Solving Mummy Mysteries using X-ray

Introduction

In the November of 1895, German physicist, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, discovered x-ray, and soon an x-ray machine was invented. This remarkable achievement allowed doctors to use medical imaging to diagnose their patients. Broken bones and hard tissues could be seen with this amazing invention. While the x-ray machine became helpful medical equipment in the medical industry, Egyptologists from all over the globe began to realise that they could use x-rays to look at mummies.

However, a museum could not afford an x-ray machine and would often have to ask for permission from medical facilities for the use of their x-ray machines but this could only be done on a limited scale. Soon, another kind of x-ray machine was developed. This improved machine allowed them to "look" at the contents beneath the bandages of the mummies on a much wider scale.

An x-ray photograph, showing the human skull. (Microsoft)

Getting The Evidence

When English Scholar, P. H. K. Gray, acquired an x-ray machine in 1964, he used it to photograph some seventy-eight mummies in the British Museum. His successfully developed pictures gave much evidence about the ailments and diseases that ancient Egyptians suffered. His findings showed that they were plagued with several illnesses that we have today.

One of his findings showed that the ancient Egyptians had been hit by osteoarthritis (rheumatism) at an earlier age of under forty. This condition was associated with the aging process and is common today among the elderly.

Besides the previous finding, he also found out that the Egyptians were vulnerable to severe backaches, when his pictures showed diseased disks of the spine. Some of the Egyptians had also suffered from malnutrition or a serious disease, which resulted in arrested growth. One of the babies he photographed also revealed signs of abnormal development of the bones (osteogenesis imperfecta).

When x-rays detected several cases of cavities, missing teeth and gum diseases, Egyptologists knew that they were prone to toothaches. This might be due to the fact that their staple food, which is bread, is tough to chew.

Sometimes, bodies of several mummies would be found together. When one mummy proved to have the bodies of a man, two infants and one child wrapped together, this observation could not be explained. If a woman was wrapped with an infant, it could be explained as the woman had died after giving birth to a stillborn child, but what had a man to do with two infants and one child?

Unwrapping The Treasures

The amulets, jewellery and other burial items were of interest to the Egyptologists. Initially, the exact position of these items could not be found. But after using the fluorescent screen of an x-ray intensifier, Gray was able to find out the exact location.

The protective eye of Horus, commonly carved on amulets. (CHICO)

Unknowingly, the x-ray machines that Gray used did not tell him that the resin in which these items were embedded in had become so hard that it was impossible to retrieve them. Soon, through tedious hard work, Gray managed to chip off all the amulets of the mummies he could find and a great deal of knowledge was revealed about the ancient Egyptians' art and culture. Of course, the mummies that were used during this period did not come to a waste, instead they were sent for mummy research.

Mummy Research

During the prominent period of researching mummies, dentists began to use them to study the development of teeth in mankind over the last thousand years or so. This tedious work included examining the skeletons, measuring the jaws and bone structure, studying the teeth, taking bone and tissue specimens for scientific study.

One very important discovery about the ancient Egyptians from using the x-ray machines is the fact that they usually did not live to be very old and they suffered from arthritis, backaches and toothaches, just like people in the present. Once, a case of polio was discovered from a young ruler, named Siptah. Such important discovery proved that this disease had existed as long as 1200 B.C.

Another case of an unwrapped baboon found buried with the powerful high priestess, Makare posed a challenging question: "Why would a baboon be buried with Makare?" Soon, Egyptologists began to find out the importance of some animals in ancient Egyptian religion. For instance, mummies of birds, fish and reptiles were identified with certain gods, were sold and used as offerings to the gods.

Monkey were commonly used as votive offerings. (CHICO)

Future Prospects

As x-ray develops, more knowledge about how the Egyptians lived and died can be found. Many questions and mysteries will be solved and soon people will find that they will not marvel at mummies any more.