This article looks at the science behind the Very Postmortem exhibition mentioned on previous posts. It describes both the scanning process and the information that was revealed. The photo at the top of the article may startle some people (it looks a little gory at first glance) but it is fascinating to see the amulets over the skull. Here's an extract:
"To get all of this done so quickly is just amazing," said Dreyfus. "It's an ongoing project. We're going to learn more and more as time goes on. This is just preliminary."
Early findings, though, are proving fruitful.
The scans show Irethorrou had his wisdom teeth, establishing a minimum age of 25 for his death. But his teeth showed signs of wear, leaving Elias to estimate he was older than 25 when he died. Spine curvature and fractures in the lower back suggest he was as old as 45, Elias noted.
A more curious discovery is that one of Irethorrou's wisdom teeth didn't grow in, allowing the one above it to grow farther down. It's a feature Irethorrou shared with his father, Ankh-Wennefer, another mummy studied by Elias. Ankh-Wennefer, whose mummified remains are owned by the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma, Wash., had the same abnormality.
"That was unexpected, but wonderful to see," said Elias.
Research hasn't revealed a specific cause of death, but lesions on Irethorrou's back suggest he may have died of an infection.
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