Scientists have succeeded in examining the inside of a sealed mummy coffin from 3,000 years ago without opening its ancient cover. Using 3D scans, researchers gained a rare insight into the burial rituals of ancient Egyptians, which differ significantly from our common perceptions.
According to a report from Saadnews, quoting Faradeed, researchers at the Field Museum in Chicago used a CT scanner to examine the inside of a coffin belonging to an ancient Egyptian mummy named "Lady Chent-A," a wealthy woman who lived during Egypt's Twenty-Second Dynasty. Her coffin, which has no visible seams or cracks, had intrigued scientists for years, but they were reluctant to open it using invasive methods for fear of damaging it. Now, these scans have provided answers to the mystery inside the coffin.
According to "JP Brown," head of anthropology conservation at the museum, the scans revealed that Chent-A was between the ages of 38 and 42 at the time of her death, and had lost many of her teeth. The remaining teeth also showed signs of severe wear, likely due to the presence of sand particles in the food that damaged her tooth enamel.
Interestingly, the scan images also showed two shiny objects in the mummy's eye sockets, made from an unknown material. These objects were artificial eyes that had been placed in her skull by the embalmers, likely with the intention that she would have sight in the afterlife.
These artificial eyes were used to ensure Chent-A's vision in the afterlife, and were placed during the mummification process in place of her real eyes. Previous studies have shown that embalmers often removed natural eyes and replaced them with fabric or even painted onions. However, in this case, a more durable material was used, the precise nature of which remains unknown to researchers.
Brown explains that according to the ancient Egyptians' views on the afterlife, it was essential to have physical eyes or something similar in order to have sight in the next world.
This coffin, despite its age, is in excellent condition. The Field Museum in Chicago, which houses over dozens of ancient Egyptian mummies, has recently used a mobile CT scanner to examine several mummies. This research method offers a rare look at history from the perspective of the real lives of people from that time.
