| Shepenmehyt Human Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Shepenmehyt |
| Age | 40-45 |
| Sex | male |
| Status | High ranking |
| Height | Unknown |
| Source | |
| Culture | Egyptian |
| Date(s) | 600 B.C. |
| Site | Unknown |
| Current Location | |
| Location | Unknown |
| Catalog # | |
Shepenmehyt died about 2,700 years ago. He is one of the mummies owned by the British Museum in London. His coffin indicated that he was a Sistrum Player in the Temple of Amun Re.
Mummification[]
The scans of Shepenmehyt confirm many of the previous findings about mummification processes in ancient Egypt. For example, a hole in a bone above the nose confirms the suspicions of how the brain was removed.(Lafee,S.). The coffin has a checkerboard pattern around the edge. Many of the characteristics are typical of 25th Dynasty coffins of the Besenmut family. (Pischikova, 2005)(Lafee,S.)
Picture courtesy of The British Museum
Studies[]
He is one of the mummies who has been viewed by CT. The body was lifted out of her coffin, however the new technologies and quality of the CT scan allowed a much better image than ever possible, while maintaining the wrappings around the body. (Lafee, 2005)
One of the Egyptian mummies used in Project Horus, an examination of more than 50 Egyptian mummies to establish the prevalence of atherosclerosis before the modern era.
A whole body CT scan was taken, probable or definite atherosclerosis was noted in mummies in all four geographical populations: 29 (38%) of 76 ancient Egyptians.
Sex was determined through biological anthropologic assessment of the genital/reproductive organs and morphology of the pelvis, femur, and skull. A biologic anthropologist (M.A.T.S.) estimated the age at death through assessment of the architectural changes in the clavicle, humerus, and femur.
External Links[]
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2813%2960598-X/fulltext
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/articl
References[]
Lafee, S. (2005). Mummy Clearest. Retrieved from http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/uniontrib/20050504/news_lz1c04mummy.html
Pischikova, E., Budka, J. (2014). Thebes in the First Millennium BC. Retrieved from:https://books.google.ca/books?id=a5wxBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA468&lpg=PA468&dq=Shepenmehyt+mummy&source=bl&ots=tHLgAWMIgb&sig=rp6PTka212dfYeQW_2vlc9SKND4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjEzoTJsp7LAhUHtYMKHfx1Ah84ChDoAQgaMAA#v=onepage&q=Shepenmehyt%20mummy&f=false