Thaindian News

London, July 10 (ANI): The murder mystery of a 1,700-year-old Graeco-Roman mummy has deepened, with CT scans revealing that a ‘metallic’ object stuck in its neck is in fact one of three or four fragments lodged in the base of the skull.

According to a report by Sky News, the 1,700-year-old mummy was scanned along with two other Egyptian mummies from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, in a quest for more information on the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The scans were arranged by Bob Loynes, previously an orthopaedic consultant at Mid-Staffs Hospital, UK, and a keen Egyptologist.

In the past, it has been necessary to unwrap mummies to carry out investigations, but this risky process can now be avoided.

“The opportunity to help with the further investigation of these mummies was a very exciting one for me,” Loynes said.

“The CT Scans have shown amazing details, which have produced as many questions as they have given answers,” he added.

Scans of the second mummy, that of Padimut, priest of the goddess Mut and probably of the 21st Dynasty (1085-935 BC), showed evidence of high quality mummification, including removal of the brain and plates in front of the eyes.

Investigations into the third mummy threw up another mystery.

The mummy, from the Namenkhetamun of the 26th Dynasty (664-525BC), was described as ‘the daughter of Amunkhau’ on the coffin lid.

But, the scan has revealed the mummy is male.

Researchers also discovered another mystery - an unexplained hole in the mummy’s back, about the size of a fist.

According to curator Adam Jaffer, “This scanning has produced views of the museum’s mummies which have never been seen before. We have been able to ‘virtually unwrap’ them without causing any damage.”

“However, scanning poses new questions about the life and death of these ancient Egyptians which we will try to find the answers for,” he said. (ANI)