Post by truthteacher2007 on Aug 2, 2010 23:26:26 GMT -5
Should post in a new therad but. . . .
www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/full/183/3/755
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Results
The embalming procedures used to preserve the body were identified from the evaluation of axial scans and multiplanar reconstructions. The absence of brain material, the persistence of only thin meningeal sheets, and the interruption of the ethmoidal cells revealed that the brain was removed through the nasal cavity. The teeth are in poor condition, and no other evidence of disease can be seen.
The anthropological indexes measured on the axial and multiplanar reconstructions are reported in Table 1.
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TABLE 1 Mummy of Harwa Cranial Chronology During XXII and XXIII Dynasties (945–715 BC)
The facial reconstruction allowed the identification of a man approximately 45 years old at the time of death. We emphasize that the reconstruction did not allow establishing the fatty layers of the face. The muscle insertions are clearly visible on the skull bones reconstructed according to the CT data and helped the forensic artist and anthropologist to infer the possible thickness of the muscles, but fat does not leave signs on the skull. Because of this reason, dehydration, and the embalming procedures, we do not know how fatty the face was.
The reconstruction parameters established for an average individual were attributed to the face of Harwa according to the CT data of the whole bodies previously studied [4] and the cranial indexes. The results are also strengthened by the studies of Chantre [7], Thomson and Randall-Maciver [8], and Marro [9], according to which a gradual increase of the cephalic index of ancient Egyptians toward mesocephaly occurred in the Greek and Roman periods.
Details of the soft tissues were reproduced with high accuracy. Also, a small lesion was reproduced on the superficial surface of the left temporal area. Already visible on the axial scans as a small isodense homogeneous lesion without calcifications, it is probably a nevus. The reconstructions show it clearly (Fig. 1F), along with other details of the face.
Facial Reconstruction of a Wrapped Egyptian Mummy Using MDCT
Federico Cesarani1, Maria Cristina Martina2, Renato Grilletto3, Rosa Boano3, Anna Maria Donadoni Roveri4, Valter Capussotto5, Andrea Giuliano5, Maurizio Celia5 and Giovanni Gandini2
1 Struttura Operativa Complessa di Radiodiagnostica, Presidi Ospedalieri Riuniiti, Azienda Sanitaria Locale 19, Asti, Regione Piemonte, Italy.
2 Instituto di Radiologia Diagnostica ed Interventistica, Università di Torino, Azienda Ospedaliera San Giovanni Battista di Torino, Ospedale Molinette, Corso Bramante 84, Torino 10126, Italy.
3 Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo, Laboratorio di Antropologia Fisica, Università di Torino, via Accademia Albertina 17, Torino 10123, Italy.
4 Soprintendenza al Museo delle Antichità Egizie di Torino, via Accademia delle Scienze 6, Torino 10123, Italy.
5 Gabinetto Interregionale di Polizia Scientifica per il Piemonte e la Valle d'Aosta di Torino, c.so Vinzaglio 10, Torino 10121, Italy.
Received September 8, 2003; accepted after revision April 19, 2004.
Address correspondence to F. Cesarani, Via San Felice 46/4, Pino Torinese 10025, Italy (federicocesarani@inwind.it).
Abstract
OBJECTIVE. Facial reconstruction of mummies and corpses in general is important in anthropological, medical, and forensic studies. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the role of MDCT examination for 3D facial reconstruction and report the results of multidisciplinary work performed by radiologists, anthropologists, and forensic police in reconstructing the possible physiognomy of an ancient Egyptian mummy.
Discussion
Facial reconstruction from human remains is fundamental in forensic science for identifying bodies, but it has also been of interest in archaeology and paleoanthropology. It is one of the ways in which archaeologists seek to characterize the individuals of certain societies and has the potential for supplementing data collected by traditional physical and forensic anthropology.
Three main approaches for facial reconstruction are known [6]. The Russian method as developed by Gerasimov involves building the facial anatomy over the skull. The American method relies almost entirely on the use of average soft-tissue measurements at specific anatomic points and building the clay up to the point at which the measurements are matched. The third, known as the Manchester method, which is the one we followed, uses soft-tissue measurements and careful rebuilding of the anatomic structures.
Several solid replica facial reconstructions of mummies from CT data have been reported in the literature. The first example was performed by the Japanese archaeologist Sakuji Yoshimura [1], who reconstructed the face of the Egyptian mummy Crisalis in 1983. With the aid of a computer program of the Institute of Forensic Anthropology in Kyoto, starting from 49 CT axial slices, the researchers virtually unwrapped the head and reconstructed the face of a young woman who lived in Egypt at the time of Tutmosis III (XVIII dynasty, 1479–1425 BC). It is now shown with heavy makeup and a hairstyle.
In 1998, the body of Sensaos, who died in 109 BC, was scanned with a Tomoscan Expander (Philips) in Holland [2]. In this case, the number of slices used for the head was 190 and for the rest of the body was 558. Data were elaborated with software and a procedure known as multijet modeling that produced the face of the young Egyptian woman in 36 hr [5]. Richard Neave [3] reconstructed her face with the assistance of a makeup artist. Now the face shows thick lips, quite a large nose, and small ears appropriate to the typical somatic type of the Nubian population to which she belonged.
Later, the same authors [3] compared the results of the computer facial reconstruction of four Egyptian mummies from Fayum with their corresponding portraits. They found good correspondence between the reconstructions and the portraits in all instances except one.
An article on computer-aided facial reconstruction with dedicated software of an unwrapped mummified Egyptian head of uncertain period was recently presented by Attardi et al. [10]. According to the authors, this system provides faster execution time and a more scientific approach than traditional facial reconstruction because no manual skill is required and no artistic freedom is given.
It becomes clear on reviewing the literature that the continuous development of acquisition and reconstruction techniques has progressively improved the accuracy of results. The accuracy of MDCT, with the acquisition of thin overlapping slices and 3D reconstructions as a method that faithfully reproduces human anatomy, has been widely reported in the literature [11–13].
The average depths of facial tissues at a number of sites on the skull are well known, and these are used as the basis for reconstruction. On the other hand, Prag and Neave [6] report that large areas of the face have no underlying bone structure (e.g., the eyes, the mouth, the shape of the nose) that can be used to predict facial shape, and therefore much of the final reconstruction is guess-work. In our case, data on soft dehydrated tissues from the 3D reconstructions with the workstation gave us fundamental information about the morphology of the nose, of the ears, and partially of the lips, which are frequently influenced by subjectivity and are difficult to reconstruct accurately from cranial information only.
In particular, we emphasize the role played by virtual unwrapping. Attardi et al. [10] with an Egyptian mummy and zur Nedden et al. [14] with the Ice Man, using duplication of the skull by means of stereolithography, started from unwrapped mummies. In our case, we could not follow the method proposed by Attardi et al. for constructing a hybrid model produced from the hard tissues of the mummy and the soft tissues of the head because the original head was completely covered by wrappings. Only the virtual removal of the bandages allowed the identification of the soft tissues so that the reconstruction of the face and soft residual tissues could be used as reference.
We avoided subjective interpretations by giving no hair, beard, or additional color to the skin.
Multidisciplinary cooperation already reported by other authors [10, 14] was essential during the different phases of reconstruction. Although we followed a strict scientific protocol, variability in the final results can be admitted because of some subjective interpretation of the forensic artist.
Facial reconstruction of mummies and corpses is important in anthropological, medical and forensic studies. CT is the only noninvasive method to obtain fundamental data for 3D reconstructions of the head and body, especially of wrapped mummies. Our multidisciplinary study produced a model of the face of a man who lived nearly 3,000 years ago, which we would otherwise have never seen unless we unwrapped, altered, and destroyed the integrity of the bandages and the mummy.
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This picture is a perfect example of what I was talking about with regards to racial profiling based on reconstructions. Imagine if this were a body found randomly in the USA. What race would you ascribe to him? Some people would say he looks black, some would say some sort of ethnic white. It could go so many places and people would tend to see what they wanted to see. Its often quite hard to place people even when you have skin color, eye color and hair. Makes it so much more harder when you don't have those things.