Of all the mummies that were found in the 19th and 20th centuries, only one was never opened for research purposes – the mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I. The researchers simply did not dare to touch a mummy that had been so perfectly preserved, with its array of decorations and its delicate and colorful face mask.
Now for the first time, the researchers have gotten their first look inside – without even opening it. The shroud was digitally opened using a 3-D CT scan. On Monday, the Egyptian researchers reported their findings in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.
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The first time that this mummy was opened was in the 11th century B.C.E., 400 years after the pharaoh’s death by priests who restored and reburied mummies from ancient dynasties that tomb robbers had damaged.
The skull of Amenhotep I. Researchers found that he looked like his father - both of whom had a narrow nose and chin, curly hair and protruding upper teeth.Credit: S. Saleem and Z. Nuwass
“At the end of the 20th Dynasty, a large portion of the tombs of the kings were robbed, and the priests reburied them to protect them,” explained Dr. Deborah Sweeney, an Egyptologist in the department of Archaeology and Ancient Near East Cultures at Tel Aviv University. “At the time of the reburial, they left the mummy of Amenhotep I with its original jewelry and amulets.”
The leading authors of the study of the mummy, Dr Sahar Saleem, professor of radiology at the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University, and the archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, said the fact that the mummy had not been opened in modern times provided a unique research opportunity. They discovered that the pharaoh was about 35 years old at the time of his death and was 1.69 centimeters (5 feet 6.5 inches) tall.
He had been circumcised and his teeth were in good condition. His inner organs, other than his brain and heart, had been removed by his embalmers. The researchers found no sign of injury or illness that would indicate the cause of the pharaoh’s death.
The Face mask of the never-before unwrapped mummy of pharaoh Amenhotep I.Credit: S. Saleem and Z. Nuwass
Inside the shroud, Amenhotep I was found to be wearing 30 amulets and a unique girdle with gold beads. It was also discovered that the pharaoh resembled his father, Ahmose I, the founder of the 18th Dynasty, who had reunited Egypt. Both had a narrow chin and nose, curly hair and somewhat protruding upper teeth.
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Sweeney surmises that Amenhotep I’s mummy was so extraordinarily well-preserved because he became a local god to the community of builders of the royal tombs. “He was considered a god who protected their village and was their patron, and was also worshipped in other parts of that area,” she said.
He ruled for about 20 years, at the end of the 16th century B.C.E. During his time, Egypt enjoyed relative security and prosperity thanks to its conquests in the Levant and in northern Sudan, where there was gold. He ascended to the throne as a child, Sweeney noted, and his mother, Ahmose-Nefertari, managed the affairs of state until he reached an age at which he could do so on his own. Even later in his life, his mother was considered an influential figure in the kingdom.
Amenhotep I continued to pursue efforts undertaken by his father, Sweeney said, including military conquests. He held southern Canaan to protect Egypt’s borders and cultivated ties with Lebanon, which was a source of the cedarwood required for lavish construction. His mummy was found in 1881 at the necropolisat Deir al-Bahari on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor in southern Egypt. In April of this year, his mummy was transferred with 21 other royal mummies to a new museum in Cairo.
The scan of his mummy demonstrates that the technique can be used for archaeological and anthropological research on other mummies, the researchers said, in addition to studying cultures in other locations, such as Peru.
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As a seasoned enthusiast with a deep understanding of ancient Egyptian history and archaeology, I'm here to delve into the intriguing findings regarding the mummy of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep I. My expertise spans the broader context of Egyptian mummification practices, the historical significance of Amenhotep I, and the advanced techniques employed in the recent research.
The article discusses a groundbreaking exploration of Amenhotep I's mummy, a unique endeavor considering that, unlike many mummies from the 19th and 20th centuries, this one remained unopened for research until now. The preservation of the pharaoh's mummy is exceptional, adorned with decorations and a delicate, colorful face mask that deterred researchers from conventional physical examination. Instead, a 3-D CT scan digitally unveiled the contents of the mummy, providing a non-invasive means to explore its secrets.
The first opening of Amenhotep I's mummy occurred in the 11th century B.C.E., 400 years after his death. Priests, restoring and reburial specialists, undertook this task to address damages caused by tomb robbers during that era. The current research, led by Dr. Sahar Saleem and Dr. Zahi Hawass, benefited from the fact that the mummy remained sealed in modern times, offering a unique opportunity for investigation.
The findings reveal intriguing details about Amenhotep I. Through the 3-D CT scan, researchers estimated that the pharaoh was about 35 years old at the time of his death, stood at 1.69 centimeters (5 feet 6.5 inches) tall, and had undergone circumcision. His teeth were in good condition, and his inner organs, excluding the brain and heart, had been removed during the embalming process. Curiously, no signs of injury or illness indicating the cause of death were identified.
Inside the shroud, Amenhotep I was adorned with 30 amulets and a unique girdle featuring gold beads. The research also highlighted the striking resemblance between Amenhotep I and his father, Ahmose I, the founder of the 18th Dynasty. Both shared distinctive features such as a narrow chin and nose, curly hair, and somewhat protruding upper teeth.
Dr. Deborah Sweeney, an Egyptologist from Tel Aviv University, theorizes that the extraordinary preservation of Amenhotep I's mummy could be attributed to his posthumous deification as a local god by the royal tomb builders' community. This recognition extended beyond his village, with worship in other regions. Amenhotep I's reign, around the 16th century B.C.E., marked a period of relative security and prosperity for Egypt, driven by military conquests in the Levant and northern Sudan.
The mummy's discovery in 1881 at Deir al-Bahari and its recent transfer to a new museum in Cairo underscore its historical significance. The researchers emphasize that the 3-D CT scan technique applied to Amenhotep I's mummy sets a precedent for archaeological and anthropological research on other mummies. This technology holds promise for studying diverse cultures in various locations, such as Peru.
In summary, the exploration of Amenhotep I's mummy not only unveils intriguing details about the pharaoh's life and death but also showcases the potential of advanced imaging techniques in unraveling the mysteries of ancient civilizations.
