11 ways new technology changed the way we think about Ancient Egyptian mummies

Marianne GuenotAug 16, 2022, 21:26 IST

CT scanning changed the way Egyptologists see mummified remains.S. Saleem and Z. Hawass; A. Leydo/Warsaw Mummy Project; Richard Johnston/Swansea University/Insider

Technology has revolutionized the way we see Ancient Egyptian mummies.
With 3D CT scans, Egyptologists can see the remains in unprecedented detail without ever unwrapping them

Advances in technology are allowing Egyptologists to see mummified remains in unprecedented detail, without having to unwrap them

3D CT scanning has been around for decades, but recent advances in image quality allowed researchers to show Ancient Egyptian mummies like never before.

Here are 11 ways the technology provided new insight:

Scientists peered into the mummified eyes of Pharoah Amenhotep I.

The pharaoh's mummy was scanned inside his sarcophagus.S. Saleem and Z. Nuwass

We now know 'more or less' what Amenhotep looked like.

Front and side views of Amenhoteps' skull seen through his bandages using a 3D CT scanner.S. Saleem and Z. Hawass

He was buried with amulets and jewels.

A frontal view of Amenhotep's pelvis shows a beaded girdle which is likely gold. The arrow points to a "faience amulet in the shape of a snail shell," per the study.S. Saleem and Z. Hawass

Amenhotep I died mysteriously young.

A view of Amenhotep's teeth shows that they were in good condition when he died.S. Saleem and Z. Hawass

A male priest was found to be a woman...

The first recorded case of a pregnant mummy, a woman who was previously thought to be a priest named Hor-Djehuty.A. Leydo/Warsaw Mummy Project

...who was likely pregnant.

A 3D reconstitution from the scan of the mummy shows the soft tissue thought to be a fetus inside the mummy.Warsaw Mummy Project

Scientists believe the fetus may have been 'pickled' like an egg, dissolving its bones.

A cross-section of the mummy's body, which the soft tissue identified as the fetus highlighted in red.Warsaw Mummy Project

It's possible to recreate a dead priest's voice 3,000 years after his death.

Scanning Nesyamun's vocal tract allowed scientists to simulate his voice.D.M. Howard, J. Schofield, J. Fletcher, and colleagues, Scientific Reports 2020, CC BY 4.0

Egyptians may have treated flesh wounds with bandages.

The mummy is seen next to a scan of the child's foot.Image appears courtesy of Elsevier, Copyright Elsevier (2021)

Scanning revealed the cause of death of a mummified snake.

A mummified Egyptian cobra.Swansea University

It showed Egyptians likely held the snake 'like a bull whip.'

An x-ray scan reveals the coiled remains of a mummified Egyptian cobra.Richard Johnston/Swansea University

The snake's mouth was pried open, likely as part of a ritual ceremony

An x-ray scan reveals the coiled remains of a mummified Egyptian cobra.Richard Johnston/Swansea University

Scientists also scanned a mummified cat...

A mummified domestic cat head (left) and body.Swansea University

... that was possibly strangled.

The skull of a mummified cat.Swansea University

Egyptology has come a long way from Victorian mummy-unwrapping parties.

King Tutankhamun's golden mask, stock photoGetty Images

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