title: CT-Based Assessment of Relative Soft-Tissue Alteration in Different Types of Ancient Mummies.
abstract: Mummification leads to alteration of soft-tissue morphology. No research has focused specifically on differences in soft-tissue shrinkage depending on mummification type. This study evaluated whether soft-tissue alteration is dependent on type of mummification. A total of 17 human mummies have been investigated by computed tomography (CT). Samples included artificially embalmed ancient Egyptian mummies, naturally mummified South American corpses, ice mummies (including the Iceman, South Tyrol Museum of Archeology, Bolzano, Italy, ca. 3,300 BC), bog bodies and a desiccated mummy of possibly Asian provenance. The acquired data were compared to four contemporary bodies. The extent of soft-tissue shrinkage was evaluated using CT data. Shrinkage was defined as soft-tissue relative to area of bone (in number of voxels). Measurements were taken at 13 anatomically defined locations. Ice mummies show the highest degree of preservation. This finding is most likely explained due to frozen water within tissues. All other types of mummies show significantly (at P < 0.05) smaller relative area of preserved soft-tissue. Variation between different anatomical structures (e.g., upper lip vs. mid-femur) is significant, unlike variation within one compartment (e.g., proximal vs. distal humerus). Mummification type strongly affects the degree of soft-tissue alteration, surprisingly mostly independent of overall historical age. These results highlight the unique morphological impact of taphonomy on soft-tissue preservation and are of particular interest in tissue research as well as in forensics.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Evolutionary Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr, 190, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sydler
authors.affiliation: Centre for Evolutionary Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr, 190, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Öhrström
authors.affiliation: German Mummy Project, Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Zeughaus C5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Wilfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rosendahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zürichbergstr, 14, Zurich, Switzerland and CESifo, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Woitek
authors.affiliation: Centre for Evolutionary Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr, 190, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rühli
mesh_terms: D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D009106:Mummies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011859:Radiography; D014021:Tissue Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D053833:Wetlands
keywords: mummification type; mummy; paleopathology; soft-tissue shrinkage