Introduction

It is hoped that the research outlined in this book has demonstrated how the subdiscipline of Biomedical Egyptology, based on the analytical investigation of mummies and associated material, has added a new dimension to the study of ancient Egypt. Effectively, each mummy can be regarded as a ‘museum of disease,’ preserving unbiased evidence about its owner's lifestyle, diet, illnesses, and sometimes, the cause of death. There may be additional information about medical or pharmaceutical treatment, mummification techniques, religious practices, and familial connections. Increasingly, the use of sophisticated analytical techniques enables us to extract this information and, provided that investigators interpret their data correctly, this type of research can provide evidence that cannot be gained from archaeology, art history, or ancient literature.

This information can add fascinating insights into other aspects of Egyptian society. For example, the author is currently researching dietary links between the incidence of atherosclerosis identified in mummies belonging to priests and temple chantresses, and the access these groups had to the food offered daily in the temple rituals and then divided up amongst the clergy. Although most of the population ate a mainly vegetarian diet, the gods' food included large quantities of meat supplied from the animals specially slaughtered in the temple precinct. Ultimately, it may be possible to demonstrate that these dietary variations had a direct impact on the disease patterns observed in different social groups.

Sometimes, biomedical and scientific analyses will challenge or overthrow theories that archaeologists, historians, and other scientists have proposed.