Peering Inside Mummified Remains
Egyptian scientists have used three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) scanning for the first time to ‘digitally unwrap’ Pharaoh Amenhotep I’s mummified remains.
While all of the royal mummies unearthed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have been opened for investigation, Pharaoh Amenhotep I’s is remarkable in that it is appropriately wrapped, crowned with flower garlands and a lifelike facial mask inset with bright stones.
The Egyptian Mummy Project has peered inside the mummy for the first time in three millennia using the 3D laser scanning services. This was done the last time in the 11th century BCE, more than four centuries after his mummification and burial.
Based on records from hieroglyphics, during the later 21st dynasty, priests restored and reburied royal mummies from earlier dynasties to repair the damage inflicted by tomb robbers.
According to the tourism and antiquities ministry, the research was led by Sahar Saleem, a Cairo University professor of radiology, and renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, a former antiquities minister.
Dr. Saleem observed that the mummified remains of the Pharaoh had never once been viewed unwrapped. Therefore this opportunity to digitally view the mummy using 3D scanning services gave them a unique opportunity of a lifetime to learn a lot about how his mummification and burial were done.
In explaining, Dr. Saleem pointed out that with the ability that the 3D scanning service provides to peek into the mummified remains, it offers an easy opportunity to investigate in detail the well-preserved remains of the Pharaoh.
“We show that Amenhotep II was a powerful ruler. He was 35 years old when he passed away. He was circumcised and had good teeth, standing roughly 169 cm tall. He was wrapped in gold and wore 30 amulets and a one-of-a-kind golden belt with gold beads.“It was found that the Pharaoh Amenhotep I had a small chin, a narrow nose, curling hair, and slightly protruding upper teeth, much like his father.”
According to Dr. Saleem, the scientists couldn’t find any abnormalities using the 3D scanning service that might have been associated with any disease to validate the cause of death.
Pharaoh Amenhotep I’s mummified remains, together with those of other reburied royal mummies, were discovered in 1881 at the Deir el Bahari archaeological site in southern Egypt. Between 1525 and 1504 BCE, he ruled Egypt, which was prosperous and secure.
Dr. Saleem also noted that in the case of Pharaoh Amenhotep I, it can be seen that the 21st dynasty priests took their time to gently mend the injuries inflicted by tomb thieves, restore his body to its former glory, and save the magnificent jewels and amulets in situ.
3D Laser Scanning Services Have Great Benefits
This research success underscores the fact that a 3D laser scan could be a valuable tool in anthropological and archaeological analyses of mummies, especially those from other cultures and civilizations such as Peru.