Abstract
The clues to life and death of mummified animals can remain hidden beneath their wrappings. Developments in non-invasive imaging have enabled detailed study of their internal structures. Laboratory-based X-ray microcomputed tomography (microCT) and focussed imaging protocols permit smaller mummified remains, such as animals, to be studied at higher resolution. In this study, we use microCT to image three different animal mummies. Revealing the internal structures provides insights into their biography, the conditions in which they were kept, complex mummification practices, possible causes of death, and subsequent handling damage. Thousands of years after the production of these mummified animals, the X-ray microCT technique facilitates new investigations, revealing ‘harder’ skeletal structures, mummification materials, and even desiccated soft tissues. Potential evidence for an ‘opening of the mouth’ procedure was found in a snake, along with indicators of the poor conditions in which the snake was kept when alive, leading to dehydration. Examination of a cat mummy revealed it was less than five months old and had its neck purposefully broken. It was also possible to identify a bird mummy to species level from the X-ray data. Improved understanding of animal mummification through scientific imaging can thus inform conservation and understanding of past human-animal relationships.
Highlights
The clues to life and death of mummified animals can remain hidden beneath their wrappings
Animals were mummified, including cats, ibis, hawks, snakes, crocodiles and dogs. Ikram[1,2] has suggested that mummified animal remains can be divided into six categories: {1} pets buried with their owner; {2} victual mummies buried with the human to provide food in the afterlife; {3} sacred animals which were worshipped during their lifetime; {4} votive offerings which depicted the gods and were placed in temples as offerings; {5} false/amalgam; and {6} other
Amongst Egyptian felids, F. chaus is considerably larger than F. sylvaticus libyca, which is in turn larger than F. margarita[46]
Summary
The clues to life and death of mummified animals can remain hidden beneath their wrappings. Ikram[1,2] has suggested that mummified animal remains can be divided into six categories: {1} pets buried with their owner; {2} victual mummies buried with the human to provide food in the afterlife; {3} sacred animals which were worshipped during their lifetime; {4} votive offerings which depicted the gods and were placed in temples as offerings; {5} false/amalgam; and {6} other. These techniques can provide information on wrapping techniques[9], while chemical analyses can be used to reveal information about the mummification p rocesses[10] These techniques destroy or disturb the mummy to some extent; non-invasive procedures have been increasingly favoured. These include studying the wrappings through simple observation and polarised light microscopy, together with
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