Pharaoh’s Mummy Is ‘Unwrapped’ Digitally After Being Untouched For 3,000 Years

For fear of ruining its incredibly preserved condition, archaeologists left the mummy of Amenhotep I alone, dressed in fine garlands and an embellished mask.

Things have remained unchanged since 1881, when it was uncovered. The mummy of the Egyptian pharaoh, who ruled from 1526 to 1506 BC, has been untouched for 3,000 years as no one in the modern world can bear to disturb its well-kept state. Luckily, modern technology can “unwrap” the mummy in a noninvasive way, and Egyptian researchers Sahar Saleem and Zahi Hawass have done just that through an X-ray imaging technique, as reported by CNET.

Using computing tomography (CT) imaging, the researchers discovered that the pharaoh was five-foot-five in height and lived up to about 35 years old. He was also circumcised and “had good teeth,” describes Saleem.

In addition, Amenhotep I had an appearance that quite resembled his father’s, with his coiled hair, small chin, narrow nose, and slight protrusion in his upper teeth.

Notably, there aren’t any injuries or physical impairments to indicate that the pharaoh died of illness.

“By digitally unwrapping the mummy and ‘peeling off’ its virtual layers—the facemask, the bandages, and the mummy itself—we could study this well-preserved pharaoh in unprecedented detail,” shares Saleem. The team’s findings were recently published in the Frontiers in Medicine journal.

Though very little is known about the king, what’s made its way into the modern day is the fact that he was well-respected during his reign. Amenhotep I was documented by subjects as a “godly” character who helped lead the charge in the prosperity of ancient Egypt and was attributed to having overseen several military conquests that inspired the kingdom’s growth.

In their research, Saleem and Hawass learned that the same reverence of Amenhotep I was held even centuries later. After his death, he was mummified two other times by high priests of the 21st dynasty, who “lovingly repaired the injuries inflicted by the tomb robbers, restored his mummy to its former glory, and preserved the magnificent jewelry and amulets in place,” says Saleem.

The researcher adds that, thanks to CT imaging, scientists can dive deep into the past of other civilizations without damaging mummies (that, and that there’ll be no curses levied upon anyone who dares open a tomb).

[via CNET, images via various sources]