- Ancient Egyptians worshiped and mummified animals, but examining those animal mummies without damaging the corpses is challenging for archaeologists.
- In a new study, scientists revealed a new way to pair delicate muscles with some sort of x-ray.
- She x-rayed three mummies: a cat, a cobra, and a kestrel. The imaging technique allowed the researchers to learn about how these animals lived, died and were mummified.
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Ancient Egyptians mummified and buried millions of animals, and often treated creatures such as cobras, cats and crocodiles with the same reverence and respect they gave to a human corpse.
That is because the Egyptians believed that animals were reincarnations of gods. So they mummified and worshiped these animals in holy temples was a way to honor these gods, and mummified animals could also serve as sacrifices for those gods.
But for archaeologists, studying animal mummies is without damaging them. Unpacking a mummy to look closer can destroy the old corpse, leading to the loss of critical information about how the animal was killed or preserved.
But a study published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports shows that a new technique scientists can use to peer under the delicate wrappings without removing them. Using micro-CT scans – X-ray imaging that can be seen inside an object – researchers were able to identify the type and manner of mummification for three specimens: a cat, a snake and a bird.
“Micro-CT’s high resolution can tell us more about an animal: what conditions it was kept alive and cared for and how it died,” said Rich Johnston, lead author of the study, Business Insider.
Reading the scans, he added, “you’re the first person in thousands of years to see what’s inside.”
Here’s what Johnston’s team found about the animal mummies.
