Using 3D CT technology, Egyptologists have, for the first time, examined the remains of Pharaoh Amenhotep I, who ruled over Egypt between 1525 and 1504 B.C.E.

Discovered in 1881, the mummy remained sealed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and remains so today. This is because of its fragility and the fact that it is perfectly wrapped. It is the only royal Egyptian mummy not to be opened for study. Dr. Sahar Saleem, a professor of radiology at Cairo University and the radiologist of the Egyptian Mummy project decided, along with her colleagues, to study and keep the pharaoh well-preserved by "digitally unwrapping" him.

To do this, they used CT to examine the remains and got an inside look at the physical condition of the pharaoh at the time of his death and learned how he was buried. Based on an analysis of the bones, Amenhotep I was approximately 35 when he died, was in general good health and stood approximately 169 cm (5'5 ft) tall. He was also circumcised, had intact and golden teeth, a narrow chin, a small narrow nose, curly hair and mildly protruding upper teeth. He seems to have physically resembled his father, Ahmose I, reports CNN.
“We couldn’t find any wounds or disfigurement due to disease to justify the cause of death, except numerous mutilations postmortem, presumably by grave robbers after his first burial. His entrails had been removed by the first mummifiers, but not his brain or heart,” said Saleem, who was the first author of the study.

Hieroglyphics show that the mummy was opened once before, three millennia ago in the 11th century B.C.E., more than four centuries after he was buried, by high priests of Amun. Originally, the researchers thought that the priests did this to reuse amulets for later pharaohs, which was a common practice. But when observing Amenhotep I, they found this was not the case, according to NBC News.

“We show that at least for Amenhotep I, the priests of the 21st dynasty lovingly repaired the injuries inflicted by the tomb robbers, restored his mummy to its former glory and preserved the magnificent jewelry and amulets in place,” said Saleem.

The second pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th dynasty, Amenhotep ruled during a golden age of Egypt, when the land was prosperous and safe. He ordered a religious building spree and led successful expeditions to Libya and northern Sudan. Following his death, he and his mother, Ahmose-Nefertari, were worshiped as gods.

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