Italian hospital uses CT scan to reveal secrets of Egyptian mummy

(Reuters) – Ancient Egypt and modern medical technology met when an Italian hospital subjected a mummy to a CT scan, as part of a research project to uncover its secrets.

The mummy of Ankhekhonsu, an ancient Egyptian priest, was transferred from the Civic Archaeological Museum of Bergamo to the Milan Polyclinic hospital, where experts will seek to shed light on his life and burial customs of almost 3,000 years ago.

“The mummies are practically a biological museum, they are like a time capsule,” said Sabina Malgora, director of the Mummy Research Project.

An Egyptian mummy underwent a CT scan to investigate its history, at the Polyclinic Hospital in Milan, Italy, on June 21, 2021. (Credit: REUTERS / Flavio Lo Scalzo)

Malgora said the information about the mummy’s name comes from the sarcophagus dated between 900 and 800 BC, where Ankhekhonsu – meaning “the god Khonsu is alive” – ​​is written five times.

Researchers believe they can reconstruct the life and death of the Egyptian priest and understand what kind of products they used to mummify the body.

“Studying disease and injury is important for modern medical research … we can study cancer or arteriosclerosis of the past and this can be useful for modern research,” he said.