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Radiological aspects and interpretation of post‐mortem artefacts in ancient Egyptian mummies from Swiss collections
Author(s) -
Rühli Frank J.,
Böni Thomas
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(200003/04)10:2<153::aid-oa511>3.0.co;2-4
Subject(s) - embalming , ancient egypt , interpretation (philosophy) , radiological weapon , archaeology , art , ancient history , medicine , classics , history , philosophy , surgery , linguistics
The process of embalming leads to various post‐mortem artefacts in ancient Egyptian mummies. Its different radiological aspects and its interpretation (historical background and intention) are demonstrated by way of example on two mummies belonging to Swiss collections (Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen der Stadt Winterthur, Winterthur; Musée d'Ethnographie, Neuchâtel). The human remains date from 900 bc and 300 bc , respectively, and have—among other investigations—been subject to conventional X‐ray and CT examinations. Organ packages, artificial parts of the body, body packing material and embalming substances have been detected. Exact localization is best performed by CT, while for identification of chemical components, physico‐chemical methods are recommended. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.