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Cited by 49Paleopathology and ancient diseasesAncient Egypt and ArchaeologyHistory of Medicine Studies

A synthetic radiological study of brain treatment in ancient Egyptian mummies

Wade, Andrew D., Nelson, Andrew J., Garvin, Greg J.·2011·HOMO
DOI 10.1016/j.jchb.2011.01.004
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Abstract

Variability in brain treatment, as a part of the Egyptian mummification process, is poorly appreciated in the literature, as variability in the details of excerebration have not been addressed comprehensively nor with respect to social, geographic, and temporal variation. The description of Egyptian mummification commonly used in the popular and academic literature is derived largely from accounts by Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus. However, this normative description does not acknowledge the existence of a wide range of mummification techniques practiced and so stifles the study of geographic and chronological changes in the practice and their causes. Therefore, the goal of this study is to use the classical description as a hypothesis for empirical testing, using published literature and primary radiographic data, with a specific focus on the practice of excerebration. Three primary treatments of the brain in mummification, and their variation over time and across social strata, are discussed in relation to their treatment in the literature, their radiological indicators, and their technical considerations. In order to examine Egyptian mummy excerebration, this study makes use of two samples: (1) a literature-based sample of 125 mummies, and (2) a sample of 6 mummies examined directly using computed tomography. In spite of an apparent high degree of variability, the literature continues to focus on modern and classical stereotypes rather than the rich variability in the Egyptian mummification tradition. Detailed, large-scale examination of this and other mummification traditions, and their meanings, is required to further our understanding of this important early complex society.

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  • Excerebration became popular later in the 18th Dynasty and the peak of the procedure is suggested to be in the Ptolemaic Period.

    “Excerebration became popular later in the 18th Dynasty and the peak of the procedure is suggested to be in the Ptolemaic Period (18).”

    From Digital Unwrapping of the Mummy of King Amenhotep I (1525–1504 BC) Using CT (2021) · cites this paper as [18]

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Authors
Wade, A. D., Nelson, A. J., & Garvin, G. J.
Affiliations
Western University (CA)
Corresponding author
Wade, Andrew D.
ORCID
Venue
HOMO
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-08
Volume
62
Issue
4
Pages
248-269
ISSN
0018-442X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jchb.2011.01.004
OpenAlex
W2088979913
Cited by
49
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 4
FWCI
6.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • HOMO (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Scholarship@Western (Western University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Ottawa
  • London Health Sciences Centre
  • Université du Québec à Montréal
  • Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
  • Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Paleopathology and ancient diseases
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Ancient Egypt and Archaeology
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › History of Medicine Studies
Keywords
Egyptian mummification, Egyptian mummies, social stratification, regional variation, Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus
MeSH terms
Egypt, Ancient, Brain, Craniotomy, Embalming, Humans, Mummies, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, History, Ancient

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