Researchers Use X-Rays to See Inside Mummies' Coffins

posted 4/25/22 by Anna Gdalevich

After archeologists find and dig up an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, they face a new problem: how do they see inside without disturbing the fragile contents? Easy, they use the same technology doctors use to see inside of you: X-rays.

Ancient Egyptians left many writings inside of coffins, some even being used to wrap the mummy. These writings could give valuable insights into what society was like back then. However, researchers were unable to access them without destroying the contents of the coffin. Here’s where X-rays come in. Researchers can use X-rays to get an image of the inside of the coffin, allowing them to read the ancient writings and view the artifacts inside. X-rays can also be used to look at mummies without removing their wrappings.

These writings are very important because the majority were written by regular people. Many of the prior writings and texts have been found in scrolls or carved into walls, meaning that these were written by very important and influential people. The writings inside the coffins, however, show what life was like for ordinary people, which gives many insights into the daily goings-on in Ancient Egyptian society.

In 2017, researchers at Northwestern University used X-rays to see under the wrappings of a mummy of an Egyptian girl. They used powerful X-ray beams to see the almost 2000-year-old bones and objects under the wrappings. Researchers were able to identify the bones as being those of a 5-year-old, most likely a girl. They were also able to identify that she was buried with a self-portrait and a scarab amulet made of calcite, meant to protect the body on its journey to the afterlife. The amulet was an important find, as it was rare for them to be made of calcite, meaning scientists will be able to determine a time and place of origin.

But how do researchers do it? How do they see inside these coffins and mummies? While they may be using similar technology to what you see in a doctor’s office such as X-rays and CT scans, the machine researchers use emit much stronger radiation in order to take clearer images through the multiple layers of resin and papyrus covering the mummies. However, this process does not damage the mummies. Thankfully, the subjects can avoid radiation sickness by already being dead.

Researchers use a special X-ray system to get relatively clear images of the contents and writings inside the coffins. They use a particle accelerator to make electrons travel near the speed of light, which then flood the coffins at different wavelengths and interact with different elements like iron in ink to produce detailed images. They are able to produce signatures of different materials in order to make the images clearer.

Thanks to this technology, researchers have been able to learn more about the lives of Ancient Egyptians than they ever have before, all without opening the coffins and possibly destroying valuable artifacts. The future of this technology could mean that researchers will be able to determine the exact location that artifacts were sourced from, different facets of daily life, insights into linguistics, and much more.

Sources

Hrala, Josh. "Archeologists Are Using X-Rays to Read inside Egyptian Mummy Coffins." Science Alert, 28 Oct. 2016, www.sciencealert.com/archaeologists-are-using-x-rays-to-read-inside-mummy-coffins

Salles, Andre. "Under Wraps: X-Rays Reveal 1,900-Year-Old Mummy's Secrets." Argonne National Laboratory, 9 Dec. 2020, www.anl.gov/article/under-wraps-xrays-reveal-1900yearold-mummys-secrets

Kapoor, Leena Giri. "Establishing Novel Paradigm with X-Ray Reconstruction of Egyptian Mummies." Look4Ward, 10 Dec. 2016, www.look4ward.co.uk/archeology/establishing-novel-paradigm-with-x-ray-reconstruction-of-egyptian-mummies/