From: Deborah Hunt (dhunt@exploratorium.edu)
Date: Tue May 09 2000 - 11:52:51 PDT
Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 11:52:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Deborah Hunt <dhunt@exploratorium.edu> Subject: Exploratorium Webcast: Beneath the Mummy's Shroud: Live CT-scan of an Egyptian Mummy (fwd) Message-ID: <Pine.GSU.4.10.10005091149430.18711-100000@isaac>
Exploratorium Webcast: Beneath the Mummy's Shroud: Live CT-scan of an
Egyptian Mummy
Saturday, May 13 at 11 a.m. PDT
Ever wondered what a mummy looked like under its wrapping? That's the
subject of the next revealing bodies Webcast as part of LIVE@THE
EXPLORATORIUM
>From the floor of the Exploratorium, we'll connect to the medical center
at UC San Francisco to examine an ancient Egyptian mummy. The mummy is
from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and it has never been examined
with sophisticated imaging tools. The mummy is mysterious. All we know is
the information that came with it when it was donated in 1895: It's said
to be an 18th dynasty (Middle Kingdom) mummy of a prietess named Hatason
from the Temple of Amon-Ra at Sycopolis.
The mummy will undergo a CT scan (computed tomography, also known as
CAT-scan). A donut-shaped machine will rotate around the mummy while
sending out low doses of x rays. A powerful computer detects the results,
collecting images "slice by slice" to show cross sections of the body.
We'll combine the slices to make three-dimensional images of the head and
torso, letting us look at the flesh, tissues and bone. We can also examine
different slides of the mummy to investigate any curiosities that arise.
Some of the things we'll be looking for are: Was the bone behind the nose
broken to pull out the brains? (Removing the brains before mummification
was a common practice.) Were the brains removed and replaced with
something else (like straw or resin). Are there any amulets or jewelry in
the body or wrappings of the mummy. Is the mummy a female? Are the bones
and teeth in good condition or do they show signs of disease or decay? Did
the priestess suffer from any trauma before death? When the organs were
removed for mummification, was the heart mummified and returned to the
body? Where was the incision? These are just some of the things we might
discover during this webcast.
Radiologist Henry Goldberg will guide us through the CT scan and help
assess the condition of the mummy before and after death. Fine Arts Museum
conservator Lesley Bone will discuss her preparations of the mummy for
imaging and what she knows of its history. At points through the CT scan
and program, we'll take email questions from the web audience.
On the museum floor, Stanford graduate student Gilbert Barrego will
discuss his research with mummies, including his imaging study of a mummy
from the Stanford Museum. We'll explain how ancient funeral directors
prepared a body for burial and explore the attitudes that Egyptians had
about the body and why it was so important to carefully preserve it for
eternity.
We'll also show you how to make your own animal mummy, using a fish and
some baking soda. Exploratorium biologist Karen Kalumuck will explain what
happens to the cells and tissues of the body during mummification and will
demonstrate how to determine a body's surface area by wrapping a person
like a mummy.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT MARY MILLER
marym@exploratorium.edu
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