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from
Times of London, June 26, 2004
Technology Unveils the Heart of Ancient Egypt
by Dalya Alberge
An Egyptian high priest mummified nearly 3,000 years ago has been given a face with the use of groundbreaking technology.
For the first time archaeologists at the British Museum have been able to see through a sealed  sarcophagus and the mummy's bandaging with remarkable clarity. As a result, scientists have been able to construct a 3D portrait of Nesperennub, a high-status priest of Karnak, using the latest medical scanners and computer technology.
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The clear images that emerged from inside the coffin revealed a man in his early forties with a prominent jaw, wide nose and a shaved head, reflecting his status as a priest. Even the worn
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state of his teeth could be seen in remarkable detail: Nesperennub had such an acute abscess that the pain may well have made him irritable and short-tempered.
Until now the only way to obtain such clear information was to unwrap the mummies, but that causes destruction of the mummy: soft tissue disintegrates and turns to dust.
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In the case of Nesperennub computerized tomography, which is used in hospitals primarily for head radiology, was combined with the latest computer technology to allow a non-invasive "virtual" unwrapping and autopsy.
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The scan, at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, involved X-ray beams being passed through the mummified body from different angles. It offered a picture that conventional X-rays could not achieve because of obstructions caused by resin and dense packing materials.
“Technology unveils the heart of Ancient Egypt” by Dalya Alberge from Times of London, June 8, 2004. Copyright © 2004 by Times of London. Reproduced by permission of News International Newspapers Limited.
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