Ancient Egyptian animals were killed purposely to be mummified

‘With a resolution up to 100 times higher than a medical CT scan, we were able to piece together new evidence’

MUMMIFIED animals that lived in Ancient Egypt have been given micro-ct scans, allowing Egyptologists to analyse for the first time how they interacted with humans and the circumstances of their death.

Academics from Swansea, Cardiff and Leicester universities analysed the animals – a snake, a bird of prey and a cat – using the X-ray micro-ct technique. Previous investigations had identified which animals they were, but very little else was known about what lay inside the mummies.

After scans showed evidence of young teeth hidden within the jaw bone, the team concluded that the cat was a five-month-old kitten.

Separated vertebrae also indicated that the kitten had possibly been strangled.

Virtual bone measurements also revealed that the bird most closely resembled a Eurasian kestrel, while the snake was identified as a young Egyptian cobra.

The microscopic scans, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found signs of kidney damage, suggesting the snake was deprived of water, leading to a form of gout. The Swansea team suspect that the animals were killed specifically to be mummified.

Analysis of the snake’s bone fractures showed it was ultimately killed by a whipping action, prior to possibly undergoing an “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony during mummification.

The ceremony was typically carried out on dead humans, statues and temples and in order to enable statues of deities and the dead to regain their senses in order to “see” into the realm of the living.

Evidence on whether the “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony was ever used on animals is disputed, with some arguing that the procedure was performed on mummified animals to allow them to act as a middleman between gods and the deceased individual.

The latest findings provide the first piece of evidence that such complex ritualistic behaviour was applied to snakes. Prof Richard Johnston, the project leader based at Swansea University, said: “Using micro-ct we can effectively carry out a post-mortem on these animals, more than 2,000 years after they died in ancient Egypt.”

“With a resolution up to 100 times higher than a medical CT scan, we were able to piece together new evidence of how they lived and died, revealing the conditions they were kept in, and possible causes of death,” he said.