Scan to reveal secrets of Egyptian mummy (From Gazette)

Scan to reveal secrets of Egyptian mummy

5:07pm Wednesday 23rd June 2010 in News

AN ancient Egyptian mummy is set to undergo a full body scan.

Medics at the Oaks Hospital, in Colchester, will use a state-of-the art machine, usually used to scan head injuries or broken bones, on the 2,700-year-old corpse.

The mummy is believed to be Lady Ta-Hathor, who was in her early twenties when she died.

Historians hope to find out how she died and if she has any internal organs.

The Siemens 64 Slice CT Scanner at the private hospital, in Mile End Road, will give a clearer picture of the level of mummification her body has received.

Vanessa Bobby-Rose, radiology manager at the Oaks Hospital, said: “CT scanning is a non-invasive technique, which will enable us to look inside Lady Ta-Hathor without the need to unwrap her.

“It gives us an opportunity to use modern technology to examine an object preserved by ancient technology.”

Lady Ta-Hathor has been part of Colchester and Ipswich Museums’ collection since 1871.

She is being moved from Colchester’s Castle Museum to Ipswich, where she will be included in a permanent exhibition in its Egyptian gallery. In return, Colchester will receive a Roman baptismal font.

A team of experts has been working on her sarcophagus.

The mummy is of particular interest to historians because her sarcophagus has been intricately painted, suggesting she may have been of some importance.