Quantcast
Published On: Sat, Dec 15th, 2012

‘Brain removal tool’ discovered in ancient mummy skull

A brain-removal tool used by ancient Egyptian embalmers has been discovered lodged in the skull of a female mummy that dates back around 2,400 years, scientists reported Thursday.

CT scans of a 2,400-year-old female mummy revealed a tubular object embedded in its skull between the brain's left parietal bone and the resin-filled back of the skull. It would turn out to be a tool used for the removal of the brain. This is only the second time that such a tool has been reported in the skull of an ancient Egyptian mummy. RSNA RadioGraphics

CT scans of a 2,400-year-old female mummy revealed a tubular object embedded in its skull between the brain’s left parietal bone and the resin-filled back of the skull. It would turn out to be a tool used for the removal of the brain. This is only the second time that such a tool has been reported in the skull of an ancient Egyptian mummy. RSNA RadioGraphics

Removal of the brain was part of the Egyptian mummification procedure popular around 3,500 years ago and remained in use in later periods.

Identifying the ancient tools embalmers used for brain removal is difficult, and researchers note this is only the second time that such a tool has been reported within a mummy’s skull.

Researchers discovered the object back in 2008 through a series of CT scans and have been working with an endoscope to detach and remove the item for further examination.

The 3 inch object was cut off from the “resin that it had gotten stuck to,” the report stated.

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS PUBLISHED THROUGH LIVE SCIENCE OF THE MUMMY AND THE ‘BRAIN REMOVAL TOOL’ – HERE

“We cut it with a clamp through the endoscope and then removed it from the skull,” said lead researcher Dr. Mislav Cavka, of the University Hospital Dubrava in Zagreb Croatia, in an interview with LiveScience.

“It almost definitely would have been used in excerebration (brain removal) of the mummy,” Cavka said.

Made of a species Monocotyledon plant, it would have been used to remove the mummy’s brain. It was left in the skull by the embalmers by accident, possibly because it broke off.

The instrument would have been inserted through a hole punched into the ethmoid bone near the nose. “Some parts (of the brain) would be wrapped around this stick and pulled out, and the other parts would be liquefied,” Cavka said.

MORE WEIRD NEWS – HERE

On the DISPATCH: Headlines  Local  Opinion

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd ) [ALL INFO CONFIDENTIAL]

About the Author

- Stephen is a contributor and writer on The Dispatch. Stephen is the founder and editor for the Steven Spielberg Fan Club website and contributes to pop culture stories on The Dispatch, especially upcoming movie news. Beginning in 2016, Stephen took the role of Managing Editor for the Tampa Dispatch.

Leave a comment

XHTML: You can use these html tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

like_us_on_facebook

 

The Global Dispatch Facebook page- click here

Movie News Facebook page - click here

Television News Facebook page - click here

Weird News Facebook page - click here 

DISPATCH RADIO

dispatch_radio

THE BRANDON JONES SHOW

brandon_jones_show-logo

Archives