A Special Gift from World War I: an Egyptian Mummy - 3D Multidisciplinary Analysis – Preliminary Data Presentation Paula Veiga KNH Center for Biomedical Egyptology
How the ship Cheruskia arrived in Lisbon 1890, May 17, launched as the "Glen Caladh Tower" 1890, Purchased by HAPAG, renamed "Cheruskia" 1916, Seized at Lisbon by Portuguese in April 1916; while interned at Lisbon, renamed Leixões, 1918, Torpedoed by German sub. U-155 south of Newfoundland
This ship carried the cargo from one of Walter Andraes’ Assur excavations to Germany...
Similar ship, called Hoboken, from the same shipping company, http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_shiplist.asp?co=haaml
Walter Andrae, German Assyriologist conducting excavations at Assur. Self portrait made in Babylonia, 1902 http://baugeschichte.a.tuberlin.de/bg/mitarbeiter/CVAndrae.htm
Who brought the Assur merchandise...
Lisbon’s docks, Tagus river, where the boat stayed for some years; its cargo was sent to be identified and studied to Porto’s University.
Assur artefacts returned to Germany
Egyptian Artefacts given to Portugal as a gift In exchange for the returned items from Assur, Germany offered Portugal a collection of artefacts from all around the world (600 objects), which included the Egyptian items (102 objects) that came from Berlin. They went to Porto’s Faculty of Letters where they stayed until 1928; then, they passed on to the Faculty of Sciences. This collection is now housed at the its new Museum, since 1996. In the collection, two mummies were to be found; a girl, already without bandages when in Berlin, and a boy, completely wrapped. This is the focus of this study.
MHN-FCUP, Museu de Historia Natural da Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade do Porto (FLUP), Praça Gomes Teixeira 4099-002 PORTO http://www.fc.up.pt/fcup/contents/php/t ransform.php?opt=estdependentes&i d=1
The Museum where the mummies are housed
Two mummies in the Egyptian Collection: female
male
The Study of the male Mummy – retrieval of data November 13, 2007 Porto, Portugal
Until now, the Museum has not allowed the team to collect physical samples for DNA tests but maybe the KNH centre will try it…
Outline... CT scans and radiographic images (TOSHIBA, software Vitrea2) were taken from the individual at: Institutocuf diagnostico e tratamento Rua Fonte das Sete Bicas, 170 4460-188 Senhora da Hora, Portugal Samples from bone and sarcophagus taken were later sent to the Northern Delegation of the National Forensic Institute, Jardim Carrilho Videira 4050-167 Porto, Portugal for analysis. A 3D reconstruction will be made using epoxi resin (possibily of the whole skeleton). Images were taken for a documentary by the Media Department of the University of Porto, Praça Gomes Teixeira 4099-002 Porto, Portugal. C14 radiocarbon dating is being performed in the USA by request
Preliminary data Teeth: almost no abrasion on teeth, showing young age, as food contained grains of sand and, with years, teeth became decayed. No wisdom teeth also, not even non-erupted molars which gives him less than 24 y.o. Both clavicles are fused, which gives him around 22 y.o., so he must have died between 22 and 24 y.o., approx.
Preliminary data CT scans show clearly that skull is filled with opaque mass occuping the inferior hemispher; doctors conducting the process were amazed because they were not aware of the ancient Egyptian’s mummification processes...
Preliminary data Toraxic and abdominal cavities are partially filled with linen. Maybe we can date the mummy from the XXIst Dynasty onwards since the packaging and filling of body cavities was common from this period on. Bodies were “packed” to look as “curvaceous” as they did in life... There is a non-identifiable ‘package’ that can represent an organ embedded in resin and linen.
Preliminary data EDS electronic miscrocopy sweep allow us to conclude that the cartonnage was not made using gesso, but simple plaster instead. The paintings were made on top of it using pigments obtained by crushing several types of silicates: chlorite- Chl, olivine-Ol, augite-Aug, celadonite-Cel and other minerals. Teixeira Pinto (ET)
Preliminary data The coffin (probably intended for another mummy) is made of Cedrus libani/Cedrus libanotica= Cedar of Lebanon wood. Teixeira Pinto (ET)
The trip to the Hospital...
CT Scans...
Pathological condition in left leg
A big hole in the left tibia next to the patella can be a tumor or an infection, osteomyelitis. There is no trace of surgery or trauma as the bones’ edges are irregular; no fracture either as there are no signs of detached pieces. A mummification procedure break? There is a missing bit in the upper left tibia... Patella’s images show the difference: left patella is atrophyed, right patella is normal.
CT Scans... Preliminary physical macroscopic observations in the mummy: Young Male (documents already attested that before tests) Postmortem fracture of pubic symphisis Etmoid bone broken/skull shows opaque mass (mummification procedures) Solid materials fill thoraxic and abdominal cavities (linen bundles) Heart in situ (any amulets?) Lower left inferior leg, proximal diaphysis of tibia and fibula (patella area), showing probable pathology Osteosarcoma, Osteomyelitis, or another bone pathology? Maria de Fatima Graça/Paula Veiga
The technical team, museum personnel, firemen and some other collaborators...
Next steps: A - Medical and Anthropological Study Prof. Agostinho Santos (National Forensic Institute –Northern Delegation-Porto), Prof. Eugénia Cunha
[email protected] (Anthropology, Coimbra University),Paula Veiga
[email protected] (Master Egyptology, Univ. Lisboa and student of Msc in Biomedical and Forensic Studies in Egyptology, Univ. Manchester), Dra Fátima Graça
[email protected] (MD, Lecturer of History of Medicine, UFP, Porto), Dr. Ricardo Sampaio, Engº Bruno Sá. B - Tridimensional Study The reproduction of the tridimensional skull will be performed by Prof. José Domingues (Engineering Faculty, University of Porto). C - Egyptology Studies Both the mummy and the sarcophagus will be studied by the Egyptology team (ET): Prof. Maria Helena Trindade Lopes
[email protected] (FCSH- Univ. Nova, Lisboa), Prof. Amândio Teixeira Pinto
[email protected] (UTAD), father and Prof. Armando Teixeira Pinto
[email protected] (Biostatistics and Medical Informatics Dpt, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto), son. Historic sources studies will be conducted by Hugo Silva
[email protected] (graduate student-3rd year, History, FLUP), Porto. D - Museology Museology and presentation of the Studies’ results will be coordinated by Prof. Armando Coelho
[email protected] and Prof. António Lopes
[email protected] (Archaeology Dpt, FLUP).
