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ME Torino Mummy Project

Museo Egizio di Torino: progetto per lo studio e la conservazione delle mummie

Questo progetto di ricerca prevede uno studio di ricerca approfondito dell'intera collezione di mummie egizie (> 100), ospitate presso il Museo Egizio di Torino, l'Italia. In una prima fase, le mummie saranno sottoposte ad esami radiologici, utilizzando uno scanner TAC mobile. I dati ottenuti dalle TAC saranno utilizzati per un'analisi antropologica per determinarne l'età, il sesso e lo stato di conservazione di ogni mummia. Le mummie saranno analizzate In collaborazione con il nostro partner scientifico, il gruppo di HORUS al fine di determinare la presenza di calcificazioni arteriose (aterosclerosi). nella seconda fase del progetto, si effettueranno, in modo non invasivo, dei campionamenti di tessuto molle e osseo da tutte le mummie in cui sarà presente un accesso. I campioni saranno così sottoposti ad analisi del contenuto d'acqua (AW), alla datazione al radiocarbonio e all'analisi genetica all'interno del progetto "Mummy Atherosclerosis" per la valutazione dei fattori di rischio genetici legati alle malattie cardiovascolari nelle mummie.

Project duration: January 2017 - December 2023
Project status:
Funding:
Internal funding EURAC (Project)
Institute: Istituto per lo studio delle mummie

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Scientific Publications

Journal article2024

Atherosclerosis in ancient mummified humans: the global HORUS study

Thompson RC, Sutherland ML, Allam AH, Paladin A, Zink AR, Wann LS, Sutherland JD, Frohlich B,

Marco Samadelli, Christina Wurst, Alice Paladin, Frank Maixner, Albert Zink

Atherosclerosis is usually thought of as a disease of modern times. However, atherosclerosis has been found in the remains of ancient people, suggesting that the disease has been present in humans in some form for many millennia.1 In this study, the authors significantly expand the previous experience of computed tomography (CT) scanning to systematically identify atherosclerosis in the mummified remains of people from around the world and explore its presence in seven different cultures.

DOI

DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae283

Journal article2024

Preservation of the heart in ancient Egyptian mummies: A computed tomography investigation with focus on the myocardium

Panzer S, Paladin A, Zesch S, Rosendahl W, Augat P, Thompson RC, Miyamoto MI, Sutherland ML,

Alice Paladin, Albert Zink

The ancient Egyptians considered the heart to be the most important organ. The belief that the heart remained in the body is widespread in the archeological and paleopathological literature. The purpose of this study was to perform an overview of the preserved intrathoracic structures and thoracic and abdominal cavity filling, and to determine the prevalence and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of the myocardium in the preserved hearts of ancient Egyptian mummies. Whole-body CT examinations of 45 ancient Egyptian mummies (23 mummies from the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin, Germany, and 22 mummies from the Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy) were systematically assessed for preserved intrathoracic soft tissues including various anatomical components of the heart (pericardium, interventricular septum, four chambers, myocardium, valves). Additionally, evidence of evisceration and cavity filling was documented. In cases with identifiable myocardium, quantitative (measurements of thickness and density) and qualitativ(description of the structure) assessment of the myocardial tissue was carried out. Heart structure was identified in 28 mummies (62%). In 33 mummies, CT findings demonstrated evisceration, with subsequent cavity filling in all but one case. Preserved myocardium was identified in nine mummies (five male, four female) as a mostly homogeneous, shrunken structure. The posterior wall of the myocardium had a mean maximum thickness of 3.6 mm (range 1.4–6.6 mm) and a mean minimum thickness of 1.0 mm (range 0.5–1.7 mm). The mean Hounsfield units (HU) of the myocardium at the posterior wall was 61 (range, 185–305). There was a strong correlation between the HU of the posterior wall of the myocardium and the mean HU of the muscles at the dorsal humerus (R = 0.77; p = 0.02). In two cases, there were postmortem changes in the myocardium, most probably due to insect infestation. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the myocardium systematically on CT scans of ancient Egyptian mummies. Strong correlations between the densities of the myocardium and skeletal muscle indicated similar postmortem changes of the respective musculature during the mummification process within individual mummies. The distinct postmortem shrinking of the myocardium and the collapse of the left ventriclular cavity in several cases did not allow for paleopathological diagnoses such as myocardial scarring.

DOI

DOI: 10.1002/ca.24151

Journal article2023

Anemias in ancient Egyptian child mummies: Computed tomography investigations in European museums

Panzer S, Schneider KO, Zesch S, Rosendahl W, Thompson RC, Zink A

Albert Zink

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anemias in ancient Egyptian child mummies. Whole-body computed tomography (CT) examinations of 21 ancient Egyptian child mummies from European museums were evaluated for estimation of sex and age at death. CT examinations were systematically assessed for skeletal effects of anemias using a clinical radiological approach as well as quantitative measurements of the thickness of the cranial vault and diploe. Additionally, the technical feasibility to assess porotic hyperostosis on the available CT data was examined. Twelve children were assessed as male and seven as female, and in two, the sex was indeterminate. The estimated age at death ranged from about 1 year to 12–14 years. One case showed radiological signs of thalassemia (β-thalassemia major) at the cranial vault and postcranial skeleton. Additionally, this case had a macroglossia that probably indicated Beckwith–Wiedemann syndrome. Quantitative measurements confirmed a high variability of cranial vault thickness and diploe thickness. Compared with clinical reference values, seven out of the 21 (33%) child mummies had a pathological enlargement of the frontal cranial vault that represents a typical finding of chronic hemolytic anemia and iron deficiency anemia. Assessment of porotic hyperostosis was not feasible on the available CT examinations as the image quality was not sufficient for this examination. In conclusion, pathological enlargement of the frontal cranial vault as an indicator for chronic hemolytic anemia and iron deficiency anemia had a high prevalence, especially in the younger children. The mummy with radiological signs of thalassemia seems to be the first case with radiological evidence of skeletal effects of this anemia to the cranial vault and postcranial skeleton from ancient Egypt.

DOI

DOI: 10.1002/oa.3227

Journal article2023

Postmortem changes in ancient Egyptian child mummies: Possible pitfalls on CT images

Panzer S, Zesch S, Rosendahl W, Thompson RC, Zink A

Albert Zink

Objective: To identify and interpret computed tomography (CT) findings of postmortem changes in ancient
Egyptian child mummies.
Materials: Whole-body CT examinations of 21 ancient Egyptian child mummies from German (n = 18), Italian (n= 1), and Swiss museums (n = 2).
Methods: Conspicuous CT findings from prior evaluations with various research questions that were assessed as postmortem changes were classified, and special cases were illustrated and discussed.
Results: Postmortem changes were classified into several categories. From these, individuals with evidence of invasion of resin/oil/tar into bone, dried fluid-levels within bone most likely due to natron, probable interaction of natron with soft tissues and bone, as well as insect infestation were demonstrated.
Conclusions: One challenge of paleoradiology is to differentiate between intravital and postmortem changes, which can be multifarious. These changes can be obvious, but also subtle, and can mimic diseases.
Significance: The provided classification of postmortem changes, as well as the demonstrated cases, may serve as models for further paleoradiological investigations. The dried intraosseous fluid levels in two mummies, most likely due to natron, suggests that these children were immersed in a liquid natron bath, in contrast to the current scientific view that natron for mummification was routinely applied in the solid form.
Limitations: CT was used as the only examination method, as sampling of the mummies was not possible.
Suggestions for further research: The awareness that postmortem changes on CT images of ancient Egyptian mummies might mimic pathology should be raised to reduce or avoid incorrect interpretation.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.07.005

All Publications

Preservation of the heart in ancient Egyptian mummies: A computed tomography investigation with focus on the myocardium
Panzer S, Paladin A, Zesch S, Rosendahl W, Augat P, Thompson RC, Miyamoto MI, Sutherland ML, Allam AH, Wann LS, Sutherland JD, Rowan CJ, Michalik DE, Hergan K, Zink A (2024)
Articolo su rivista
Clinical Anatomy

https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.24151

Atherosclerosis in ancient mummified humans: the global HORUS study
Thompson RC, Sutherland ML, Allam AH, Paladin A, Zink AR, Wann LS, Sutherland JD, Frohlich B, Hunt D, Miyamoto MI, Rowan CJ, Michalik DE, Finch CE, Lombardi GP, Soliman M, Monge JM, Vallodolid CM, Cox SL, Abdel-Maksoud G, Badr I, Nur el-Din A, King SI, Seyfried F, Panzer S, Zesch S, Wurst C, Samadelli M, Gregori G, Rossani M, Valverde G, Maixner F, Facchetti F, Warnasch S, Watson L, Narula J, Nelson AJ, Thomas GS (2024)
Articolo su rivista
European Heart Journal

https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae283

Virtual paleopathological assessment of cranial trauma in an Old Kingdom mummified individual from Asyut
Manzollino R, Del Vesco P, Samadelli M, Zink A, Sutherland LM, Paladin A (2024)
Presentazione

Conference: 24th European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association | Leiden, The Netherlands | 21.8.2024 - 24.8.2024

Our partners

Smithsonian , National Museum of Natural History

Museo Egizio Torino

Sovrintendenza ai Beni Culturali Torino

Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Long Beach, and University of California, Irvine, Irvine, ...

Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, and University of Missouri–Kansas City School of ...

Project Team

Marco Samadelli

Alice Paladin

Frank Maixner

Albert Zink

Christina Wurst

Technical
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Journal article2024

Preservation of the heart in ancient Egyptian mummies: A computed tomography investigation with focus on the myocardium

Panzer S, Paladin A, Zesch S, Rosendahl W, Augat P, Thompson RC, Miyamoto MI, Sutherland ML,

Alice Paladin, Albert Zink

DOI

DOI: 10.1002/ca.24151

ME Torino Mummy Project