Egyptian Mummies, CT scanning & Scams

Dr. Campbell Price, the Curator of Egypt and the Sudan at The Manchester Museum is in the Algarve this week, hosted by the AAA, the Archaeological Association. He spoke to an intrigued audience, highlighting how science is revealing what is under the wraps of mummies without having to unwind the ancient linen bandages.
The Manchester Museum is home to one of the largest and most important collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the UK. The collection includes objects from prehistoric Egypt (c. 10,000 BC) to the Byzantine era, up to around AD 600.

Thanks to CT scanning and DNA testing, family connections and scams are being uncovered.

Dr. Price has created an excellent and informative Blog, which details ongoing research and lively events, such as “Who’s coming to mummy’s re-rolling?

Simply and clearly he explained that many of the mummified animals offered like votive candles, to the ancient Gods, contained stuffing but no animal matter. Was this an ancient scam? he asked, as devotees paid for and presented 10’s of thousands of these offerings.

He revealed new facts about the “Two Brothers,” who (the inscription indicates) shared the same mother. DNA reveals they were related. The darker skinned brother rests in the Caucasian sarcophagus, and the light skinned brother in the darker African looking shell. Did this mean the mother remarried having sons with different racial characteristics? He mentioned this to give a nod to the status of women in Egypt. Women not only divorced, owned property, but experienced a level of freedom that other cultures did not foster.

Dr. Campbell’s blog is one to follow. Egypt at the Manchester Museum

This Blog post is written as part of the A-Z Blog Challenge

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