Mummy Studies

This study concerns the mummy of a Greco-Roman adult male aged 45-55 years from the Fayum region of Egypt. It was acquired by Charles E. Ficke in 1896. The Putnam Museum and Science Center had the mummy CT scanned on August 21, 2007.  Data from that scan were sent to the Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium for analysis. Details of possible provenience, mummification techniques and paleopathology are discussed.

Šiuo straipsniu autorius apibendrina savo pastarųjų 12 metų įvairių mumijų rinkinių tyrimus. Kadangi mumijų tyrimai plečiasi kaip biologinės antropologijos pagalbinė specialybė, svarbu išryškinti išlikusių palaikų tyrimų reikšmę tiek archeologijai, tiek istorijai.

The mummies of Kha and his wife Merit were found intact in an undisturbed tomb in western Thebes near the ancient workers' village of Deir el-Medina. Previous MDCT (this abbreviation needs spelling out) investigations showed that the bodies of Kha and Merit did not undergo classical royal 18th Dynasty artificial mummification, which included removal of the internal organs. It was, therefore, concluded that the retention of the viscera in the body, combined with an absence of canopic jars in the burial chamber, meant the couple underwent a short and shoddy funerary procedure, despite their relative wealth at death. Nevertheless, all internal organs - brain, ocular bulbs/ocular nerves, thoracic and abdominal organs - showed a very good state of preservation, which contradicts the previous interpretation above. In order to better understand the type of mummification used to embalm these bodies, both wrapped mummies were reinvestigated using new generation X-ray imaging and chemical...

Planning for a Baby:  https://youtu.be/2iwLh6XCnq8

Pregnancy with IBD: https://youtu.be/br0kciD8xJk

Motherhood with IBD: https://youtu.be/TQjt8pnMv4I


Our aim is to provide an understanding of the experience of women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who have made the transition to motherhood. A total of 22 mothers with IBD were recruited from around the United Kingdom. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. The central concept—Blurred Lines—offers a novel frame for understanding the transition to motherhood with IBD through identifying parallels between having IBD and becoming, and being, a mother. Parallels clustered into three main themes: Need for Readiness, Lifestyle Changes, and Monitoring Personal and Physical Development. Hence, women with IBD are in some ways well prepared for the challenges of motherhood even though, as a group, they tend to restrict their reproductive choices. We recommend health professionals initiate conversations about reproduction early and provide a multidisciplinary approach to pregnancy and IBD in which women have confidence that their ongoing treatment will be integrated successfully with their maternity care.

Throughout this workshop, you will learn about the smells that defined the mummification chambers and tombs, and the scents that the ancient Egyptians themselves wished to be surrounded by in their life after death. In the first hour, Dora will teach you about the olfactory motivation for mummification and the substances employed during the process. In the second hour, she will give you a detailed insight into the materials. You will be able to smell each ingredient and you will learn about their significance for the Egyptians and the reasons behind their use. In the third and last hour, you will recreate the essence of mummification in a bottle by using the very same ingredients the ancient Egyptians employed for embalming their dead. Don’t worry, you will end up with an exceedingly pleasant smell.

Time and Date: September 28, 2019, 11am-2pm
Price: 90€ | Students / Artists / Stadspas: 63€
Location: Mediamatic, Dijksgracht 6, Amsterdam
Tickets available on https://www.mediamatic.net/en/page/374727/recreate-the-essence-of-mummification

Autorka prezentuje współczesne techniki badań mumii egipskich oraz ich rozwój, począwszy od badań inwazyjnych, polegających głównie na rozwijaniu mumii, poprzez nieinwazyjne badania radiologiczne, a skończywszy na laboratoryjnych analizach molekularnych mumifikowanych tkanek. Obecnie zaawansowane multidyscyplinarne badania obejmują m. in. analizy antropologiczne, medyczne, radiologiczne, fizyczne, chemiczne, biochemiczne, genetyczne, kryminalistyczne, których krótka charakterystyka i historia
została przedstawiona w niniejszej pracy.

Ancient human remains like Egyptian mummified bodies cannot be
considered on a physical anthropological perspective only. So severe
and invasive were the operations on the body, so various were the
materials involved in the preservation techniques, so complicated was the
embalming and wrapping procedure according to specific rituals, that the
final result, the mummy, is to be considered a highly composite product.
The human remains are a relevant part of it indeed, but a very wide set
of information can be taken also from the other components, relating
to environment, resources, technology, religious beliefs, cultural and
technical traditions, skills and arts at the time of the individual’s life. That
a plain anthropological approach could not be exhaustive on cataloguing
such a kind of archaeological finds emerged during the sessions of the
scientific board charged by the Italian ICCD of defining a data track for
filing anthropological remains as a special kind of cultural heritage.

Highlight
• This is the most detailed account to date on the health and disease status of Charlemagne, the Father of Europe.
• Based on ancient sources, we suggest that Charlemagne suffered from mild gout and died of an infectious pulmonary disease.
• Additionally, for the first time, we present evidence of mummification of Charlemagne's remains, emphasizing his unique historical role. Abstract In this article, a complete history of Charlemagne's mortal remains is outlined, including the first publication reporting on the most recent tomb opening in 1988. Besides exclusive bioarchaeological details – namely that his body was indeed mummified-a full clinical interpretation of the Emperor's final illnesses and death is given: a likely combination of osteoarthritis, gout and a recurrent fever caused by an infectious disease.

Abstract
In this article, a complete history of Charlemagne’s mortal remains is outlined, including the first publication reporting on the most recent tomb opening in 1988. Besides exclusive bioarchaeological details – namely that his body was indeed mummified - a full clinical interpretation of the Emperor’s final illnesses and death is given: a likely combination of osteoarthritis, gout and a recurrent fever caused by an infectious disease.
See also my other publication for this time period:
https://www.academia.edu/37498085/Pope_Joan._The_covered-up_pontificate_of_a_woman_or_a_fictional_legend_2018_

Histoire du marchand de couleurs parisien À la momie (dont une partie des fonds est conservée au Mucem), qui tire son nom à la fois de l'emploi ancien de poudre de momies égyptiennes dans la fabrication de pigments et de la présence avérée dans la boutique sinon d'un véritable corps embaumé, du moins d'un fragment de sarcophage.
Communication dans le cadre d'un séminaire de recherche dirigé par Anne-Sophie Aguilar (Paris Nanterre) et Eléonore Challine (Paris 1).

Ausverkauft - aber es gibt noch genügend Kopien im Second Hand Markt:
Die Fachpublikation behandelt eines der spannendsten Gebiete der Ägyptologie, die Amarnazeit, der Epoche der religiösen Revolutionäre Pharao Echnaton und seiner schönen Königin Nofretete. 2010 wurden die Mumien der Amarnazeit der lange erwarteten DNA-Untersuchung unterzogen. Dabei wurde festgestellt, daß Tutanchamun der Sohn der Mumie aus dem Grab KV 55 und der „jüngeren Dame“ aus dem Mumienversteck im Grab KV 35 ist. Diese Erkenntnis hat einschneidende Folgen für die Interpretation der Geschichte der Amarnazeit. Denn bisher galt bei vielen Wissenschaftlern die Mumie aus KV 55 als der junge, männliche, Mitregent Semenchkare. Jetzt ist erwiesen, daß es Echnaton, der Ketzerkönig selbst ist. Das vorliegende Fachbuch beschreibt sowohl die älteren Röntgenuntersuchungen als auch die Erbgutresultate und die Entdeckung der Mumienverstecke. Die „jüngere Dame“ aus KV 35 war schon früher durch Dr. Joann Fletcher als Nofretete identifiziert worden. Die Theorie, die sehr gut fundiert ist, wurde aber in der Folge durch die Forschung mehrheitlich abgelehnt. Jetzt hat sie sich mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit bestätigt. Vom Mitregenten Semenchkare fehlt nun jeder Beweis, daß es ein junger Mann gewesen sei. Vielmehr verdichtet sich die im anglo-amerikanischen Raum beliebte Theorie, daß Nofretete selbst unter dem Namen Semenchkare zuerst Mitregentin und dann Nachfolgerin ihres Mannes geworden ist! Das Buch präsentiert ein umfassendes Bild der Epoche: Wie kam es zum religiösen Umsturz und zur ersten monotheistischen Religion der Weltgeschichte? Die Merkmale und die Gründe, warum die neue Religion schließlich wieder unterging, werden analysiert. Mit dem Tode ihres Stifters, der als einziger Kontakt zur fernen Gottheit Aton, der Sonnenscheibe, hatte, brach das theologische System zusammen und es war Nofretete, welche die Annäherung an die alten polytheistischen Götterkulte einleitete. Die Mumie der Nofretete weist Verletzungen auf, die darauf deuten, daß die berühmte Königin einem Attentat zum Opfer fiel. Das Buch schildert auch die Ereignisse der Nachamarnazeit, wie der spätgeborene Sohn der Nofretete, Tutanchamun, auf den Thron gesetzt wird und seinen überraschend frühen Tod. Im Unterschied zu anderen Publikationen, spannt dieses Buch den Bogen weiter bis zur Ramessidenzeit (19. und 20. Dynastie): Obwohl die nachfolgenden Könige die Amarnazeit liquidierten und aus den Königslisten streichen lassen, lebte kulturell vieles weiter, so ist das ramessidische Konzept des verborgenen Gottes Amun, eine Verarbeitungsphase der für Ägypten traumatisierenden Erfahrung mit einem gescheiterten Monotheismus.Das Buch macht auch eine große Zahl von wichtigen Originaltexten in Übersetzung einem breiteren Leserkreis zugänglich.

Il nome e il cognome registrati all’anagrafe nel 1783 sono quelli di Agostino Bozzi, milanese; però, già da giovane, egli manifesta la propria anglofilia appropriandosi di un’ascendenza parentale inglese che gli permette di raddoppiare il cognome: Bozzi Granville. Da adulto, poi, l’inserimento compiaciuto nella high society della Londra georgiana e la graditissima nomina a membro della Royal Society fanno sì che nel registro di quest’ultima il cognome italiano venga accorpato al nome proprio reso aulico, mentre il cognome inglese resta unico, come si conviene a un personaggio completamente anglicizzato: Augustus Bozzi Granville.

The Incas carried out some of the most dramatic ceremonies known to us from ancient times. Groups of people walked hundreds of miles across arid and mountainous terrain to perform them on mountains over 20,000 feet (6,096 m) high. The most important offerings made during these pilgrimages involved human sacrifices (capacochas). Although Spanish chroniclers wrote about these offerings and the state-sponsored processions of which they were a part, their accounts were based on second-hand sources, and the only direct evidence we have of the capacocha sacrifices comes to us from archaeological excavations. Some of the most thoroughly documented of these were undertaken on high mountain summits, where the material evidence has been exceptionally well preserved. In this study, we describe the results of research undertaken on Mount Llullaillaco (22,109 ft / 6,739 m), which has the world's highest archaeological site. The types of ruins and artifact assemblages recovered are described and analyzed. By comparing the archaeological evidence with the chroniclers' accounts and with findings from other mountaintop sites, common patterns are demonstrated, while at the same time previously little-known elements contribute to our understanding of key aspects of Inca religion. This study illustrates the importance of archaeological sites being placed within the broader context of physical and sacred features of the natural landscape.

The article presents two of the seven bogbodies from the collection of the Drents Museum. Zweeloo woman, discovered in 1951 and dating from the 2nd or 3rd century AD, is the only bog body in the world, of which the skin is still flexible. Exloërmond-man, discovered in 1914, was buried in the bog in the 4th-2nd century BC.

Tattoos have been reported from human remains representing a wide range of cultures and time periods. While the practice of tattooing can be studied using a variety of types of historical evidence, antiquity leaves only naturally and deliberately preserved human skin as a direct source. Today, scholarly research recognizes the Tyrolean Iceman known as Ötzi, dating from 5300 years ago, as the mummy with the oldest tattoos. A complete mapping of this mummy’s tattoos was recently reported. This work has demonstrated the presence of 61 tattoos divided into 19 groups located on different parts of the body. The examination of these tattoos and their locations on the mummy’s body are especially useful for helping researchers to better understand the function of tattooing in prehistoric times. The existing perception regarding tattooing in the past is that the practice evolved as a medicinal therapy. By mapping these tattoos, specific body regions targeted for preventive, curative, and spiritualistic medicine can be elucidated. Using ethnographic data and the bioarchaeological record of tattooed mummies, this chapter explores the development of corporeal markings that were significant from a medical viewpoint. This chapter also discusses the complex system of tools, techniques, and beliefs by which ancient people attempted to control their health, pain and status in society.

TV spectaculars have led to the impression amongst many observers that modern technology can answer our doubts as to the identity of several 'royal mummies'. Naturally traditional methods of identification - such as inscriptions - are still of fundamental value, and the success (or otherwise) of modern techniques demands critical evaluation.

The mummy kit contains the following:
(1) Six scent reconstructions representing the olfactory landscape of mummification based on my PhD research on the fragrant materials involved in the process of mummification
(2) Two phials to illustrate the substances used to prepare the dead for their next life
(3) An 8-page-long article about the smell of mummification and ancient Egyptian afterlife
Price: 130€ + shipping

"Representations", N. 129, Winter 2015.

The essay analyzes the project of maintaining the body of V. I. Lenin in the Mausoleum in Moscow for the past ninety years, focusing on the unique biological science that developed around this project, and the unexpected political role this body has performed.