Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 28;19(6):e0303695.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303695. eCollection 2024.

The potential of X-ray computed tomography for xylological and dendrochronological analyses of Egyptian mummy labels

Affiliations

The potential of X-ray computed tomography for xylological and dendrochronological analyses of Egyptian mummy labels

François Blondel et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) imaging allows non-destructive visualization of the structure of various materials. Applied to wooden objects, it allows determination of their morphologies or manufacturing techniques, but also measurement of growth ring widths. We have applied XRCT to a selection of 38 mummy labels. This funerary furniture, made up of endemic or imported tree species, has survived thanks to environmental conditions in very large quantities in regions in Middle and Upper Egypt and is featured now in museum collections across the globe. Mummy labels thus represent a unique and abundant data source to build floating or absolutely dated dendrochronological chronologies for this period. Here we discuss the possible contributions and limitations of XRCT for the analysis of these artifacts and show that the approach allows identification of discriminating markers for the identification of certain species on the transverse plane, but that the insufficient resolution of the tangential and radial planes normally prevents formal identification of species. By contrast, XRCT undeniably enhances the visibility of toolmarks (in terms of numbers and depth), and thereby allows highlighting marks that remain invisible to the naked eye; XRCT also provides key insights into cutting methods and the calibers used and yields new information on silvicultural practices and the knowhow of Egyptian craftsmen. Finally, the measurement of ring widths on XRCT imagery is also more accurate than what can be achieved by traditional dendrochronological measurements, especially in the case of cuts realized on a slab. The approach also confirms the limited potential of local broadleaved species for dendrochronological approaches due to unreadable or poorly visible tree rings and mostly short tree-ring sequences.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

NO authors have competing interests.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Examples of mummy labels from the collection of the BNU of Strasbourg.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Location of a label (HO137) on its support/vice in the tomograph between the X-ray source and the 2D detector and detail of the tomographed area on the label (Coll. and photogr. BNU de Strasbourg).
Fig 3
Fig 3. Methodology applied for the estimation of the size of trees selected for the cutting of mummy labels from the transverse plane of label HO229.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Presentation of the two methods of measuring ring widths on label HO184: One directly on the object and the other from XRCT images, as well as the comparison of the ring widths of the two synchronizations obtained (coll. and photogr. BNU de Strasbourg HO184).
Fig 5
Fig 5. Tomographic images of the transverse plane of six mummy labels made of different endemic and imported species.
Detailed view of the wood anatomy, highlighting the limits of the resolution of XRCT resolutions.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Various toolmarks and features recognized on the mummy labels.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Analyses of various chisel strokes and cutting depths as identified on a single label to make the inscription.
In addition, we can distinguish the use of at least two chisels with different widths.
Fig 8
Fig 8. Distribution of mummy labels by cutting method and tree family type, as well as estimated tree diameters used to produce the labels.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Comparison of differences in ring-width values obtained from high-resolution photographs and CooRecorder, conventional measurements with a moving table and from XRCT images.
Fig 10
Fig 10. Taxonomic variety of species identified in the mummy label collections of the British Museum, the Louvre, the Musée de Picardie in Amiens and the Musée Archéologique de Marseille.

References

    1. Lavier C. Archéodendrométrie sur objets et œuvres d’art à support-bois: savoir-faire technique, capacités, obstacles et alternatives. Sciences analytiques. 2013; 292: 67–73.
    1. Guibal F, Pomey P. Ancient shipwrecks, naval architecture and dendrochronology in the western Mediterranean. In: Bockius R, editor. Between the seas. Transfer and Exchange in Nautical Technology, Proceedings of the Eleventh International Symposium of Boat and Ship Archaeology (ISBSA 11), Mainz 2006. Mainz: Verlag des römisch-germanischen Zentralmuseums, RGZM-Tagungen Bd 3; 2009. pp. 219–226.
    1. Gassmann P, Lambert G, Lavier C. Pirogues et analyses dendrochronologiques. In: Arnold B. Pirogues monoxyles d’Europe centrale: construction, typologie, évolution, tome 2. Neuchâtel: Musée cantonal d’archéologie, Archéologie neuchâteloise 20; 1996. pp. 89–127.
    1. Heginbotham A, Pousset D. The Practical Application of Dendrochronology to Furniture: The Cas of the J. Paul Getty Museum’s Renaissance Burgundian Cabinet. Wooden Artifacts Gr Postprints. 2006; 26–35.
    1. Cherubini P, Carlson B, Talirz W, Wiener HM. Musical string instruments: potential and limits of tree-ring dating and provenancing to verify their authenticity. Dendrochronologia, 2022; 72.