Deconstructing an Ancient Egyptian Mummy Portrait

peat analysis (MLVA) as described (1,(3)(4)(5).Multilocus sequence typing profi les of these strains were identical to the type strain B. microti CCM 4915 T and strain CCM 4916.MLVA showed that these strains also clustered with B. microti strains CCM 4915 T and CCM 4916, with identical panel 1 and panel 2A genotypes but a different panel 2B genotype.In summary, we successfully isolated B. microti from soil samples collected at the same site 7 years after primary isolation of this novel species from common voles.B. microti could still be isolated from the same soil samples 6 months after storage at 4°C.This fi nding indicates long-term survival of B. microti in soil; thus, soil might function as a reservoir of infection.Identifi cation of B. microti as a potential soil bacterium is consistent with Brucella spp.whole genome sequencing data, in particular with the genome sequence of B. suis, which exhibits fundamental similarities with plant pathogens such as Agrobacterium spp.and Rhizobium spp.(6).Whether soil is the primary habitat of B. microti or other vectors, such as nematodes, remains to be investigated.

Napoleon Bonaparte is often credited as the causal factor in the worldwide interest in mummy studies.During his 1789 invasion of Egypt, the emperor brought with him 100 scientists to document Egyptian society.Accounts from these studies, along with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, fueled enthusiasm in the Western world for all things Egyptian and catalyzed an interest in artifact and mummy collecting.A corollary of this zeal was the development of the fashionable entertainment practice of "unrolling" ancient Egyptian mummies in the early 1800s.Thankfully, by the 1830s this practice was eclipsed by the more scientifically minded, such as medical doctors and burgeoning Egyptologists.These scientists continued "unrolling" but for the purpose of documenting anatomy, paleopathology, and mummification techniques (Dawson 1938;Moodie 1923;Murray 1910;Pettigrew 1834;Ruffer and Moodie 1921;Smith 2000Smith [1912]]).Two mummies and three coffins-the primary focus of the volume-emerged from these murky antiquarian practices; through a series of extraordinary events, archival research, and new technological applications, they stand prepared to tell and retell their stories.Relatively little was known about the two women who now reside at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS).They lived in ancient Egypt, died in their thirties, were mummified and interred.We do not know where they lived or died, but by the early 1900s both the mummies and their associated coffins, as well

For years we have investigated the presence and molecular evolution of tuberculosis in Pre Dynastic and Early Dynastic Egyptian mummy material from Abydos (c. 3500-2800 BC), Middle and New Kingdom until the Late Period in Thebes-West (c. 2050 – 500 BC). We have analysed 160 bone and soft tissue samples from different time periods and populations for the occurrence of M. tuberculosis complex DNA. All positive specimens were genetically characterised by spoligotyping and mutation analysis. Molecular analyses revealed excellent state of preservation of the specimens. Research showed a high incidence of M. tuberculosis during all time periods. We further detected specific MTB strain differences with M. africanum in some of the Middle Kingdom samples and “modern” M. tuberculosis strains in the New Kingdom to Late Period material. These results demonstrate that aDNA is excellently preserved in ancient Egyptian mummies allowing the reconstruction of occurrence, frequency, molecular evolution and spread of tuberculosis in Pharaonic populations.

The objective of our study was to use MDCT to study brain treatment and removal (excerebration) as part of mummification of royal Egyptian mummies dated to the 18th to early 20th Dynasties and to correlate the imaging findings with the archaeologic literature. As part of an MDCT study of the Royal Ancient Egyptian Mummies Project, we analyzed CT images of the heads of 12 mummies dated to circa 1493-1156 BC (18th to early 20th Dynasties). We reconstructed and analyzed CT images for the presence of cranial defects, brain remnants, intracranial embalming materials, and nasal packs. We compared the CT findings of mummies dated to the 18th Dynasty with those dated to the 19th to early 20th Dynasties. The Akhenaten mummy was excluded because of extensive postmortem skull fractures. CT showed that no brain treatment was offered to three mummies (Thutmose I, II, and III) who dated to the early 18th Dynasty and was offered to the eight mummies who dated later. The route of excerebration was transnasal in eight mummies; an additional suspected route was via a parietal defect. CT showed variable appearances of the intracranial contents. There were larger volumes of cranial packs and more variability in the appearances of the cranial packs in the royal mummies dated to the 19th to 20th Dynasties than in those dated to the 18th Dynasty. MDCT shows variations in brain treatment during mummification of royal Egyptian mummies (18th-20th Dynasties). This study sets a template for future CT studies of the heads of ancient Egyptian mummies and focuses on the key elements of cranial mummification in this ancient era.

Early dental intervention in the Redpath Ptolemaic Theban Male

Identification of avian remains contained within wrapped ancient Egyptian mummies: Part 1, A critical assessment of identification techniques

A synthetic radiological study of brain treatment in ancient Egyptian mummies

In-situ Measurements.- Characterization of Pigments Used in Ancient Egypt.- Importance of in-situ EDXRF Measurements in the Preservation and Conservation of Material Culture.- Scientific Field Research in Egypt.- Use of Ion Beam.- Ion Beam Techniques for the Non-destructive Analysis of Archaelogical Materials.- The Origin of Ancient Gemstones Unveiled by PIXE, PIGE and ?-Raman Spectrometry.- Investigations of Medieval Glass by a Combined PIXE/PIGE Method.- PIXE Analysis of Pre-Hispanic Items from Ancient America.- PIXE Study on Chinese Underglaze-Red Porcelain Made in Yuan Dynasty.- Glassmaking in the Venetian Manner.- Studies on Pigments for Ancient Ceramics and Glass Using X-ray Methods.- Compositional Differences of Blue and White Porcelain Analyzed by External Beam PIXE.- Use of Synchroton Radiation.- New Trend in Application of Synchrotron Radiation-Induced X-ray Fluorescence Analysis to Archaeology.- Synchrotron Radiation in Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Science.- Study of the Elemental Distribution in Ancient Chinese Porcelain Using Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Fluorescence.- Study on the Compositional Differences among Different Kilns' Tang Sancai by SRXRF.- Study of Chemical Composition in Ancient Celadon of Yue Kiln.- Radiography.- The Use of Medical Computed Tomography (CT) Imaging in the Study of Ceramic and Clay Archaeological Artifacts from the Ancient Near East.- The Radiographic Examinations of the Guardian Statues from the Tomb of Tutankhamen.- Analytical Study of Paintings by X-ray Radiography and Spectroscopy.- Radiographic Findings in Ancient Egyptian Mummies.- Interdisciplinary Field between Art and Science.- X-ray Application on on Post-Amarna Objects from Dahshur.- Decorative Program at Malqata Palace, Egypt.- X-ray Archaeology in China.- The Relationship between Arts and Sciences in the Field of Archaeology: from Cooperation to a Truly Equal Partnership.- Color Plates.

Ancient Egyptian mummies from the Late Period to the Greco-Roman Period were covered by a black coating consisting of complex and heterogeneous mixtures of conifer resins, wax, fat and oil with variable amounts of bitumen. Natural bitumen always contains traces of vanadyl porphyrin complexes that we used here as internal probes to explore the nanoscale environment of V ions in these black coatings by electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) and hyperfine sub-level correlation spectroscopy (HYSCORE). Four types of vanadyl porphyrin complexes were identified from the analysis of N hyperfine interactions. Three types (referred to as VO-P1, VO-P2 and VO-P3) are present in natural bitumen from the Dead Sea, among which VO-P1 and VO-P2 are also present in black coatings of mummies. The absence of VO-P3 in mummies, which is replaced by another complex, VO-P4, may be due to its transformation during preparation of the black matter for embalming. Analysis of H hyperfine interaction shows that bitumen and other natural substances are intimately mixed in these black coatings, with aggregate sizes of bitumen increasing with the bitumen content but not exceeding a few nanometres.

Atherosclerosis is an old disease: Summary of the Ruffer Centenary Symposium, The Paleocardiology of Ancient Egypt, a meeting report of the Horus Study team

An Evaluation of the Utility of Ct Scanning and 3d Printing for the Identification of Bird Taxa Species in Ancient Egyptian Mummies

In the rich archives of the Leiden Museum of Antiquities lies a fascinating manuscript dealing with the autopsy on an Ancient Egyptian mummy. This was performed in 1878 by the Museum’s curator Willem Pleyte. Thanks to Pleyte’s detailed _procès-verbal_, the mummy (which did not survive the dissection) can be reconstructed at least on paper. The name of the deceased has been inscribed on the mummy’s cartonnage, on some of the linen bandages, and on the Book of the Dead papyrus retrieved by Pleyte from the mummy wrappings. Several other items had been slipped between the wrappings, such as an amuletic necklace and various pieces of funerary jewellery. Together with textile samples of the diverse shrouds and bandages, all these finds have been preserved in the Museum’s reserves. This rich documentation allows us to recognize this assemblage as the remains of an elite burial in Ptolemaic Thebes. The texts identify its owner as a priest called Djedhor, the son of Neferibre and Takerheb. Comparable mummies and funerary objects in other museums in Europe, Egypt and the United States help to interpret the various items found on Djedhor’s mummy. Moreover, we can thereby visualise the additional material once present in the tomb, such as the mummy’s coffins, canopic chest, stela, and Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statue. Finally, the common acquisition history of all these items points to the original location of Djedhor’s tomb and suggests through whose hands his remains must have passed on their way to Leiden.

The composition of resins of seven ancient Egyptian mummies from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts was studied. n-Alkanes were found in the resins by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, which suggests the presence of natural bitumen in these resins. By comparing the hydrocarbon profiles of the studied mummies with the profiles of n-alkanes from mummy resins, reported in publications, the bitumen of the Dead Sea basin was identified. Concentrations of some trace elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry; vanadium, nickel, and molybdenum were found in the resins of five mummies. The identification of bitumen (its origin) by the relative concentrations of these elements was proposed.

Computed Tomographic Assessment of Atherosclerosis in Ancient Egyptian Mummies

Evidence based palaeopathology: Meta-analysis of Pubmed®-listed scientific studies on pre-Columbian, South American mummies