Egypt

Egyptians fed ibis birds for the afterlife

New Scientist (Linda Geddes)

Ancient Egyptians paid special attention to the organs of their dead, embalming them so they would continue to function in the afterlife. Now it seems they did the same for sacrificed ibis birds, and even packed their stomachs with food so they wouldn't go hungry.

Ibis mummies are found in their millions at shrines in Egypt, where they were sacrificed to Thoth, the god of writing and wisdom. Andrew Wade at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, and his colleagues used a CT scanner to look inside two mummified adult ibises and one hatchling. This revealed that embalmers had removed their internal organs. The adult gizzards, complete with snail shells which may have come from the birds' last meals, were then replaced. The hatchling's body cavity had been stuffed with grain.

Vancouver Sun (Randy Boswell)

Analysis of a mummified, 2,500-year-old bird in the collection of a Canadian museum has led to a significant discovery about how ancient Egyptians viewed animals and their role in the afterlife.

Led by University of Western Ontario archeologist Andrew Wade, a team of experts from Canada, the U.S. and Egypt used computer imaging techniques to identify food stuffed into the beaks or bellies of sacred ibises — including a specimen from Montreal's Redpath Museum — before the creatures were sacrificed, mummified and placed as offerings to a god at prehistoric religious sites throughout the North African country.

The findings are the first to show mummified animals being treated with the same kind of reverence shown to humans, with ancient Egyptians apparently determined to ensure adequate food supplies for all living beings as they journeyed beyond death.

- Unveiling Animal Mummies
The Scientist (Cristina Luiggi) With video. Stuffed into the sand-buffeted ancient ruins scattered about the Nile Delta are tens of millions of mummified animals. Birds, cats, dogs, crocodiles, snakes—nearly all manner of creature that lived during...

- In The Lab: Looking For Birds In A Mummy
necn.com Video, with partial transcript. Back in 2006 Gerry Conlogue and Ron Beckett used x-rays, a c-t scanner and endoscope to look inside Pa Ib. He's a mummy that has been on display at the PT Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut since 1896....

- Feature: Return Of The Sacred Ibis
Egypt Today (Richard Hoath) Egypt Today's regular natural history feature looks at the Ibis and discusses the possible return to Egypt of the type of ibis which was identified with the ancient Egyptian deity Thoth. The ancient Egyptians venerated...

- Cat Scan Of Adult Mummy From Royal Ontario Museum
The Star The above article looks at results from scans on four mummies owned by the Royal Ontario Museum, one of which, an anonymous adult, was scanned last week. The previously scanned mummies are also described, including two infants and a female musician...

- Ancient Egyptians Loved Their Dead Animals
http://www.discover.com/issues/jul-05/rd/ancient-egyptians-loved-dead-animals Thanks to David Meadows's "Explorator" for the above article on the Discover Magazine website: "As part of an exhibit on mummified animals, Sabin has been analyzing the...

Egypt