Medical Imaging of Mummies and Bog Bodies – A Mini-Review

Abstract

Mummies are human remains with preservation of non-bony tissue. Mummification by natural influences results in so-called natural mummies, while mummification induced by active (human) intervention results in so-called artificial mummies, although many cultures practiced burial rites which to some degree involved both natural and artificial mummification. Since they are so uniquely well-preserved, mummies may give many insights into mortuary practices and burial rites. Specifically, the presence of soft tissues may expand the scope of paleopathological studies. Many recent mummy studies have focused on the development and application of non-destructive methods for examining mummies, especially radiography and CT scanning with advanced 3D visualizations. Indeed, the development of commercially available CT scanners in the 1970s meant that for the first time the 3D internal structure of mummies and bog bodies could be studied non-destructively. This article describes the history of mummy radiography and CT scanning, and some of the problems and opportunities involved in applying these techniques, derived for clinical use, on naturally and artificially preserved ancient human bodies. Unless severely degraded, bone is quite readily visualized, but accurate imaging of preserved soft tissues, and pathological lesions therein, may require considerable post-image capture processing of CT data.

Ancient Egyptians in Lithuania: A scientific study of the Egyptian mummies at the National Museum of Lithuania and the MK Čiurlionis National Museum of Art

“…Th e method, which was fi rst carried out on mummifi ed remains in the late 1970s, was soon improved by increasing computing power, which allowed for a fi ner resolution and the rapid 3D visualisation of images (12). With CT-scanners the X-ray tube revolves around the mummy under investigation, and generates hundreds or thousands of slices as an array of pixels, the value of which depends on the attenuation of the X-rays as they pass through the subject.…”

Pharaohs and Mummies: Diseases of Ancient Egypt and Modern Approaches

“…The diagnostic methods that can be deployed to examine mummified remains include what can be categorised as non-destructive, less-destructive methods and destructive methods [6]. Non-destructive methods include radiography, computerised tomography scanning (with advanced three-dimensional visualizations), and endoscopic techniques [7]. Of these tomography is arguably the most sophisticated and rewarding.…”

Palaeopathology: The Study of Disease in the Past

“…Among the former, X-ray and computerized tomography yield high-quality information, being, in many instances, the only techniques allowed since they do not harm the sample or individual. Nevertheless, a detailed description of the advantages and possibilities of these techniques, including 3D reconstruction, would require a full review and previous reports provide exhaustive information [4,9,11]. …”

“…More rarely, soft tissues can be preserved in a humid environment when the right conditions of anaerobiosis or chemical composition are present [9]. Some years ago, a replication of traditional Egyptian mummification was performed [10] providing evidence of the usefulness of this ancient technique as well as the little degradation of ancient mummified tissue occurring over the passage of time.…”