CT Scans Reveal Miniature Mummies’ Surprising Contents
by Alex Fox/Smithsonianmag.com
For almost half a century, researchers at the Haifa Museums in Israel thought that a pair of miniature Egyptian mummies housed in their collections contained human hearts. But when museum staff brought the sarcophagi to a local hospital for a computerized tomography (CT) scan last month, they realized the ancient wrappings actually concealed the remains of a bird and a wad of grain and mud, reports Rossella Tercatin for the Jerusalem Post.
The mummified bird is probably a falcon. Interestingly, it appears to be missing a key body part: namely, its left leg.
“Nobody knows why,” Marcia Javitt, head of medical imaging at the Rambam Health Care Campus, where a team scanned the mummies on June 29, tells Live Science’s Laura Geggel.
The bird is also missing several organs. Its neck is broken—an injury that probably occurred after death, according to Javitt.
Aside from the fact that the artifacts are Egyptian and between 2,500 and 3,000 years old, experts know little about their history and provenance, says Ron Hillel, registrar and head of collection management at the Haifa Museums, to Live Science. The so-called grain mummy measures around 18 inches long, while the other is closer to 10 inches long.
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
ATTENTION READERS
We See The World From All Sides and Want YOU To Be Fully InformedIn fact, intentional disinformation is a disgraceful scourge in media today. So to assuage any possible errant incorrect information posted herein, we strongly encourage you to seek corroboration from other non-VT sources before forming an educated opinion.
About VT - Policies & Disclosures - Comment Policy
