Wild crocodiles hunted to make mummies in Roman Egypt: Evidence from synchrotron imaging

Porcier, Stéphanie; Berruyer, Camille; Pasquali, Stéphane; Ikram, Salima; Berthet, Didier; Tafforeau, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2019.105009

Cited by 23 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…There are no established sCT techniques that achieve cellular resolution in large soft tissues such as human organs. Phase-contrast based sCT 12,14,15 , specifically propagation-based imaging 16 , can theoretically be applied to image large, soft tissues. However, the X-ray beam coherence and X-ray source brilliance necessary to resolve cellular detail whilst penetrating into samples larger than a few millimetres, was not available at any synchrotron facility worldwide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiscale three-dimensional imaging of intact human organs down to the cellular scale using hierarchical phase-contrast tomography

Walsh

Tafforeau

Wagner

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Human organs are complex, three-dimensional and multiscale systems. Spatially mapping the human body down through its hierarchy, from entire organs to their individual functional units and specialised cells, is a major obstacle to fully understanding health and disease. To meet this challenge, we developed hierarchical phase-contrast tomography (HiP-CT), an X-ray phase propagation technique utilising the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility's Extremely Brilliant Source: the world's first high-energy 4th generation X-ray source. HiP-CT enabled three-dimensional and non-destructive imaging at near-micron resolution in soft tissues at one hundred thousand times the voxel size whilst maintaining the organ's structure. We applied HiP-CT to image five intact human parenchymal organs: brain, lung, heart, kidney and spleen. These were hierarchically assessed with HiP-CT, providing a structural overview of the whole organ alongside detail of the organ's individual functional units and cells. The potential applications of HiP-CT were demonstrated through quantification and morphometry of glomeruli in an intact human kidney, and identification of regional changes to the architecture of the air-tissue interface and alveolar morphology in the lung of a deceased COVID-19 patient. Overall, we show that HiP-CT is a powerful tool which can provide a comprehensive picture of structural information for whole intact human organs, encompassing precise details on functional units and their constituent cells to better understand human health and disease.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiscale three-dimensional imaging of intact human organs down to the cellular scale using hierarchical phase-contrast tomography

Walsh

Tafforeau

Wagner

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…4 ) and confirm altogether with the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of bones, that ibises were most likely permanent residents along the course of the Nile. As carbon and nitrogen isotope variability and genetic diversity 11 preclude large scale farming of ibises, the most probable scenario is that wild ibis populations living within the Nile Valley in Egypt were regularly hunted for the demand of votive mummies, as has been observed with fishing and crocodiles hunting 86 , 87 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic systematics point to wild origin of mummified birds in Ancient Egypt

Linglin

Amiot

Richardin

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Millions of mummified birds serving for religious purpose have been discovered from archeological sites along the Nile Valley of Egypt, in majority ibises. Whether these birds were industrially raised or massively hunted is a matter of heavy debate as it would have a significant impact on the economy related to their supply and cult, and if hunted it would have represented an ecological burden on the birds populations. Here we have measured and analysed the stable oxygen, carbon and radiogenic strontium isotope compositions as well as calcium and barium content of bones along with the stable carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope composition of feathers from 20 mummified ibises and birds of prey recovered from various archeological sites of Ancient Egypt. If these migratory birds were locally bred, their stable oxygen, radiogenic strontium and stable sulfur isotopic compositions would be similar to that of coexisting Egyptians, and their stable carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotope variance would be close, or lower than that of Egyptians. On one hand, isotopic values show that ibises ingested food from the Nile valley but with a higher isotopic scattering than observed for the diet of ancient Egyptians. On the other hand, birds of prey have exotic isotopic values compatible with their migratory behaviour. We therefore propose that most mummified ibises and all the birds of prey analysed here were wild animals hunted for religious practice.

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“…MHNL 90001850 was imaged using Propagation Phase-Contrast X-ray Synchrotron microtomography (PPC-SRμCT) with a multi-scale approach [10]. Numerous scans were performed at beamline BM05 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF; Grenoble, France).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some mummies contain a single animal (e.g. [8][9][10]). Of the 152 animal mummies analysed by L. McKnight to date, 86 (57%) contained a single complete individual [9,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synchrotron “virtual archaeozoology” reveals how Ancient Egyptians prepared a decaying crocodile cadaver for mummification

Berruyer¹,

Porcier²,

Tafforeau³

2020

PLoS ONE

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Although Ancient Egyptians mummified millions of animals over the course of one millennium, many details of these mummification protocols remain unknown. Multi-scale propagation phase-contrast X-ray synchrotron microtomography was used to visualise an ancient Egyptian crocodile mummy housed at the Musé e des Confluences (Lyon, France). This state-of-the-art non-destructive imaging technique revealed the complete interior anatomy of the mummy in three dimensions. Here, we present detailed insight into the complex postmortem treatment of a decaying crocodile cadaver in preparation for mummification. Except for the head and the extremities of the limbs, everything beneath the skin of the crocodile (i.e. organs, muscles, and even most of the skeleton) was removed to cease further putrefaction. This unexpected finding demonstrates that earlier knowledge obtained from textual and other archaeological sources does not sufficiently reflect the diversity of mummification protocols implemented by Ancient Egyptians.

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Wild crocodiles hunted to make mummies in Roman Egypt: Evidence from synchrotron imaging

Cited by 23 publications

References 28 publications

Multiscale three-dimensional imaging of intact human organs down to the cellular scale using hierarchical phase-contrast tomography

Multiscale three-dimensional imaging of intact human organs down to the cellular scale using hierarchical phase-contrast tomography

Isotopic systematics point to wild origin of mummified birds in Ancient Egypt

Synchrotron “virtual archaeozoology” reveals how Ancient Egyptians prepared a decaying crocodile cadaver for mummification

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