Conversations with Mummies

An illustrated look at the cutting edge research being done on Egyptian mummies -- using X-rays, CAT scans & DNA testing -- that provides new insights into the lives of these ancient people. As the delicately painted mummy case moves slowly through the CAT scanner, remarkable images appear. Artificial eyes have been placed in the sockets. Between the bandages lie pieces of jewelry, a gold vulture with outstretched wings, and a stone beetle, a symbol of life after death. Thousands of years ago, their bodies were carefully prepared for the journey to the afterlife. Today, state-of-the-art technology allows researchers to examine more closely than ever before these people who have remained so miraculously preserved through time. Their findings portray the most intimate picture yet available of the everyday lives of ancient Egyptians. In this lavishly illustrated book, internationally acclaimed paleopathologist Rosalie David and writer Rick Archbold guide us through the fascinating world of Egyptian mummies and the international teams who study them. In an absorbing text, we meet ancient people from every walk of life -- from pharaohs to peasants -- and learn how they lived and why they died. High-tech autopsies -- using X-rays, CAT scans, and endoscopes -- uncover the agonizing afflictions that spared no one.