A Critical Look at Mummy CT Scanning

Abstract

Computed tomography scanning of mummies has been conducted for almost 40 years, and has become an increasingly popular method of mummy study in the 21st century. However, most CT scan analyses published today still do little more than praise the technique's nondestructive, non-invasive properties. Despite the wealth of information contained within a modern, high definition scan, most researchers have yet to fully exploit the full potential of this technology. In addition, those that have utilized CT scanning in ancient remains continue to interpret mummified tissues as though they were living, without investigating how taphonomy and mummification could have effected the tissue images that are produced. Because of this, there is very limited information available for clear interpretation of mummy CT's. This article presents a critical assessment of the development of mummy CT scanning and presents the results of two Egyptian mummies CT'ed at the Penn Museum as an example of the potentials and pitfalls of high-resolution scanning. Anat Rec, 298:1099Rec, 298: -1110Rec, 298: , 2015. V C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Key words: mummy; CT scan; paleopathology For nearly four decades, computed tomography (CT) scanning has been employed in the scientific study of mummified remains. However, despite the numerous mummies that have been examined, we know almost nothing about them beyond the process of their mummification. More than that, the formula of most CT scan studies of mummies has remained almost unchanged since they first began in 1977. The vast majority of articles are case reports that come to the same conclusion: CT scans are a powerful, nondestructive, noninvasive way to study mummies. Though this is true, much time has passed and the technology continues to improve and evolve, but its potential for mummy research has never been fully exploited. While CT scan studies have become increasingly prevalent over the last 10 years, very little research has been done to explore the limitations of the technology or the differences between living and long-dead tissues in imaging. This article takes a critical look at the history of mummy CT scanning to understand the current state of paleo-imaging and address the weaknesses of the field in order utilize CT technology to its fullest potential and encourage mummy studies to continue evolving. The CT scans of two Penn Museum mummies are presented here as an example of the wealth of information available from detailed CT scans, but also as an illustration of the limitations imposed on CT analysis due to the dearth of information available on tissue changes in paleo-imaging. REVIEW OF MUMMY CT HISTORYComputed tomography scanning was first developed in 1975 for medical imaging, and it was a mere 2 years later that the technology was applied to a mummy. Lewin and Harwood-Nash (1977) performed the first CT scan on an Egyptian mummy named Nakht from the Royal Ontario Museum in 1977 to examine the brain. Though the findings of this study were not remarkable, it was a mile-st...

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

“…However, there exists a great diversity of radiological protocol modalities, types of image treatment procedures, and anatomical descriptions related to the quality of the provided images. Moreover, there exists no consensus among specialists regarding a standard CT description of an Egyptian mummy head and face [4]. This lack of a consensus explains why complete information on the diverse elements that should represent a full mummy description is not provided [33].…”

“…The systematic review by Zweifel is not specifically related to CT scanning of mummies as it presents a general overview of this specific research field [2]. Therefore, we wanted to summarize the current knowledge on CT scanning of Egyptian artificially mummified bodies [4]. We also wanted to provide more valid methodology than that previously available.…”

The Anatomy of the Mummy: Mortui Viventes Docent—When Ancient Mummies Speak to Modern Doctors

“…CT scan analysis forms the core of three of the technical articles: Conlogue (2015), Cox (2015), and Sydler et al (2015). CT scans form an essential core to virtually all mummy studies and these articles aptly critically addresses the problems associated with the interpretation of the derived images.…”

“…Application of these results holds promise both within the forensic investigation of preserved copses and in the analysis of taphonomic processes associated with mummified remains. Cox (2015) summarizes and critically assesses the use of CT scans for the evaluation of mummies. Although CT scans are considered the state of the art in mummy research, Cox points out their limitations in the evaluation of paleopathology.…”

“…Although CT scans are considered the state of the art in mummy research, Cox points out their limitations in the evaluation of paleopathology. In addition to the detailed analysis of two Penn Museum mummies, including the famous autopsied mummy PUM II both at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, PA (Zimmerman and Gleason 2015), Cox (2015) summarizes the history of the integration of CT analysis into mummy studies. She then continues with a detailed analysis of the CT scans of Hapi-Man and PUM II.…”