Miscel.lania Zoologica 20.2 (1997) 133

Radiological identif ication of an mummy

F. J. Tomás Gimeno

Tomás Gimeno, F. J., 1997. Radiological identification of an ibis mummy. Misc. Zool., 20.2: 133-138

Radiological identification of an ibis rnummy- X-rays of the mummy were taken and cornpared with those of the craniums of three of the farnily (Threskiornisaethiopicus, falcinellus and eremita). It was concluded that the mummy was of a aethiopicus (Sacred ibis). Radiology is a useful tool in the identification and study of murnrnified , especially of species which are genetically and morphologically close. It is a non-invasive technique that does not imply alteration or destruction of the archaeological piece studied.

Key words: Ibis, Threskiornisaethiopicus, Murnrny, Radiology, Identification, Paleozoology.

(Rebut: 4 111 97; Acceptació condicional: 3 VI 97; Acc. definitiva: 9 IX 97)

E Javier Tomás, c/ Lluis Sagnier 13, Ierla, 0804 1 Barcelona, Espanya ()

O 1997 Museu de Zoologia Tomás Gimeno lntroduction species, ranging from and to crocodiles, cats, monkeys and even bulls Mummification was a very widespread prac- (KLEISS,1987). tice in certain ancient cultures. and was con- The study of these animal mummies not ceived as a means of preparing the dead for only reveals the content and techniques of life after death. The Egyptians were very pro- the embalment, but also provides valuable lific and skilled in this practice reaching great data for palaezoological studies. Nonethe- levels of sophistication and technique. less, little research using X-rays has been The study of these mummies is of great done other than to illustrate and comple- historic and scientific interest, although it ment more general studies. resulted in necropsies and partial or total ldentification by means of radiology of destruction of many mummies. With the dis- animal mummies has been dealt with in two covery of X-ray in 1895, a non-invasivemeans previous publications. The first was the iden- of research was found whose characteristics tification of a small mummy found in the suggested interesting future applications. grave of the queen Makare, erroneously Three years later, in 1898, X-rays were used thought to be her daughter. Radiological for the first time on human mummies by study revealed that the remains were in fact Petrie (GRAY,1973; MARX& D' AURIA,1986; of a small Papio hamadryas (Baboon) (KLEISS, BRAUENSTEINet al., 1988). 1987). The other work concerns the identi- Archaeologists and palaeontologists have fication of a mummy owned by the since used X-rays frequently in the study of Musée Zoologique de I'Université Louis Pas- human mummies (GRAY,1973; FODOR et al., teur of Strasbourg, and catalogues as the 1983; BRAUENSTEINet al., 1988). The technique "mummy of a parrot". Faced with the justi- has provided a great amount of valuable fiable doubt over the identity of these re- information about the life (food, longevity, mains, they were duly X-rayed. The analysis illnesses, degenerative processes, treatment of the radiographs taken by experts from of diseases and injuries and so on), the death the museum led to the conclusion that the and its causes, and also about the post- remains were of a Accipiter nisus (Sparrow mortems carried out on man in antiquity hawk) (ABGRALL,1988). (GRAY,1973; FODOR et al., 1983). Archaeolo- This paper presents a study of the identi- gists are able to date the mummy from the fication of a mummy by means of radiogra- study of the embalming technique used phy and its subsequent comparison with X- (VAHEY& BROWN,1984). ray photographs of similar species belong- X-rays have made it possible to detect jew- ing to the same zoological family. els, charms, metallic objects and other mate- rial whose composition and density are suffi- cient to attenuate the passing of radiation Material and methods (FODORet al., 1983). Such research was first carried out using The subject analysed comesfrom the Upper Nile conventional radiography, but the technical and dates from the Late Period (715-332 B.C.). advances and new discoveries in the field of It belongs to the Museu Egipci of Barcelona imaging diagnosis have led to more sophisti- (catalogue number E-328), part of the cated techniques which are progressively Fundació Arqueologica Clos. being applied. Human mummies have now Conventional medical radiological equip- been examined by conventional computer- ment was used, consisting of an X-ray tube ized scanning equipment (HARWOOD-NASH,with a Heliophos 604 generator (Siemens), 1979; VAHEY& BROWN,1984; MARX& D'AURIA, radiographic film sensitive to blue and a 1986). analysed by means of three dimen- Novodur cassette (Agfa) with a calcic tung- sional reconstructions (MARX& D'AURIA,1988) sten double intensifying screen of standard and even subjected to nuclear magnetic reso- type. The exposure to the X-rays was direct, nance following hydration of the remains without an anti-diffusion grid, and at a fo- (PIEPENBRINKet al., 1986). cal film distance of 150 cm to minimise the However, the Egyptians did not only em- magnification on the resulting image. The balm humans, but also a large variety of shot was taken with a thin focus with a Miscel.lania Zoologica 20.2 (1997) - -- .-

Fig. 1. Lateral radiography of the ibis rnurnrny. The head is turned and resting on the animal's back. Radiografía lateral de la momia de ibis. La cabeza está girada y apoyada sobre el dorso del animal.

voltage of 44-52 kV, a strength of 50 rnA and an widely represented in ancient Egyptian art exposure time of 0.12-0.20 sec. An Agfa devel- and iconography (HOULIHAN,1988). oper and fixer was used to process the filrns. The above specirnens belong to the collec- One radiograph was taken laterally and tion of the Museu de Zoologia of Barcelona. one frontally (superoinferior), thereby check- The craniurns of these species were X-rayed ing the content, position and general con- in the lateral position, using the sarne equip- dition of the rnurnrny. For the study only the rnent and technical pararneters as those used lateral projection (fig. 1) was used: the fron- for the ernbalrned specirnen. tal shot was rejected dueto the fact that the superposition of the craniurn with the other bones of the body (spinal colurnn, ribs, ex- Results trernities and so on) gave a confusing, un- clear irnage. All radiographs were studied individually and For the control study, the three species of analysed. A cornparative study was under- the Threskiornithidae farnily, known in An- taken of the radiographic irnages of each on cient Egypt (HOULIHAN,1988), were chosen: the rnuseurn specirnens with the correspond- - Threskiornis aethiopicus (Sacred ibis), one ing irnage of the rnurnrny. on the rnost frequently rnurnrnified birds with Frorn the outset the detailed observation up to 1.5 rnillion specirnens exhurned frorn of the bone structure ruled out the possibil- the catacornbs of Saqqara (GOODMAN,1989). ity of the craniurn corresponding to a - Plegadis falcinellus (G lossy ibis), also found Plegadis falcinellus due to a rnarked differ- in rnurnrnified forrn (GOODMAN,1989). ence with regard to the rnurnrny. - Geronticus eremita (Herrnit ibis), which de- Two characteristics were definitive in the spite not having been found as a rnurnrny, is identification of the craniurn. The first was 136 Tomás Gimeno

Fig. 2. Lateral radiography of a dry cranium of the Geronticuseremita. Radiografía lateral de un cráneo seco de Geronticus eremita.

Fig. 3. Lateral radiography of a dry cranium of the Threskiornis aethiopicus. Radiografía lateral de un cráneo seco de Threskiornis aethiopicus.

the presence of the externa1 occipital protu- eremita (fig. 2) which was absent in the berance in the upper and near areas of the Threskiornis aethiopicus (fig. 3) as well as in parietal bones, in the joint with the occipi- the mummified specimen. tal bone in the cranium of the Geronticus The other characteristic corresponded to Miscel.lania Zoologica 20.2 (1997) 137 the form and size of the eye socket (orbit). To as in the case of the Geronticus eremita. They appraise this, the quotient was obtained be- may in fact have passed unnoticed or have tween the length of the zygomatic bone at been confused with other more common the base of the socket and its maximum species. By means of this comparative study, height. The latter was measured from the radiology would also facilitate the analysis of zygomatic bone to the highest point of the a large quantity of remains in museums which socket. The quotient was 1.86 for the are supposedly classified correctly, without Geronticus eremita and 2.07 for both the damaging thern. Moreover, this technique Threskiornis aethiopicus and the mummy. makes it possible to study a large number The characteristics were considered suf- of specimens in little time. ficient to identify the mumrnified bird as Furthermore, the application of X-rays is not belonging to the Threskiornis aethiopicus limited to man-made murnmies. They can be species. extended to those natural mummies whose ex- The possibility of it belonging to another terna1 appearance does not allow recognition species of the same Threskiornis was of the animal and which, for scientific or rejected as its areas of distribution are very documental interest, are best kept as they far from the African continent (DELHOYO et were found. al., 1992). Radiology is a simple technique which provides almost immediate results at low cost. Any conventional medical or veterinary Discussion radiological equipment can be used, requir- ing minimum handling and without the Since its beginnings, radiology has proved a need to interfere with the archaeological useful non-invasive way of discovering the specimen. contents of mummies, especially human ones (GRAY,1973; FODOR et al., 1983; VAHEY& BROWN, 1984; MARX& D'AURIA,1986; BRAUENSTEINet Acknowledgements al., 1988). It allows study of the symptoms of disease I would like to express my gratitude to Jordi in human corpses and embalming techniques, Clos who kindly allowed access to the mummy as well as revealing jewels or other objects for examination, and supplied al1 the neces- that mav be inside. sary documentation. I would also like to thank In animal rnummies radiology can be used Francesc Uribe for allowing access to the to verify whether the contents correspond museum's materials and for his advice and to one or more anirnals, if they are frag- comments on the study, and finally rny thanks ments which are difficult to identify, or if to Gloria Masó, who selected the pieces for they are filled with mud or other materials study and took part in taking the radio- (KLEISS,1987). graphs and the subsequent identification of Here has been shown the use of radiol- the ibis mummy. ogy as a method of specific identification of animal mumrnies, particularly important in species which are morphologically similar or Resumen genetically close, by means of a comparative study with X-rays of specimens from a mu- Identificación radiológica de una momia de seum collection. This can be useful in the case ibis of bird of prey. In excavations carried out in Egypt, the remains of 30 different species have La momificación era una practica muy exten- been identified, eight of which were hawks dida en algunas culturas antiguas, especial- (genus Falco) (GOODMAN,1989). Although dif- mente en la egipcia. De su estudio se puede ferent in size, externally were similar and only obtener información muy valiosa para direct views of the interior were able to arqueólogos y paleopatólogos, y en el caso identify the bird. de las momias de animales, para los Some species belonging to the fauna of paleozoólogos. the region have not been found embalmed, Hasta el descubrimiento de los rayos-X, Tomás Gimeno

en 1895, el estudio de dichas momias com- mia, se identificó ésta como perteneciente a portaba su destrucción parcial o total, pero la la especie Threskiornis aethiopicus. aplicación de las propiedades de esta nueva Es ésta una técnica simple y de fácil ejecu- radiación permitió comprobar su contenido ción, con un bajo coste y que puede permi- sin alterar la pieza arqueológica. Se han prac- tir la identificación de un gran número de ticado múltiples estudios y se han hecho im- momias animales en poco tiempo, mediante portantes descubrimientos en los restos em- la utilización de equipos convencionales de balsamados de seres humanos, aplicando las radiología médica o veterinaria. nuevas tecnologías en el diagnóstico por la imagen pero muy poco se ha investigado en las momias de animales. Se presenta un méto- do sencillo por el que, gracias a la aplicación de los rayos-X, podemos identificar la especie A~GRALL,R., 1988. La nature vue aux rayons a la que pertenece el ejemplar momificado, X. Le Manipulateur, 91: 19-20. respetando su integridad. Éste consiste en el BRAUENSTEIN,E. M., WHITE,S. J., RUSSELL,W. & estudio comparativo del cráneo del animal HARRIS,J. E., 1988. Paleoradiologic evalua- embalsamado una vez radiografiado, con el tion of the Egyptian royal mummies. de las radiografías de especies afines. Skeletal. Radiol., 17: 348-352. Para el estudio se dispuso de una momia DELHOYO, L., ELLIOTT, A. & SARGATAL, J. (Eds.), de ibis, procedente del alto Nilo y datado 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the en la Baja Época (715-332 a.c.), propiedad World. Vol. 7. Lynx edicions, Barcelona. del Museu Egipci de Barcelona (número de FODOR III, J., MALOTT,J. C. & KING, A. Y., catálogo E-328), de la Fundació Arqueoló- 1983. The radiographic investigation of gica Clos. two Egyptian mummies. Radiol. Technol., En la ejecución de las radiografías se uti- 54 (6): 443-448. lizó un equipo de radiología médica GOODMAN,S. M., 1989. The birds of Egypt. Oxford convencional. Se realizaron dos proyecciones, University Press, Oxford. una lateral (fig. 1) y otra posteroanterior, GRAY,P. H. K., 1973. The radiography of mum- siendo descartada esta última por presentar mies of ancient Egyptians. J. Human Evol., múltiples superposiciones que dificultaban la 2: 51-53. identificación de las diferentes estructuras HARWOOD-NASH,D. C. F., 1979. Computed to- craneales. mography of ancient Egyptian mummies. J. Para el estudio comparativo se escogieron Comput. Assist. Tomogr., 3 (6): 768-773. las tres especies de la familia Threskiornidae, HOULIHAN,P. F., 1988. The birds of ancient conocidas en el Antiguo Egipto: Threskiornis Egypt. The American University in Cairo aethiopicus (ibis sagrado), una de las aves Press, Cairo. momificada en mayor número (hasta 1,s mi- KLEISS,E., 1987. Tiermumien im Alten Agypten. llones de ejemplares exhumados en las cata- Anat. Histol. Embryol., 16: 198-205. cumbas de Saqqara); Plegadis falcinellus MARX,M. & D' AURIA,S. H., 1986. CT exami- (morito), también hallada en forma de mo- nation of eleven Egyptian mummies. mia; Geronticus eremita (ibis eremita), que RadioGraphics, 6: 321-330. pese a no haberse encontrado momificada, - 1988. Three-dimensional CT reconstruc- está ampliamente representada en el arte y tions of an ancient human Egyptian la iconografía del antiguo Egipto. Estos ejem- mummy. AJR, 150: 147-149. plares pertenecían a la colección del Museu PIEPENBRINK,H., FRAHM, J., HAASE,A.& MAITHAEI, de Zoologia de Barcelona. Se radiografiaron D., 1986. Nuclear magnetic resonance los cráneos de estas especies en posición imaging of mummified corpses. Am. J. Phys. lateral, usándose el mismo equipo y pará- Anthopol., 70: 27-28. metros técnicos que los empleados en el VAHEY,T. & BROWN,D., 1984. Comely Wenuhotep: ejemplar embalsamado (figs. 2, 3). Tras un Computed tomography of an Egyptian examen minucioso y comparando las radio- mummy. /. Comput. Assist. Tomogr., 8 (5): grafías de estos ejemplares con la de la mo- 992-997.