Mummy gets high-tech treatment at BMC

Berkshire Eagle (Jenn Smith)

Though he may be a mummy, the Egyptian priest Pahat can still speak volumes about his ancient civilization.

On Wednesday morning, the nearly 2,300-year-old Berkshire Museum resident and the lower half of his sarcophagus were wrapped to brave the winter weather to undergo a CT scan at Berkshire Medical Center.

The procedure uses advanced X-ray technology as a tool in the scientific study of mummies.

Stuart Chase, executive director of the museum, was among a crowd of nearly 20 other museum, medical and press personnel who squeezed into BMC's CT scanning suite to watch the process firsthand.

"It's a rare situation to have a mummy and to be a museum that's so close to a hospital with the technology to be able to do this," said Chase. "It's an exciting new way to unlock the mysteries of the past."

Pahat himself was first scanned in 1984. On June 4, 2007, the mummy was scanned again at BMC.