3D CT Images Reveal Mummy Sealed in Coffin for 3,000 Years

Remarkable three-dimensional (3D) images are revealing a mummy not seen for more than 3,000 years due to an innovative medical scanner technology.

The elaborately sealed and decorated coffin of the Egyptian woman, Meresamun, who was believed to be a priestess at a temple in Thebes in 800 BC, has remained intact and completely closed because curators at the University of Chicago's (IL, USA) Oriental Museum, where she has been for over 80 years, have been hesitant to examine her further and risk destroying the striking decorations.

Now, because of the latest in computed tomography (CT) scanning advancements developed by Philips Healthcare (Best, The Netherlands), which is typically used to help diagnose and treat living patients, researchers have been able for the first time to show the stunning 3D images of a woman who lies preserved inside the brilliantly painted casket. Scans had been performed using a 64-slice CT scanner; the scans were then repeated using the Philips 256-slice Brilliance iCT scanner. Using the Brilliance iCT scanner, they were able to collect thousands of images of Meresamun from which they have been able to create highly detailed 3D images without exposing the delicate remains to the elements.

The technology enables investigators to "see through” the casket to the mummy, still wrapped in her layers of linen bandages. The scanner is able to "peel” each layer away to reveal her skeleton, including what appear to be stones in her eye sockets, and her remaining internal organs.

Researchers wanted to use the iCT to find out more about the life and death of Meresamun, who lived 3,000 years ago. Emily Teeter, Ph.D, an Egyptologist of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, said, "It is so exciting to be able to see this. The mummy is still in the coffin. It is like having X-ray eyes to see the relationship between the coffin, the wrappings, and amount of linen used.”

Meresamun is believed to have been around 30 years old when she died. The markings on her coffin suggest she was a singer at the Temple of Amun in Thebes, southern Egypt, and from what experts know about other women of the same title, this suggests she probably came from a very important family.

"The iCT scanner allows us to perform detailed analysis of very complex anatomy within seconds,” said Michael W. Vannier, M.D., professor of radiology at the University of Chicago. "The pictures of the mummy are breathtaking, we could see subtle things--wear patterns on the teeth, a clear view of the embalming incision, precise indications of her age--that were not apparent before, answering many questions that were raised by the first set of CT scans in 1991.”

John W. Steidley, Ph.D., vice president, Philips Global CT business unit, said, "The Brilliance iCT is the flagship scanner in our CT portfolio. It was designed to excel at routine head and body imaging, to simplify the most demanding applications such as cardiac, trauma, and bariatric, and to provide these capabilities for patients ranging from pediatric to geriatric. In this case, however, our customer was pleasantly surprised to find applications imaging a 3,000-year-old mummy--something never intended by our designers who are focused on improving the lives of our patients. Nevertheless, the quality of the images shows how the Brilliance iCT offers remarkable new insights into the human body.”

The iCT works at very high speeds. In the living this means it can produce a full body scan in less than one minute and effectively capture moving organs, including the entire heart in just two beats. This enables clinicians to make a fast, effective, and comprehensive diagnosis for their patients.

Details about Meresamun's health, as revealed in these CT scans will form part of the exhibition, "The Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer in Ancient Egypt” at the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago.

Related Links:
University of Chicago's Oriental Museum
Philips Healthcare