The Mummy's external ornamentation includes a gilded head mask, a pectoral cartonnage, and a pair of sandals. Resin was poured into the emptied cranial and torso cavities, and linen packs were placed inside the torso. The heart remained in the chest as a spiritual symbol. CT detected a high-quality mummification process that included brain removal through an iatrogenic defect of the cribriform plate and viscera removal via a left lower-abdominal incision.
The deceased had healthy teeth and bones without evidence of poor nutrition or disease. Biological sex could be determined from the presence of male genitalia epiphyseal fusion and tooth eruption indicated an approximate age at death of 14-15 years. CT enabled non-invasive digital unwrapping and revealed a well-preserved mummy.
We hypothesized that scanning and 3D-printing the mummy using Computed Tomography (CT) could help in documenting and promoting its public display. A fully wrapped mummy, from a Late Ptolemaic cemetery (c.332-30 BC) in Edfu, Egypt, has been stored, unexamined, at the Cairo Egyptian Museum since 1916. Ancient Egyptian mummies represent an opportunity to learn more about the health, beliefs, and skills of humans in antiquity.
