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25 The International Ancient Egyptian Mummy Tissue Bank Patricia Lambert-Zazulak The concept of tissue banking is well established, and has many applications in the medical field. Good examples are tissues stored for transplant surgery and also blood and blood product banking, all of which have contributed in many ways to modern medicine and research. Tissues are collected, stored, studied and distributed in a variety of ways appropriate to their uses, and each type of tissue bank has its own scientific and ethical considerations, which are complementary to
24 An investigation into the evidence of age-related osteoporosis in three Egyptian mummies Mervyn Harris Osteoporosis can be defined as a systemic skeletal disease characterised by low bone density, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue and low-trauma fragility fractures. Prolonged immobilisation of a limb can result in a localised osteoporosis, whereas in instances of metabolic bone disease, the complete skeleton is affected (Legrand et al. 2000: 13–19). The condition normally affects females far more than males, and in females the onset commonly
Golden Mummies of Egypt presents new insights and a rich perspective on beliefs about the afterlife during an era when Egypt was part of the Greek and Roman worlds (c. 300 BCE–200 CE). This beautifully illustrated book, featuring photography by Julia Thorne, accompanies Manchester Museum’s first-ever international touring exhibition. Golden Mummies of Egypt is a visually spectacular exhibition that offers visitors unparalleled access to the museum’s outstanding collection of Egyptian and Sudanese objects – one of the largest in the UK.
‘The practice of embalming the dead is deeply interesting, were it to rest upon its antiquity alone’ Thomas Pettigrew 1834 , xv ‘No child is born with a natural interest in mummification; adults, primarily teachers, are their informants’ Bernard Bothmer 1976 , 159 Egyptian mummies regularly top the list of the most visited attractions in museums. Such prominence has fuelled fascination within popular culture, which
in the early Nineteenth Century in the UK, 3 Europe and America, 4 a contemporary press account gives a synopsis of the unwrapping: Fig 10 Watercolour by architect Alfred Waterhouse of the proposed museum building at Owens College, 1882. On Tuesday last, a most valuable addition was made to the Museum of the Natural History Society in this town, by a donation of R. and W. Garnett, Esqrs. Consisting of an Egyptian mummy
Greek, Roman and Byzantine Costume and Decoration (London: Barnes and Noble). Martin, S. O. (2008), ‘Ancient Egyptian Mummy Wrappings from the Mummy 1770: A Technological and Social Study’ (PhD dissertation, University of Manchester). Reifstahl, E. (1970), ‘A note on ancient fashions: four early Egyptian dresses in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’, Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston 68, 244–9. Strong, E. (1923), La scultura romana da Augusto a Constantino, II (Florence: Fratelli Alinari). Tapp, E. (1979), ‘The unwrapping of a mummy’, in A. R. David (ed.), The
‘“Think not of the wan, sunken face within,” the artist seems to say to us; “but remember your dear lost one as he lived.”’ Illustrated London News, 30 June 1888 1 Amongst the most striking images to have survived from the ancient world, the painted wooden panels found on Roman Period (First to Third Centuries CE) Egyptian mummies hold a significant place in the representation of the human image. Although they fulfilled the same essential purpose as a sculpted
Combining approaches to ancient Egyptian religious expression, medical practice and the modern scientific study of human and material remains from Egypt and Sudan, this volume celebrates the multidisciplinary career of Prof Rosalie David OBE. The UK’s first female Professor in Egyptology, Rosalie David’s pioneering work at the University of Manchester on Egyptian mummies, magic and medicine has attracted international attention.
This volume presents research by a number of leading experts in their fields: recent archaeological fieldwork, new research on Egyptian human remains and unpublished museum objects along with reassessments of ancient Egyptian texts concerned with healing and the study of technology through experimental archaeology. Papers try to answer some of Egyptology’s biggest questions - How did Tutankhamun die? How were the Pyramids built? How were mummies made? – along with less well-known puzzles.
Rather than address these areas separately, the volume adopts the so-called ‘Manchester method’ instigated by Rosalie David and attempts to integrate perspectives from both traditional Egyptology and scientific analytical techniques. Much of this research has never appeared in print before, particularly that resulting from the Manchester Egyptian Mummy Project, set up in the 1970s. The resulting overview illustrates how Egyptology has developed over the last 40 years, and how many of the same big questions still remain.
This book will be of use to researchers and students of archaeology or related disciplines with an interest in multidisciplinary approaches to understanding life and death in ancient Egypt and Sudan.
21 Science in Egyptology: the scientific study of Egyptian mummies, initial phase, 1973–79 Alan Curry Ancient Egypt and its highly developed civilisation often captivate us. However, the scientific study of ancient Egyptian artefacts and mummies was uncommon before 1970. Enter Dr Rosalie David, who was appointed as Assistant Keeper of Archaeogy at the Manchester Museum in 1972. The Manchester Museum has been closely associated with the University of Manchester since the university’s inception in 1824 (Rothwell 2012: 6). Shortly after her appointment, it was
certainly more interested in the mixing of these earlier populations, and this has been a recurring question in various studies subsequently. Strouhal (1968), for instance, considered the question of population mixing and viewed the X group people of Wadi Qitna to be a mixed group, but mainly black Africans. Without far more population studies, the people extending along the Nile might be thought of as purely North African and Mediterranean 230 understanding egyptian mummies in appearance. In fact, the degree of homogeneity and the origins of the genes of these