Eileen Murphy, Robert Loynes, and Judith Adams
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- January 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781800348585
- eISBN:
- 9781800852433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781800348585.003.0011
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
In 2008, Takabuti was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where radiography and CT-scanning were performed; recent analysis has revealed several unexpected and unusual features. Initially, the scans ...
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In 2008, Takabuti was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where radiography and CT-scanning were performed; recent analysis has revealed several unexpected and unusual features. Initially, the scans indicated that she was around 25-35 years of age at death; there were no signs of disease and her cause of death remained unidentified. Current research on the CT-scans has revealed that the only organ tissue returned to the body after evisceration was the heart which, as the locus of the owner’s personality, was usually afforded special treatment. Endoscopy was used to take samples to identify any traces of disease. Partial visual examination of her teeth, together with the CT scans, enabled Takabuti’s dental state to be determined: all her teeth were present, there is no evidence of tooth decay and little indication of gum disease, in contrast to many ancient Egyptians who suffered from worn, sensitive and abscessed teeth. Stable carbon and isotope analysis undertaken on a sample of Takabuti’s hair has demonstrated that she probably ate a diet lacking cereals but rich in food derived from trees and shrubs as well as legumes, beans and pods. The lack of cereals is unusual in an ancient Egyptian diet.Less
In 2008, Takabuti was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where radiography and CT-scanning were performed; recent analysis has revealed several unexpected and unusual features. Initially, the scans indicated that she was around 25-35 years of age at death; there were no signs of disease and her cause of death remained unidentified. Current research on the CT-scans has revealed that the only organ tissue returned to the body after evisceration was the heart which, as the locus of the owner’s personality, was usually afforded special treatment. Endoscopy was used to take samples to identify any traces of disease. Partial visual examination of her teeth, together with the CT scans, enabled Takabuti’s dental state to be determined: all her teeth were present, there is no evidence of tooth decay and little indication of gum disease, in contrast to many ancient Egyptians who suffered from worn, sensitive and abscessed teeth. Stable carbon and isotope analysis undertaken on a sample of Takabuti’s hair has demonstrated that she probably ate a diet lacking cereals but rich in food derived from trees and shrubs as well as legumes, beans and pods. The lack of cereals is unusual in an ancient Egyptian diet.
