using a low‐cost yet accurate 3D printer. A multi‐slice computed tomography scanner was used to scan the mummy. We applied the following radiological protocol: 80 keV and 140 keV, 140 mAs, with a slice thickness of 0.9 mm. The mummified heart and ascending aorta were extracted with semi‐automatic segmentation. We used a low‐cost 3D printer (Up plus 2) using fusion deposition modeling technology. The 3D printed model was then painted with acrylic paint to color code structures of interest. The 3D CT multi‐resolution imaging allows us to identify the gross anatomy of the heart, the ascending aorta, the pulmonary arteries, and the presence of multiple atherosclerosis lesions. Using 3D printed model we recognized upper auricle, vein cave inferior, and the two coronary arteries. The brachiocephalic artery, common carotid artery, and left subclavian artery were clearly cut to dissociate the heart from surrounding tissues. This multi‐3D approach allows for a better understanding of complex and distorted anatomy of the mummified heart, of paleopathology (arteriosclerosis), and of mummification techniques. Anat Rec, 302:912–916, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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.