Pictures: Ancient Egypt Crocodile Mummies Revealed

nationalgeographic ^ | April 30, 2010

[JoeProBono]

There's a real crocodile behind that mask, according to new computed tomography (CT) scans of a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy (pictured). The 8-foot-long (2.4-meter-long) artifact—wrapped in once colorful linen and outfitted with a stylized mask—is one of two crocodile mummy bundles scanned this month at the Stanford School of Medicine in California.

Scans of the bundle above show a "mishmash of bony parts" from at least two Nile crocodiles, including two skulls, a shoulder bone, and possibly a femur, according to conservator Allison Lewis, a fellow at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology in Berkeley, California, where the mummies are kept.

Their origins unknown, the mummy bundles were purchased by philanthropist Phoebe Hearst in Egypt at the turn of the 20th century. The artifacts were recently restored and studied before going on display this week in the museum's new exhibition, "Conservator's Art: Preserving Egypt's Past."

Mummifying animals was a common practice among ancient Egyptians, who embalmed thousands of crocodiles and buried them in mass graves as offerings to the crocodile god Sobek, according to the museum

[JoeProBono]

Mask of the Mummy

3-D Crocodile Mummy

"Riding" atop the 5.5-foot-long (1.7-meter-long) unwrapped adult-crocodile mummy were more than 30 mummified babies. Riding a parent's back is a common form of locomotion for young Nile crocodiles, experts say.

[TheOldLady]

Mummy ping.

[COBOL2Java]

So they found Helen Thomas’ first husband?

[JoeProBono]

[mikrofon]

Croc Like An Egyptian

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[Rebelbase]

INSERT obligatory Bill Clinton comment: “That’s a good looking mummy”.

[JoeProBono]

http://www.gargaro.com/sounds/Mummy.wav

[YHAOS]

Some things just aren't worth keeping around. ( ^: }

[JoeProBono]

[TheOldLady]

That guy needs his mummy. And an Uzi.

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks TheOldLady. In the case of crocodiles, ya better not forget the mummy's day card. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[bigheadfred]

Zahi Hawass, with his toothy grin, “Thees are my peeple”

[uglybiker]

Ya know, I like a good mummy as much as th' next guy,
but this one reminds me too much of a certain other 'non-mummified'
individual who happens to share th' same house that I do.

[JoeProBono]

[TheOldLady]

Wow. I’m still learning new things all the time. Mummified crocodiles is a new one on me. So what other animals did the Egyptians mummify besides crocs and cats?

[TheOldLady]

And ibises. I forgot the ibises.

[wildbill]

It wasn’t hip to mummify hippos because they’d get all wrapped up in cost issues over the tissues.

[TheOldLady]

Uh oh. We need a bigger vat.