Cambridge CT scan for Egyptian mummy

EXPERTS at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge have finally identified the sex of an Egyptian child mummy that was acquired by Saffron Walden Museum from a private collection in 1878.

The mummy's head with the bandages in place. Pictures courtesy of Addenbrooke's Hospital. Archaeologists wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl, after x-rays taken in the 1970s suggested it was a boy aged about eight but the results were inconclusive.

An x-ray of the mummy's skull. Picture courtesy of Addenbrooke's Hospital. Superintendent neuro-radiographer Halina Szutowicz carried out the CT scan which found the body still had baby teeth intact leading Halina to believe the boy was aged five or six.

A study of an image of the pelvis led the team to conclude the mummy was male. He had a skull fracture and a broken collarbone.


Source: Cambridge First [November 24, 2010]