Secrets of the Afterlife: CT Scans Unearth New Findings About Egyptian Mummies
Secrets of the Afterlife: CT Scans Unearth New Findings About Egyptian Mummies
MANNHEIM, Germany Researchers in Germany have unearthed new secrets about three Egyptian mummies using CT scans.
In studying the mummies, scientists discovered they were buried with money, jewelry and their internal organs intact. The coins are believed to be payment to the Greco-Roman ferryman Charon for transporting their souls across the River Styx. The study’s findings were released mid-November.
Stephanie Zesch, lead researcher of an international team of experts, said the three mummies found in a rock-cut tomb were unique. They are the only ones from the necropolis of Saqqara near Memphis, 15 miles south of Cairo, which are preserved intact, meaning they contain human bodies. Saqqara is noted for housing the stepped Pyramid of Djoser.