Reading time: 4 minutes
For Seqenenre Taa II, the violent injuries were possibly the result of dying in battle or execution by a king who had invaded the north of the country. One theory also suggested he was killed while sleeping.
In the new study, the team applied computed tomography (CT) scanning to the remains to investigate further. CT is a non-invasive imaging method that basically layers multiple X-rays on top of each other in order to create three dimensional images of both the soft and hard tissues. We usually think of it in clinical settings, but it has a long history of use in forensic contexts to safely study remains contained inside wrappings or body bags.
By Tim Thompson, Teesside University
The CT scans revealed the body was not arranged in its usual anatomical position. Even though it was in an unusual state, skeletal and dental indicators confirmed an age of around 40 years. Images of inside the skull confirmed that no attempt had been made to remove the brain. The CT examination revealed the extent of Seqenenre’s injuries, with a cut across the right side of his forehead, a puncture wound just above his right eye, a fractured nose and cheekbone, a cut on the left cheek area, fractures above his right ear, and a fracture of the bone inside his skull that runs behind the eyes.
Seqenenre suffered an incredibly violent death. The angle of the injuries suggested the attackers were positioned higher, so either on horseback or while he was kneeling, and facing him. The CT imaging allowed the shape of the wounds to be determined, showing that multiple weapons were used by multiple attackers. Yet such violent cranial injuries are usually accompanied by defence injuries on the arms as the victim attempts to defend himself. The CT scans confirmed that no such injuries were present here.
Most royal mummies from this period are laid with their arms crossed over their chest, but the position of Seqenenre’s hands suggests they were tied together and then fixed at the time of death, by a condition known as cadaveric spasm – where the body suddenly stiffens straight after death.
The researchers suggest the state of embalming was not a result of hastiness, but rather the condition of the body. There’s evidence the embalmers attempted to cover the facial injuries using a paste of embalming materials. While it’s unclear why the brain was not removed as was usual, I wonder whether the extent of the soft tissue trauma made this too daunting.
Mummification
Despite the excitement at finding mummified remains, preserved human remains aren’t uncommon in archaeological contexts. Mummies themselves have been found in a great many locations around the world, not just Egypt.
Mummification occurs when soft tissues are desiccated, or dried out, which can be due to heat but also air flow. Drying out stops decomposition and preserves the remains to the extent that identifiable features such as tattoos and fingerprints can still be recovered.
Last year, supposed preserved brain matter was found at Herculaneum, the site of an ancient town in modern-day Campania, Italy. Remains from the Bronze Age site of Cladh Hallan in the Outer Hebrides have also been mummified. I’ve even worked on a modern forensic case where the body had been mummified due to its position near a drafty window.
In all of these cases, and many more, techniques like the CT scanning used in this new research could potentially help reveal more information about the preserved people.
The development of new imaging technologies is enhancing our interpretations of how ancient people died. Here, the application of CT scanning allowed for greater accuracy in age estimation and revealed new injuries that hadn’t been identified before.
Non-contact imaging techniques are being used in increasingly varied archaeological and forensic contexts as they become more accessible, more portable and record in greater resolution. Such advances will only help maintain our collective interest in our preserved ancestors.
This article was originally published in The Conversation.
Podcast about Seqenenre Taa II
Articles you may also like
The Last Secrets – Audiobook
THE LAST SECRETS – AUDIOBOOK By John Buchan (1875 – 1940) The author, John Buchan, maintains that “the main lines of the earth’s architecture have been determined” during the first two decades of the twentieth century, and all that remains is but “amplifying our knowledge of the groyning and buttresses and stone-work.” In this history of […]
Who were we fighting at Gallipoli?
In the annual discussion of the Gallipoli campaign Australians are subjected to a variety of hyperbole and parable as commentators and reporters offer up the same old chestnuts for want of something else to say. That at Anzac Cove ‘our nation was born’, that it ‘came of age’ or that Australian forces at Gallipoli were […]
DNA reveals large migration into Scandinavia during the Viking age
Reading time: 5 minutes
Viking age Scandinavia as a hub for migration from all over Europe.
In a study published in Cell, we show this is exactly what happened. The Viking period (late 8th century to mid 11th century) was the catalyst for an exceptional inflow of people into Scandinavia. These movements were greater than for any other period we analysed.
The text of this article is republished from The Conversation in accordance with their republishing policy and is licenced under a Creative Commons — Attribution/No derivatives license.
