Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies - Hardcover

Hawass, Zahi; Saleem, Sahar

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9774166736 ISBN 13: 9789774166730

Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press, 2015

Synopsis

The royal mummies in the Cairo Museum are an important source of information about the lives of the ancient Egyptians. The remains of these pharaohs and queens can inform us about their age at death and medical conditions from which they may have suffered, as well as the mummification process and objects placed within the wrappings.
Using the latest technology, including Multi-Detector Computed Tomography and DNA analysis, co-authors Zahi Hawass and Sahar Saleem present the results of the examination of royal mummies of the Eighteenth to Twentieth Dynasties. New imaging techniques not only reveal a wealth of information about each mummy, but render amazingly lifelike and detailed images of the remains. In addition, utilizing 3D images, the anatomy of each face has been discerned for a more accurate interpretation of a mummy's facial features. This latest research has uncovered some surprising results about the genealogy of, and familial relationships between, these ancient individuals, as well as some unexpected medical finds.
Historical information is provided to place the royal mummies in context, and the book with its many illustrations will appeal to Egyptologists, paleopathologists, and non-specialists alike, as the authors seek to uncover the secrets of these most fascinating members of the New Kingdom royal families.

About this title

About the Author

Zahi Hawass is one of the world's best known Egyptologists, former Egyptian minister of state for antiquities, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. He is the author of many books on ancient Egypt, including Discovering Tutankhamun: From Howard Carter to DNA (AUC Press, 2013).

Sahar Saleem, professor of radiology at Cairo University, is a specialist in advanced MRI technology with an interest in paleopathology.

Review

Outstanding Academic Title 2016 "Essential. A superb, semi-popular account of the results of CT imaging performed on several New Kingdom Egyptian royal mummies. . . . The results are sometimes surprising but always fascinating. . . . This book will be of great interest not only to scholars but to anyone else fascinated by Egyptian mummies."Choice

"This publication is certainly a great step forward on the path to the discovery and understanding of the life and thought of the ancient Egyptians through multidisciplinary research on the royal mummies." Bretislav Vachala, Archiv Orientální

An extraordinary and invaluable study of Egyptian royal mummies, using the most recent technologies and analyses. The book is wonderfully engaging and accessible. A must-have for all Egyptophiles and mummy aficionados. Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology, the American University in Cairo

Thought-provoking and informative, Scanning the Pharaohs is more than a book about the current scientific investigation of ancient Egypt s famous royal dead. It is also an encyclopedia of the royal mummies themselves: their original burials and mummification techniques, their desecration and reburial, their modern discovery, as well as their scientific documentation and analysis. The authors take the reader on a dramatic journey that starts in the palaces and temples of pharaonic Egypt and ends in the modern laboratories of today. It's an informative and gripping read. W. Raymond Johnson, Director Epigraphic Survey, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago

"If you can have only one book on mummies on your bookshelf, this is it. This research will be used for the next century by mummy science. Bravo!" Bob Brier, author of Encyclopedia of Mummies

Edition details

• Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 9774166736
• ISBN 13: 9789774166730
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352