The full picture: Multidisciplinary analyses of the mummified remains of a young boy from Roman Egypt offer new insights into his life and death
Resource type
Book chapter
Date published
2024
Abstract
Over the last decade, the development of exhibitions has led to new research on several mummified individuals curated at the British Museum. Among them, the remains of a young child (British Museum EA 21809) have been the focus of an in-depth study. Found by Flinders Petrie at the cemetery of Hawara, the boy was buried with other individuals. His remains were wrapped in many layers of bandages covered by two shrouds decorated with a portrait in naturalistic style and traditional scenes showing Egyptian deities. The child’s mummifed body was CT scanned, revealing not only his age at death, but also the techniques used to preserve his remains and objects placed on his body by embalmers. In addition to these archaeological and bioarchaeological approaches, the two shrouds were also investigated using non-invasive imaging techniques, including CT scanning, broadband multispectral imaging (MSI) and fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS). These methods revealed hidden painted decorations on both sides of the shroud surrounding the head of the child. This multidisciplinary approach provides new insights into the boy’s past life and the preparation of his body for his journey into the afterlife.
Book title
From Objects to Histories: Studies in Honour of John H. Taylor
Editor
Strudwick, Nigel
Aston, David
Publisher
Abercromby Press
Keywords