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00:28Transcription by CastingWords
00:31Mummies. The word conjures up images of mystery. And yet, a scientific process is behind the legend.
00:42The technique of mummification originated in ancient Egypt around 2600 B.C.
00:48In order to understand the mummification process, scientists have been studying mummies for years.
01:00In 1986, an interdisciplinary scientific team met in Lyon, France, to examine an Egyptian mummy.
01:07This program summarizes the initial phase of study, as well as the first scientific results and discoveries.
01:15This is the Egyptian mummy, inventory number 9001-255.
01:23It arrived at Lyon's Guillaumet Museum of Natural History at the end of the last century.
01:29It is leaving today to undergo a series of unusual tests.
01:35These tests will hopefully unravel the secrets of the mummy.
01:47The mummification process is recognized as the earliest form of embalming.
01:55The initial steps had to take place very quickly to avoid deterioration.
02:00The body was first laid onto an embalming table and washed by the priest with a julep preparation.
02:07The embalmer then cut a slit in the left side of the abdomen, just large enough for his hand.
02:12He then pulled out the soft-tissued organs, such as the intestines, stomach, and liver.
02:18Then, after perforating the diaphragm, the heart and lungs were removed.
02:23These organs were then carefully prepared separately outside of the body.
02:29The thorax and abdomen were then washed with a palm wine and dried with a cloth.
02:36The eyes were removed by thumbs.
02:38Then, a bronzed-hooked instrument was introduced in the nostrils to gain access to the cranial cavity.
02:45The brain was reduced to pulp with a mixing motion,
02:49and the brain fluid removed by blowing air into the cavity.
02:54A boiling plant mixture of herbs and spices was then poured into the head.
03:00The head was shaken back and forth, and then raised to remove everything that remained.
03:07The remaining liquid cooled in the bottom of the cranium.
03:10Then, two pads of fabric soaked in perfumed oil were put in the nostrils to preserve the nose's shape.
03:17A desiccant, or drying agent, was placed in the abdomen,
03:21and other desiccants were placed around the body in order to dry it out.
03:26As soon as it was sufficiently dry, the abdomen was filled with a plant material.
03:31The internal organs were then put back into place.
03:35These organs were now referred to as canopic packets.
03:39You must bear in mind that the ancient Egyptians' conception of the individual
03:43was completely different from ours today.
03:47For the Egyptians, the soul was made up of several units.
03:52These units, which we traditionally call
03:56the Ba, the Ka, the name, the body, and the shadow.
04:01These five elements fuse together, making one individual.
04:08At death, these elements dispersed.
04:12From this point, we enter into the ritual conservation of the entire body.
04:19The idea of the body as a protective shell
04:22automatically leads to the maximum protection of the body
04:26with the help of holy objects that are sanctified during the rituals.
04:34The Egyptians believed that the dead could be joined
04:37with their god of the underworld, Osiris,
04:40when all the elements that make up the soul were reunited.
04:46There is no direct translation for these elements,
04:49but they were all important factors for immortality.
04:53The Ba, usually depicted as a human-headed falcon,
04:57was believed to be noble or sublime
05:00and usually remained sentimentally attached to the dead body.
05:04If the body was destroyed, the Ba could not survive.
05:10The Ka was an individual's double
05:13and retained all the person's qualities as well as faults.
05:17To go to one's Ka was a euphemism for death.
05:22The name also played a very crucial role.
05:25To blot out a person's name
05:27was to destroy that individual for all eternity.
05:32The dead's blueprint to immortality
05:34were their depictions on the walls of their tomb.
05:42All mummies are mysterious.
05:44This one, perhaps, even more than others,
05:47because for the moment,
05:49its name, gender, age,
05:51and even the region of Egypt that it comes from are unknown.
05:58However, some questions may be answered
06:00through this magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI scanner.
06:04This scanner will illuminate the mummy's interior,
06:07allowing the scientists to analyze its anatomy.
06:19In the thorax and abdomen,
06:21there are structures that appear to be more or less folded
06:25and may correspond to some of the bandages.
06:29This is perhaps the heart
06:31which has been put back into place.
06:35Elsewhere, in the lower parts of the cranium and thorax,
06:38there's a sedimented liquid.
06:43Everything depends on anatomical observations.
06:47And I think that we have recorded
06:50a lot of information here
06:52that we'll be able to assimilate into our findings.
06:55These observations will lead us in one direction or another.
06:59We'll then come back to this magnetic tape
07:02to look for corresponding information.
07:08There are approximately 30 mummies like this one
07:11sleeping in Lyon's Guilmets Museum in France.
07:15A common misconception regarding mummies
07:18is that they are rare.
07:23Today, we know that mummies are not scarce,
07:26that many of them exist.
07:29In fact, they've been used since ancient times.
07:35We know that during antiquity,
07:38many of them were destroyed during various thefts.
07:42And in the Middle Ages, for example,
07:46mummies were imported,
07:48ground into powder,
07:49and used in medicines.
07:52From the end of the 17th century
07:55to the beginning of the 19th,
07:57the English created a veritable mummy industry.
08:02They had mills especially for mummies,
08:06where they ground them down into fertilizer.
08:10This, in turn, fed the cattle industry
08:13of the British Empire during that period.
08:18This vast destruction and removal of mummies from tombs
08:22have left us with many unidentified mummies,
08:25like our stranger from Lyon.
08:28Only through scientific investigation
08:31are we able to uncover clues to their past existence.
08:39Since the turn of the century,
08:41mummies have been studied to unveil the culture
08:44and religion of ancient Egypt.
08:47Today, modern science brings new techniques
08:49techniques to aid in these studies.
08:53To investigate the Lyon mummy,
08:55it was necessary to form a diverse interdisciplinary team
08:58of specialists, such as surgeons, historians,
09:02Egyptologists, radiologists, pathologists,
09:06and even botanists and bacteriologists.
09:09The first procedures were with the Egyptologists,
09:13who specialized in the textiles
09:14or the bandages covering the mummy.
09:17You have one bandage going this way
09:20and this one the other way.
09:29There are little crystals and pebbles.
09:32That comes from sand.
09:41It was stuck together point by point.
09:44This is interesting
09:45because by removing fragments piece by piece,
09:50we might be able to see
09:51whether it's a resin or a tar.
09:56If this is the case,
09:58then it's more than the ancient texts describe.
10:08Judging from what we have here,
10:11we are coming to the second shroud,
10:14the shroud of Sobek.
10:18Under this,
10:19we will start to see
10:21the ritual bindings.
10:26Sobek was the Egyptian crocodile god
10:29who was originally associated
10:31with death and burial
10:32before he became a protector of reptiles
10:35and patron of kings.
10:36He is usually represented in illustrations
10:39with a crocodile or reptilian head.
10:44However, the god most associated
10:46with Egyptian death rites is Osiris.
10:51Osiris was one of the most important gods
10:53in ancient Egypt.
10:57The customary tale goes as follows.
11:02Osiris was slain by his brother Seth,
11:05who then tore up the corpse into 14 pieces,
11:08which he flung all over the earth.
11:11Osiris' wife Isis and her sister Nepsis
11:15found and buried all the pieces except the phallus.
11:18new life was given to Osiris.
11:21New life was given to Osiris
11:21and he remained in the underworld as ruler and king.
11:25It was believed that the magical assimilation
11:28of a dead person with Osiris
11:30occurred with the ritual enacting
11:32of what the gods had done for Osiris.
11:36The process of being assimilated with Osiris
11:39did not imply resurrection.
11:41Even Osiris did not rise from the dead.
11:45However, it did imply immortality
11:48both in the next world
11:49and through one's descendants on earth.
11:53Thus, mummification arose
11:55from the following of Osiris.
11:59The rites were based upon the belief
12:02that the dead body of Osiris
12:04had been preserved from decomposition
12:06and raised to life by the gods.
12:10From about 2000 BC,
12:13it was believed that every man,
12:15not just pharaohs,
12:16joined Osiris at death.
12:18However, mummification was quite expensive.
12:21And only the wealthy could afford it.
12:25Obviously, the physical preservation of the body
12:27was central to all Egyptian concerns
12:30about the afterlife.
12:34We are very close to touching the body.
12:39What is this substance?
12:42The analysis will tell us more precisely.
12:45But it doesn't seem to be made from a plant.
12:48It's more likely a form of mineral,
12:52such as tar,
12:55because of its dark colouring.
12:58It's almost black.
13:01It appears to have been heated up
13:04and then poured on.
13:08The fabrics are in pretty good shape,
13:10in fact, remarkably good condition.
13:13They are still covered
13:15with resin and other substances
13:18we haven't identified yet.
13:21Clearly,
13:22there are remains of clothing
13:24and stitching,
13:26the remains of a braided border
13:28and even some decorative braiding
13:30with different coloured ribbons.
13:32and we will probably be able
13:34to piece together something interesting.
13:46These sections of fabric
13:48being laid out like giant pieces
13:50of a jigsaw puzzle
13:51are the fragments found
13:53under the shrouds of the mummy.
13:58They lead to the first
14:00and perhaps most important
14:01yet surprising discovery.
14:06An eminent specialist
14:08of ancient navigation
14:09was asked to identify
14:11these pieces of fabric.
14:15There aren't any traces
14:17of sewing underneath,
14:19but look,
14:21a water stain.
14:23I thought I'd seen some too,
14:25right here, for example.
14:28The piece is placed
14:30on the other side.
14:31You see,
14:33it's a fold.
14:35There's a patched up hole here.
14:38The hole wasn't sewn
14:38so it had to be patched.
14:40It is sewn on the other side
14:42to hold it all together.
14:45This fragment
14:46was part of the stuffing
14:48in the mummy's side,
14:50all around the trunk
14:51of the body
14:52and between the legs.
14:55It was really
14:56a sort of pad.
14:57We received it
14:58in boxes from the museum.
15:00We started by washing
15:01the first piece.
15:03Then we washed
15:04the second piece,
15:05making sure
15:05they always remained flat.
15:07So we tried to dry them
15:09by spreading them out
15:10in the most logical order
15:11while respecting the warp
15:13and weight
15:13and the direction
15:14of the straps.
15:15In looking again
15:17at the straps,
15:18we had to decide
15:19which ones really were straps
15:21and which ones
15:22we'd positioned wrong.
15:24Then,
15:25we started to rebuild it
15:27from all of these fragments.
15:29I took the first piece
15:31and slowly started
15:32to fit them together.
15:34While we were drying them
15:35on the ground,
15:35I began to realize
15:37that this could hardly
15:38be a garment
15:39as I'd first thought.
15:40And once I saw its size,
15:42I was thoroughly perplexed.
15:45The pieces formed
15:46an ancient sail.
15:48Marie Schoeffer's confusion
15:49could be excused
15:51because examples
15:52of ancient sails
15:53are rare.
15:54These Ed Fouba reliefs
15:56are among the only
15:57few examples existing.
16:01Most ancient sails
16:03were done in a system
16:04where sections of fabric
16:07were often sewn
16:09to one another
16:10in a series of horizontal
16:13and vertical bands.
16:15What makes it all
16:16the more likely
16:17that these fragments
16:19hide an ancient sail
16:20is a piece of a ring
16:23at the intersection
16:24of two bands.
16:26There were also remains
16:28of other attachments
16:29where the rings
16:31would have gone.
16:35These rings
16:36are essential
16:37in the ancient sail
16:39because the brailles
16:41pass through them.
16:43The brailles
16:44start at the top
16:45of the yard
16:46and continue down
16:48to the base
16:49of the sail.
16:51This arrangement
16:52allows the sail
16:54to be folded
16:54from the bottom
16:55to the top
16:56depending on the amount
16:58of sail you need.
17:03It's easy to picture
17:05an individual
17:06who could provide
17:07part of that resource.
17:10Such a huge piece
17:12of material as this.
17:13And if we accept
17:15Monsieur Roger's hypothesis
17:17that this material
17:18measured 26 feet
17:20and we only have 13 feet
17:23the same operation
17:24could be repeated
17:25with another individual
17:27and another piece
17:28of fabric.
17:30Indeed
17:31this is a side effect
17:33from war
17:33that we've also seen
17:35with the Greeks
17:36which is to recover
17:38every cloth
17:38every rag
17:40every linen
17:40so that they could
17:42eventually be sold
17:43to families of the dead.
17:45Of course
17:46there must have been
17:47shepherds
17:47and ragmen
17:49who discovered
17:50all sorts of rags
17:52which became a part
17:54of their means
17:55and they would offer them
17:56at a reasonable cost
17:58to families
17:59who'd had
18:00a recent death.
18:02As for the stuffing pads
18:04removed earlier
18:04they formed
18:05an easily recognizable
18:06tunic.
18:07And right here
18:08it was torn
18:09but the two borders
18:11were once sewn
18:11one next to the other.
18:14Here's where the arm went
18:16and the tunic
18:16continued downward.
18:19This now recognizable
18:21sail
18:22will hopefully
18:23add to our knowledge
18:24of ancient Egypt
18:25since ancient sails
18:26are quite rare.
18:28Jean Rouget
18:29explains why.
18:31Sails are
18:32by definition
18:34near the water.
18:35so the materials
18:37they're made from
18:39deteriorate rapidly.
18:42Consequently
18:42this is the first
18:43ancient sail
18:44we possess.
18:46Hundreds of yards
18:47of fabric
18:48were used
18:49to wrap
18:49and protect the body
18:50during the last stage
18:51of mummification.
18:54As we've discovered
18:55our mummy from Léon
18:57was wrapped in sections
18:58from a pharaonic sail.
19:00These wrappings
19:01need more initial analysis
19:02to uncover
19:03if there is any significance
19:05to the sail.
19:08For that
19:08we need to travel
19:10across the Mediterranean Sea
19:12to Karnak
19:13in Upper Egypt.
19:15Karnak is a world
19:17of temples
19:17and sanctuaries
19:18where the great gods
19:19of the Egyptian empire
19:21were honored.
19:23Here Dr. Vernau
19:24is interested
19:25in a possible
19:25spiritual connection
19:27to these pieces
19:28of pharaonic sail.
19:30All the aspects
19:31of this sail
19:32will be analyzed
19:33including the fashion
19:34in which it was ripped.
19:36There may be a reason
19:37behind the actual
19:38shredding gestures.
19:40Dr. Vernau
19:41patiently reconstructs
19:42pieces of the mummy's bandages
19:44through photos
19:45that are easier
19:46to assemble
19:46than the actual wrappings.
19:48When the people
19:49took the sail
19:50and ripped it
19:51they had to
19:52break it apart
19:54in a certain way
19:55that left these pieces.
19:57By looking at the pieces
19:58we can try to
20:00reconstruct those
20:01ripping gestures.
20:03When you
20:04just try to put it together
20:05like a puzzle
20:06you can't imagine
20:08how they tore it apart.
20:11Here you have
20:13two pieces
20:13that were torn
20:14in the band
20:15in that place there.
20:18In other places
20:19like this one here
20:21it is even clearer
20:22because the band
20:24was torn off.
20:25But you can just see
20:27a few threads
20:29tracing the band
20:30that used to be here.
20:32The same thing here.
20:34Threads
20:35where the band
20:36used to be.
20:38Vernau explains
20:39that the relevance
20:40of the sail
20:41is associated
20:42with the importance
20:43of sea vessels
20:44to most cultures
20:45past and present.
20:47People have a need
20:48to search beyond
20:49their own back door.
20:52As well as sailing
20:54from one place
20:55to another
20:55there is also
20:56a spiritual connection
20:58with the sea
20:58and the shores.
21:00The shores
21:01are symbolic
21:02in a religious sense
21:03with the sunrise
21:05on one side
21:06and sunset
21:07on the other.
21:08But is there
21:09a connection
21:10with our lion mummy?
21:12There may be
21:13no religious correlation
21:14to the fact
21:15that our mummy's
21:16wrappings
21:16were pieces of a sail.
21:18It may have simply
21:19been a more reasonably
21:20priced material
21:21to wrap the body in.
21:24The large quantity
21:25of fabric needed
21:26to wrap the bodies
21:27was quite expensive.
21:30Unfortunately
21:31we may never know
21:32if there was
21:33any relevance
21:33to this sail
21:34being used
21:35as wrapping materials.
21:39The lion mummy
21:41has not unveiled
21:42all of his secrets
21:43and yet
21:44he has provided
21:45an example
21:46of a very rare
21:47pharaonic sail
21:48which will engross
21:49researchers
21:50and historians
21:51for years to come.
21:58for more than
21:593,000 years
22:01the Egyptians
22:01preserved their bodies
22:03through mummification
22:04using relatively
22:05sophisticated techniques
22:07which depended
22:08upon the finances
22:09of the dead
22:09and the era
22:10in which they died.
22:12We may never know
22:14how many mummies
22:15this represents.
22:16Perhaps some of them
22:17are still deep
22:18in their sand-covered tombs.
22:22However
22:22there is much
22:23that we can learn
22:24from the ones
22:25that we do uncover.
22:29Now that the
22:30unwrapping is complete
22:31we are ready
22:32for the actual
22:33autopsy of the mummy
22:34to examine
22:35its internal organs.
22:38We already
22:39have a good idea
22:40of what we are
22:41going to find
22:41thanks largely
22:42to the MRI scans
22:44performed earlier.
22:47A diverse team
22:48of specialists
22:49joined forces
22:50to perform
22:50the autopsy.
22:52There was
22:52an anatomical pathologist
22:54an internal surgeon
22:55an orthopedic surgeon
22:57a museum curator
22:58an egyptologist
23:00and a polynologist.
23:04This assorted team
23:06of individuals
23:07prepped the mummy
23:08by removing
23:09all excess resins
23:10and substances
23:11around the body.
23:18The nose area
23:19and the bottom
23:20of the skull
23:20were stripped
23:21of any excess
23:22residues.
23:25Some of these
23:26resins were taken
23:27as samples
23:27to be studied later.
23:31Once the nose area
23:33was thoroughly cleaned
23:34the surgeons
23:35were ready
23:35to drill the skull
23:37to take a look
23:38inside.
23:42We already know
23:43that the brain
23:44was removed
23:44during mummification.
23:46No one is sure why
23:48but it is believed
23:49that preserving
23:50the brain
23:50was difficult.
23:55The brain
23:56is rarely mentioned
23:57in the medical documents
23:58from ancient Egypt.
23:59It is occasionally
24:00described as an organ
24:02producing mucus
24:03which drained out
24:04through the nose.
24:06not a very
24:07flattering description.
24:12It was probably
24:13regarded as a fairly
24:14insignificant organ.
24:16It definitely
24:17was not considered
24:18as a necessary organ
24:19for assimilation
24:20with Osiris
24:21and therefore
24:22was removed.
24:26This is all
24:27that is left
24:27of the inside
24:28of the lion mummy's head.
24:30As expected
24:31it is mainly
24:32an empty shell.
24:40The surgeons
24:41are now going
24:41to remove
24:42the chest cavity
24:43to take a look
24:44at the canopic packets
24:45mentioned earlier.
24:46These packets
24:47are the organs
24:48that were removed
24:49from the body
24:50and purified
24:51in canopic jars.
24:52They were then
24:53returned to the body
24:54as canopic packets.
24:59This process
25:00was necessary
25:00for two reasons.
25:02One was scientific
25:03and the other
25:04religious.
25:07The treatment
25:08in the canopic jars
25:09helped to preserve
25:10the soft tissueed organs
25:12and the process
25:13gave the individual
25:14magical powers
25:15to aid in the
25:16assimilation
25:16with Osiris.
25:20Even though
25:21these packets
25:22were expected
25:23this mummy
25:24revealed a few surprises.
25:30what can this be?
25:32It's a mystery
25:33except that
25:35the surface
25:36is very smooth.
25:37Could it be
25:38the intestines?
25:38I don't think so.
25:40I suppose
25:40it's the stomach.
25:42We'll have to find out
25:43when we analyze it.
25:51The preservation
25:52of the tendons
25:53is extraordinary.
25:55Their pink color
25:57is quite a contrast
25:58to the rest of the body.
26:02I'm a polynologist
26:04which means that
26:06I study pollen.
26:09The first sample
26:10that I'm taking now
26:13is located
26:14in the thoracic cavity
26:17and it corresponds
26:18to a sediment
26:19or grainy substance
26:22that may come from plants.
26:25It has to be analyzed
26:26to determine this.
26:27The pollen
26:29keeps for a very long time
26:31and can help us
26:34reconstruct the
26:35plant environment
26:36of that era.
26:38Another surprising discovery
26:40was an unidentified substance
26:42that was found
26:43at the bottom
26:44of the thorax
26:45which was still sticky
26:46after more than
26:472,300 years.
26:52All of the samples
26:53we've taken
26:54came from the thorax
26:56and from the joint
26:59of the femur.
27:01These samples
27:02will be analyzed
27:03by the various specialists.
27:06This analysis
27:07will certainly
27:08give us more
27:10definite information.
27:13As a urologist
27:15I am interested
27:17in the penis
27:18of our mummy
27:18who turns out
27:20to have been
27:21quite well endowed.
27:23I was very interested
27:25in the appearance
27:26of a mold of skin
27:28under the organ
27:29but we sectioned it
27:32and it's almost
27:33certainly resin
27:35but this is consistent
27:37with other findings.
27:43From our analysis
27:45we know that this mummy
27:46is a 30 or 40 year old man.
27:50Closer to 40
27:52than to 30.
27:54as for the signs
27:56left by mummification
27:57the first
27:59was the resin
28:00in the bottom
28:00of the skull
28:02as you can see.
28:04Second
28:04the opening
28:05of the abdomen
28:06where the internal organs
28:08and canopic packets
28:09were introduced.
28:11Third
28:12in pathological terms
28:13there isn't much
28:14other than signs
28:15of osteoarthritis
28:16in the spine.
28:17Here's the hole
28:19that we could see
28:19in the scanner
28:20which is nothing
28:22other than a large disc
28:23between the vertebrae
28:25L4
28:26and L5.
28:29There is arthritis
28:31in the right hip
28:32which has been sent
28:33for tests.
28:34In the shoulder
28:35rotary muscles
28:36are clearly broken
28:37but this may not
28:39be a symptom
28:40and the rest
28:42is well
28:43practically normal
28:45and this leads
28:47us to believe
28:48that this person
28:49died from
28:50an infection
28:51or tumor
28:52of some sort.
28:55There are not
28:56many descriptions
28:56of funeral rites
28:58from that era.
29:00This was precisely
29:01what was so interesting
29:02to all the Egyptologists
29:04and what motivated
29:06Professor Goyan
29:07to do this research
29:08and compare it
29:09with the few texts
29:10that we have
29:11about their funeral practices.
29:17And so this man
29:19from the past
29:19has been able
29:20to keep some
29:21of his secrets.
29:22But in exchange
29:24he has given
29:25the scientists
29:25all sorts of information
29:27that they will
29:27continue to analyze
29:28such as clothing customs
29:31through the wrappings
29:32and some medical practices
29:34discovered
29:35through the autopsy.
29:37He has also confirmed
29:38some details
29:39behind ritual embalming
29:41better known
29:41as mummification.
29:55As the scientists
29:57tried to advance
29:58their knowledge
29:58they never forgot
29:59that this corpse
30:00over 2,300 years old
30:02was human
30:03and they treated it
30:04with respect.
30:05we have not
30:09really infringed
30:10upon the sacred laws.
30:12Indeed
30:13in a certain measure
30:15we had a great deal
30:18of respect
30:19for this stranger.
30:21In the course
30:23of our research
30:24we see ourselves
30:26sort of as
30:27Egyptian priests
30:29and the embalmers
30:30and the embalmers
30:33I think
30:34that our approach
30:35could be understood
30:36from that point of view.
30:39On the one hand
30:41we ignored
30:43practically everything.
30:46Since the 18th century
30:48when we started
30:50to be interested
30:50in mummies
30:51as curiosities
30:52we started to have
30:54meetings there
30:54almost social gatherings
30:57where we began
30:59to remove the wrappings
31:00and to examine
31:02the mummies.
31:05The only information
31:06that we got
31:07from these events
31:08was false
31:10and inexact.
31:11we had to get past that.
31:15In order for the autopsy
31:17of Léon's mummy
31:18to be more valuable
31:19than a curiosity
31:20and more important
31:21than the autopsies
31:22that were done
31:23in the 18th century
31:24it was necessary
31:25to continue
31:26the research
31:26and analyze
31:27all of the samples
31:28that were taken.
31:31As you will recall
31:32one of the most
31:33startling discoveries
31:34at the time
31:35the chest was opened
31:36were the internal organs
31:37in canopic packets.
31:40At St. Antoine Hospital
31:42in Paris
31:42Dr. Josette
31:44the anatomical pathologist
31:45has identified them.
31:52You can say
31:53that we were
31:54pleasantly surprised
31:56by the amount
31:57of success we had
31:58in creating
31:59incredible histology
32:00and obtaining
32:01some great pictures.
32:03In effect
32:04because these are things
32:05we haven't seen
32:07or described before
32:08we've had to make
32:09our own
32:10paleopathological atlas.
32:13Paleopathology
32:14is the study
32:15of the pathology
32:16of ancient human remains.
32:26This first packet
32:28contains the lungs
32:30and histological analysis
32:34revealed some remarkably
32:36well-preserved structures
32:37that lead us to believe
32:39that this individual
32:40had some sort of illness
32:42at the time of his death
32:45perhaps pneumonia
32:46or even tuberculosis.
32:50The second canopic packet
32:52is the individual's penis
32:53which was a little strange
32:56because it did not just contain
32:58the end of the tissue
32:59but the entire member
33:01which is now
33:02completely dried out
33:04but it's easily
33:05but it's easily
33:05recognized histologically.
33:07It was usually preserved
33:09but in a few cases
33:11to help the deceased
33:12assimilation with Osiris
33:14it was completely removed
33:17and placed elsewhere.
33:23Theoretically
33:24the heart
33:25is left in place
33:27and in some cases
33:29and in some cases
33:29we find it dried out
33:30and compacted
33:32in the upper thorax.
33:35However,
33:36it was often removed
33:38and possibly lost
33:39so it was replaced
33:41with a heart scarab.
33:42The scarab contained writings
33:44from the Book of the Dead
33:46and was inserted
33:47and was inserted
33:48in place of the heart.
33:56The last packet
33:58the most intriguing one
33:59of the autopsy
34:01has gone through
34:02a histological analysis
34:04and turns out to be
34:05an extremely well-preserved
34:07piece of skin.
34:09This means two things.
34:11First,
34:11the skin was not removed
34:13because it putrefied.
34:17Instead,
34:18only part of it
34:19was removed
34:19and preserved separately.
34:23Second,
34:25this is a very little-known
34:27rite of mummification.
34:30It's a very interesting
34:31and odd discovery.
34:36From the anatomical analysis
34:38the scientists established
34:40that the mummy was a man
34:41who lived around 300 BC.
34:44No papyrus
34:45or other information
34:46was found with the body
34:47that could help
34:47to uncover his identity
34:49or his role in society.
34:54However,
34:55the specialists
34:55hoped to discover
34:56the location
34:57where our Leon mummy
34:58was entombed.
34:59For that,
35:00they needed to use
35:01the science
35:02of polynology.
35:08At the archaeological
35:09research center
35:10in the southern French Alps,
35:12the science of polynology
35:14is used to uncover
35:15some details
35:15about our Leon mummy.
35:20Polynology is the study
35:22of pollen
35:22and a remarkable tool
35:24for archaeologists.
35:26In effect,
35:27these microspores
35:28are indefinitely preserved
35:29even in the most
35:30extreme conditions.
35:32They provide the researchers
35:33with a lot of information
35:35such as geographic locations
35:37and timelines.
35:40In order to study
35:41the 2,300-year-old pollen,
35:43the botanists refer
35:45to Herbie Bonaparte,
35:46the turn-of-the-century
35:48plant collection
35:48of Roland Bonaparte,
35:50nephew of Napoleon III.
35:53In the 1800s,
35:55Bonaparte was the first
35:56to collect Egyptian objects
35:58and monuments
35:59in his expeditions
36:00to Egypt.
36:04The pollen samples
36:06are then analyzed further.
36:25I thought with all
36:27these analyses
36:31I'd be able to reconstruct
36:33the plant environment
36:35of the place
36:35where the mummy
36:37was embalmed,
36:38for example.
36:40Numerous pollen samples
36:41were taken from the mummy
36:42both externally
36:43and internally.
36:48While the mummy
36:49was unwrapped,
36:50samples were removed
36:51from the different
36:52textile sections.
36:54During the autopsy,
36:55samples were removed
36:56from the interior
36:57of the body.
37:00All of these samples
37:01will hopefully unravel
37:02some of the mummy's secrets.
37:06The sticky substance
37:08that was removed
37:08from the bottom
37:09of the thorax
37:10puzzled all the scientists
37:11and needed extensive analysis.
37:18From this mummy,
37:19we have two pictures
37:21of pollen.
37:22The pollen from
37:24the exterior sources
37:25that came from
37:26the bandages
37:27or wrappings
37:29of the mummy
37:29and the pollen obtained
37:32from the unidentified
37:33resinous, sticky material
37:35from the interior
37:36of the mummy.
37:39These two are
37:40completely different
37:41because they are probably
37:43from two different places,
37:45which is quite conceivable
37:46since the resin
37:48could have easily
37:48come from somewhere else.
38:01one of Michelle Girard's main goals
38:03was to unearth information
38:05that would locate
38:06where the mummy
38:07was embalmed.
38:09We can't name a specific
38:14geographic region,
38:16but we can say
38:18the spectrum indicates
38:19a dry, tropical place
38:22in Africa.
38:25Which is precisely
38:26the plant environment
38:27of Upper Egypt.
38:30The analysis identified
38:32cartonnage
38:33used to stamp
38:34the bandages.
38:36Sorghum,
38:37a familiar cereal
38:38to ancient Egyptians.
38:41Rice,
38:42which was abundant
38:43in the resins.
38:44And the Nile acacia
38:46that probably
38:47was used as a gum.
38:53Lyon's mummy
38:54probably comes
38:55from an area
38:56near the vast tombs
38:57in the Valley of the Kings
38:58in western Thebes.
39:03This Valley of Tombs
39:04started as a result
39:05of past pillaging.
39:07Fearful of losing
39:08their riches,
39:09the Egyptian kings
39:10and queens
39:11decided to conceal
39:12their tombs
39:12in a lonely valley
39:13in the western hills
39:15of Thebes.
39:19The pharaohs
39:20of the 18th,
39:2119th and 20th
39:22dynasties
39:23were placed deep
39:24into the heart
39:25of the mountain.
39:29These tombs
39:30were normally
39:30quite elaborate
39:31compared to the
39:32nearby tombs
39:33of lesser nobles
39:34in the Thebian plains.
39:38This is where
39:39our stranger
39:40from Lyon's tomb
39:41may have been located.
39:44The walls
39:45of most tombs
39:46from craftsmen
39:47to pharaoh
39:48were covered
39:49with sculptures
39:49and painted scenes
39:51depicting the dead
39:51individual
39:52in the presence
39:53of deities,
39:54especially the
39:55underworld gods.
39:59There were also
40:01illustrated magical texts
40:03similar to those
40:04found in the
40:04funerary papyri
40:06designed to help
40:07the individual
40:07on his journey
40:08to the nether regions.
40:12The walls
40:13of our mummy's tomb
40:14probably resembled these.
40:25mummies
40:26there are still
40:27more questions
40:28than answers
40:28but at least
40:29we have a glimpse
40:30into this mummy's existence.
40:40One of the goals
40:41of museum directors
40:42around the globe
40:43is to improve
40:44the ability
40:45to preserve mummies
40:46and stuffed animals.
40:48It is a terrible loss
40:50when they are damaged
40:50by an insect
40:51known as the museum spirit.
40:55Studies of this insect damage
40:57will help improve preservation.
41:01These pictures
41:03are samples taken
41:04from mummy bandages
41:05that were magnified
41:0615,000 times.
41:08They reveal
41:09that the techniques
41:10used by the embalmers
41:11protected the mummies
41:13from this particular
41:14insect attack.
41:22These insects
41:23and other similar ones
41:25are known to destroy
41:27collections
41:27of preserved
41:29and stuffed animals
41:30and other museum specimens.
41:33It is known
41:34as the museum spirit.
41:37This photo
41:38shows us the leg
41:40of the insect
41:40that was caught
41:42in the resin.
41:45This is categorical proof
41:46that the insect
41:47was present
41:48before the resin
41:50was poured.
41:52This shows
41:53a certain delay
41:54between the drying
41:56out of the body
41:57and the moment
41:59when the resin
42:00was applied.
42:03This also shows
42:05that the resin
42:06has extremely
42:08antiseptic properties.
42:10and that it also
42:12acts like
42:12an insecticide
42:13that protects
42:14the mummy
42:15from insect destruction.
42:19And what about
42:20our mummy?
42:22Once he has unveiled
42:23all the information
42:24that he can,
42:25what will be
42:26his fate?
42:29The first idea
42:30would be
42:31to send it back
42:32into storage
42:33with the others
42:33so we do nothing
42:34with it.
42:35A second idea
42:37would be to
42:38underline
42:39the scientific work
42:41that has already
42:42been carried out.
42:44This comes
42:45immediately to mind
42:46in a living museum
42:49such as this
42:50for we must go
42:51beyond our research.
42:54So,
42:54you could say
42:55that the best solution
42:56would be to
42:57organize an exhibition
42:59for the public
43:00that focuses
43:02on the mummies
43:03and on the mummification
43:05process.
43:07Of course,
43:08this one mummy
43:09around which
43:11all of our scientific
43:12research was centered
43:13would become
43:15the center
43:16of this public exhibition.
43:22The Guimet Museum's mummy
43:24has kept
43:25some of his secrets
43:26and has thus
43:27locked away
43:28part of the key
43:29to understanding
43:30more about
43:31ancient Egyptian
43:32culture and religion.
43:35He will go on
43:37as an exhibit
43:38to help others
43:39to understand
43:40mummification practices.
44:11The Guimet Museum
44:45is a very important
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