A 2,000-year-old mummy thought to have been an Egyptian priest will be examined at Stanford University today in an effort to determine what the man looked like and what kind of material wrapped his body.
Radiologists will use computed tomography, or CT, scans to see through the mummy's dressings. The scans will enable scientists to create three-dimensional images of the body from the inside out, which in turn will be used to build a clay reconstruction of the man's face.
The mummy is believed to be that of Iret-net Hor-irw, a minor priest from the east bank of the Nile River in Egypt. Based on X-rays done in the 1970s, authorities think he died in his mid-20s from unknown causes, university officials said.
The mummy, which has been on loan to the Haggin Museum of Stockton, will be on display at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco through the summer of 2010.
Today's scanning takes place at 1:30 p.m. in the basement of the Grant Building on the Stanford University medical campus.
Photo by Meechmunchie
Bay City News contributed to this report.
