Monday, June 14, 2004

Egyptian mummy to undergo medical tests to try to solve mysteries

A team of Egyptologists and historians will poke, prod and photograph a mysterious Egyptian mummy to determine its age, sex and cause of death.

The mummy, named Then-Hotep and believed to be about 2,500 years old, will be examined at Baptist Hospital East this week. The tests will include a full-body CT scan, X-rays, scans of the teeth and jaw and diagnostic imaging of the bones, The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported.

The mummy will then be prepared for display in "The World Around Us," a $4.3 million exhibit at the Louisville Science Center opening next June. The mummy has already spent a century in Louisville museums.


Unknown pattern key Benhar find

A yellow glazed plate fragment bearing a previously unknown chain-like pattern was one of the key finds of an archaeological dig at Benhar yesterday, organisers said.

About 40 people, including about 30 public volunteers, took part in the dig, which was the first public archaeology expedition co-ordinated by the Otago Museum for about 30 years, Dr Dimitri Anson, the museum curator, humanities, said.

The expedition was also backed by the University of Otago anthropology department and the South Otago Historical Society, which operates the Balclutha Museum.