Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium

THE AKHMIM MUMMY STUDIES CONSORTIUM

Mission

The mission of the Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium (AMSC) is to advance knowledge of the ancient Egyptian city of Akhmim through the scientific study of mummies recovered from the site's great necropolis. AMSC uses its findings to improve understanding of the processes and rituals of Egyptian mummification in general. AMSC promotes the use of CT as a tool for biomedical analysis of the population dispersed from the site, and supports large scale forensic reconstruction of Akhmim's ancient inhabitants for purposes of research into that population's diversity.

AMSC was established in 2001 to perform research on the mummies of ancient Egypt, particularly those associated with the city of Akhmim. In 2007, AMSC began to analyze mummies from other ancient Egyptian sites. These mummies provide important comparative information by which the evolution of mummification methods can be assessed. We have begun to analyze new CT scans of mummies from the sites of Thebes (Luxor) and Tebtunis (Fayum region of Upper Egypt).

The Consortium's "Community of Portraits"

An important aspect of AMSC's work is the creation of a true "Community of Portraits" of ancient Egyptian people using modern methods of forensic reconstruction and CT-based skeletal modelling. The "Community of Portraits" serves the needs of educational and museum facilities insofar as it helps to portray the ancient Egyptian population for purposes of discussing issues of health, lifestyle, ethnicity and a variety of other scientific topics. AMSC believes that forensic facial reconstruction is a research method which can provide important clues to the ethnicity of the population associated with the city of Akhmim and can be used to explore the ethnic diversity of ancient Egypt more generally.

Exhibition Content Development Services

AMSC regularly assists institutions with Egyptological collections to improve exhibition content and organization. For institutions holding mummies from Akhmim AMSC can greatly expedite the work necessary to analyze mummy CT scans and produce forensic reconstructions of mummified individual for educational purposes. For most mummies, the process of forensic reconstruction is an effective means of restoring "person-hood" and dignity within museum environments. This is important work having clear implications with regard to the visual diversity of the ancient Akhmimic population. AMSC will gladly work with mummy-owning institutions to evaluate mummy provenience and if possibly assess genealogical position. AMSC maintains data sets which can help in this regard. Furthermore, AMSC will gladly facilitate mummy CT reconnaissances on Akhmimic mummies, and provide mummy-owning institutions the means to formulate forensic reconstructions of Akhmimic persons. AMSC invites mummy-owning museums wishing to develop forensic portraits to partner with it and help to help rediscover this important ancient community.

Disclaimer

The Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium promotes only careful, non-injurious investigation of Egyptian mummies. Although AMSC is involved in forensic research and exhibits, it is not a "cadaver art" project, nor does it perform its work invasively with respect to the mummified population of ancient Egypt. The Consortium does not condone the use of plastinated bodies for exhibition purposes, nor does it believe that such endeavors represent a positive form of science education.