The role of computed axial tomography in the study of the mummies of Akhmim, Egypt

For more than a quarter century, computed axial tomography (CT) has given Egyptologists an increasingly sophisticated, non-invasive means of examining the interior of mummified bodies. What has been lacking from mummy studies to date is a regional focus confining itself to a single, defined population which makes its comparisons within narrowly defined limits of time and space. A study of Akhmimic mummies, hundreds of which entered the museum collections of Europe, America and elsewhere late in the 19th century, promises to greatly benefit the study of Egyptian mummification generally while gathering specific data on Akhmim’s priestly population of the Ptolemaic period (332-30 BC). Recent CT examination of two female mummies from Akhmim has underscored the importance of considering features other than those on the traditional list of mummy contents. While amulets, visceral packets, and linen wadding have been noted for years, it is clear that they existed side by side with objects that, while difficult to classify, were equally deliberate and significant. The Akhmim Studies Consortium has been established to increase our knowledge of these poorly understood aspects of the embalming process as it existed at Akhmim and in surrounding locale