A Critical Look at Mummy CT Scanning

Abstract

Computed tomography scanning of mummies has been conducted for almost 40 years, and has become an increasingly popular method of mummy study in the 21st century. However, most CT scan analyses published today still do little more than praise the technique's non-destructive, non-invasive properties. Despite the wealth of information contained within a modern, high definition scan, most researchers have yet to fully exploit the full potential of this technology. In addition, those that have utilized CT scanning in ancient remains continue to interpret mummified tissues as though they were living, without investigating how taphonomy and mummification could have effected the tissue images that are produced. Because of this, there is very limited information available for clear interpretation of mummy CT's. This article presents a critical assessment of the development of mummy CT scanning and presents the results of two Egyptian mummies CT'ed at the Penn Museum as an example of the potentials and pitfalls of high-resolution scanning.

Keywords: CT scan; mummy; paleopathology.