Egypt: Researchers digitally unwrap mummy of Pharaoh Amenhotep I for the first time

For the very first time in centuries, the neatly wrapped mummified remains of Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep I have been examined in detail after being digitally "unwrapped" with high-tech scanners. The facemask and bandages were peeled off digitally by researchers, revealing information about his looks and the expensive jewellery with which he was buried. The researchers had called it a "unique opportunity" to analyse and explore how the Pharaoh was mummified in the first place, as well as "how he was treated and reburied twice, centuries after his death," the Sky News reported. 

The researchers have been able to inspect the body for the first time because of the three-dimensional computer tomography (CT) scanning technology. As per the Evening Standard, Egyptologists knew that the corpse had been uncovered once in the 11th century BCE, over four centuries after his mummification and burial, after decoding hieroglyphics. 

Furthermore, according to experts, the priests who repaired and reburied him did not just restore the damage caused by grave thieves but also reused royal burial equipment. However, Dr Sahar Saleem, professor of radiology at Cairo University's Faculty of Medicine and radiologist for the Egyptian Mummy Project, and the research's primary author said the findings refuted those beliefs, as per Sky News. The research was published on Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine. 

The findings of the research on Pharaoh Amenhotep

Saleem said, "This fact that Amenhotep I’s mummy had never been unwrapped in modern times gave us a unique opportunity, not just to study how he had originally been mummified and buried, but also how he had been treated and reburied twice, centuries after his death, by High Priests of Amun." She went on to say that Pharaoh Amenhotep I was around 35 years old when he died.  

As per the research, the Pharaoh measured around 169cm tall, was circumcised and had healthy teeth. He donned 30 amulets and a one-of-a-kind golden belt with gold beads under his robes. he had a narrow chin, a little narrow nose, curly hair, and somewhat projecting upper teeth, the features which he shared with his father. 

In addition to this, Saleem stated that they have not yet located any wounds or deformities related to sickness to substantiate the cause of his death. She added, “Except numerous mutilations post mortem, presumably by grave robbers after his first burial,” the Sky News reported. Further, she said that the earliest mummifiers had taken his entrails, but not his brain or heart. 

Pharaoh Amenhotep I had reigned from around 1525 to 1504 BC and was originally unearthed in 1881 at an archaeological site in Deir Al Bahari in southern Egypt. His name means "Amun is satisfied" in reference to Amun, the ancient Egyptian deity of the air. 

(Image: Unspalsh/ Representative Image)