Mummy Research Used 3D Printing to Reveal Archaeological Secrets

In ancient Egypt, preparation of the dead was an important occasion, one which would allow the person to pass into the afterlife. Embalmers performed mummification of deceased people, protecting the body from the decay of the human or often animal body. Despite the discovery of an increasing number of mummies as time continues, investigating these artefacts is challenging since with a wrong movement the mummy could be destroyed. That’s why researchers used CT scanning to study a mummy recovered in Upper Egypt in 1916, but also used 3D printing to reproduce an amulet found there.

Additive manufacturing has already been able to demonstrate its suitability for use in archaeology. But in this case, the researchers in Cairo explain that it was only after performing the CT scan that they came across what was actually special. The result of the scan revealed a total of 49 amulets placed inside the mummy and between the wrappings, which were given to the mummy in 21 different forms to take with him on his final journey. The “golden boy”, nicknamed for the 30 golden amulets it was buried with, provides further provide information about living conditions at that time. This was aided with the means of 3D scanning and printing.

Left: the scan of the outermost bandages; right: the scan shows the crossed arms and the amulets.

The Procedure for Researching the “Golden Boy” Using 3D Printing

In their paper titled “Scanning and three-dimensional-printing using computed tomography of the “Golden Boy” mummy,” which appeared in the journal ‘Frontiers in Medicine,’ the researchers stated that after successfully scanning the selected object – in this case, the largest amulet located in the mummy – they transferred it into a printable format. Since this heart scarab was located in the chest cavity of the mummy, which was probably 14 to 15 years old at the time of death, the researchers indicated that the ancient Egyptians held their children in extremely high regard. One drawback noted by the research team is that due to the overlap of the 3D file of the amulet on the 2D X-ray film, there was a loss of data.