Egypt has digitally “unwrapped” the mummy of famous Pharaoh Amenhotep I, revealing its secrets without disturbing its funerary mask for the first time since its discovery in 1881.
Using advanced 3D digital images, researchers have uncovered new mummification techniques used for the pharaoh, who reigned from 1525 to 1504 BC.
The research was led by Sahar Saleem, a professor of radiology at Cairo University, and renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, a former minister of antiquities, the tourism and antiquities ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Saleem and Hawass used advanced X-ray technology, computed tomography [computed tomography] and advanced computer software to digitally unwrap the mummy of Amenhotep I in a safe and non-invasive way without having to touch the mummy,” he said.
“The Egyptian study revealed for the first time the face of King Amenhotep I, his age, his state of health, as well as many mysteries about the unique mummification and the reburial of the mummy.”
Analysis showed that Amenhotep I was the first pharaoh to be mummified with his arms crossed and the last to not have his brain removed from his skull.
The CT scan also revealed that the pharaoh, who led several military campaigns during his 21-year reign, had died at the age of 35, apparently from injury or illness.
The mummy, discovered in Luxor, in southern Egypt, is the only one whose tight ribbons have not been unrolled by archaeologists to preserve the mask and the garlands of flowers that surround it like hair.
