Science

Scan technique reveals secret writing in mummy cases

Photo of Current Affairs Current AffairsJanuary 1, 2018
174 697 2 minutes read

Researchers in London have developed scanning techniques that show what is written on the papyrus that mummy cases are made from.

These are the decorated boxes into which the wrapped body of the deceased was placed before it was put in a tomb.

They are made from scraps of papyrus which were used by ancient Egyptians for shopping lists or tax returns.

The technology is giving historians a new insight into everyday life in ancient Egypt.

The hieroglyphics found on the walls of the tombs of the Pharaohs show how the rich and powerful wanted to be portrayed. It was the propaganda of its time.

The new technique gives Egyptologists access to the real story of Ancient Egypt, according to Prof Adam Gibson of University College London, who led the project.

"Because the waste papyrus was used to make prestige objects, they have been preserved for 2,000 years," he said.

"And so these masks constitute one of the best libraries we have of waste papyrus that would otherwise have been thrown away so it includes information about these individual people about their everyday lives"

The scraps of papyrus are more than 2,000 years old. The writing on them is often obscured by the paste and plaster that holds the mummy cases together. But researchers can see what is underneath by scanning them with different kinds of light which makes the inks glow.

You may also like:

One of the first successes of the new technique was on a mummy case kept at a museum at Chiddingstone castle in Kent. The researchers discovered writing on the footplate that was not visible to the naked eye.

The scan revealed a name – "Irethorru" – a common name in Egypt, the David or Stephen of its time, which meant: "the eye of Horus is against my enemies".

Until now, the only way to see what was written on them was to destroy these precious objects – leaving Egyptologists with a dilemma. Do they destroy them? Or do they leave them untouched, leaving the stories within them untold?

Now, researchers have developed a scanning technique that leaves the cases intact but allows historians to read what is on the papyrus. According to Dr Kathryn Piquette, of University College London, Egyptologists such as her now have the best of both worlds.

"I'm really horrified when we see these precious objects being destroyed to get to the text. It's a crime. They are finite resources and we now have a technology to both preserve those beautiful objects and also look inside them to understand the way Egyptians lived through their documentary evidence – and the things they wrote down and the things that were important to them."

Follow Pallab on Twitter

Original Article

BBC

The post Scan technique reveals secret writing in mummy cases appeared first on News Wire Now.

Photo of Current Affairs Current AffairsJanuary 1, 2018
174 697 2 minutes read
Photo of Current Affairs

Current Affairs

Related Articles

Photo of 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe can use a fingerprint instead of a key – Roadshow

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe can use a fingerprint instead of a key – Roadshow

December 30, 2018
Photo of Black Friday iPhone deals 2018: $150 off iPhone XR, XS, $400 iPhone X gift card – CNET

Black Friday iPhone deals 2018: $150 off iPhone XR, XS, $400 iPhone X gift card – CNET

November 11, 2018
Photo of A freshwater, saltwater tug-of-war is eating away at the Everglades

A freshwater, saltwater tug-of-war is eating away at the Everglades

August 21, 2018
Photo of The best iPhone X cases – CNET

The best iPhone X cases – CNET

December 6, 2018

174 Comments

  105. Pingback: free nline dating

  158. Hello there I am so glad I found your website, I really found you by mistake,
    while I was researching on Askjeeve for something else, Nonetheless
    I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and a all
    round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design),
    I don’t have time to browse it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and also added your RSS feeds, so
    when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the great
    work.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

© Copyright 2021, All Rights Reserved  | 
Back to top button