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Writer's pictureJames Elliott

Teaching the Archaeology guys at CCCU

A COVID-safe lecture


We looked at the reconstructed CT data of Ta Kush, the Maidstone museum mummy.



I had a lovely time talking to the third year archaeology students at Canterbury Christ Church University alongside archaeology lecturer Dr Ellie Williams. As with my previous sessions for other archaeology students we explored how radiology may be beneficial in archaeology to reconstruct the biological profile of the deceased. To a lesser extent we also talked about how x-rays can be used with manufactured objects (i.e. metalwork).


The poor students had to contend with an impending essay deadline - the next day - and the COVID restrictions for lecture theatres. I used my best efforts to keep them engaged with the topic, at least it wasn't an afternoon slot on a Friday...


We talked about how x-rays and CT are used to reconstruct the biological profile of the deceased, and how this can be applied to mummified remains. In essence, the benefits of paleoradiology can be summarised as:


  1. Non-destructive and non-invasive method of investigation.

  2. Permanent 'documentation' of an item/specimen.

  3. Versatility of digital files (can be sent/shared easily, manipulated and stored efficiently).

After a short interlude we then opened up the CT data of Ta Kush, the ancient Egyptian mummy from Maidstone Museum, and explored the imaging.



A 3D reconstruction of Ta Kush, using a DICOM viewing software called RadiAnt.




Images:

All images were taken by Ellie Williams for her Instagram channel called CCCU Archaeology.





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