Page 5 - Eclipse - Autumn 2015

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How do you scan a four metre-long crocodile mummy?
This was the dif cult question faced by curators of the British Museum’s Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan. The mummy is large, unbendable, and fragile. The answer was,
of course, the Diagnostic Imaging Unit of the RVC’s Equine Hospital.
In October 2014, an ancient Egyptian Nile crocodile mummy, with over 20 hatchlings attached to its back, was scanned
at the RVC, using non-invasive, high-resolution computer tomography (CT). The purpose was to reveal more about the life, death and mummi cation of these sacred animals without damaging or endangering them. The 2000-year-old mummy was excavated at Kom Ombo, Egypt in 1893 by Jacques de Morgan and was given to the British Museum by the Egyptian Government in 1895. It was exhibited shortly after its arrival in the Museum, but removed in the 1930s and has not been on display for over 75 years.
During its life, the ancient Egyptians worshipped this crocodile as the manifestation of Sobek – the crocodile god. The divine
reptile was kept in captivity in Sobek’s temple at Kom Ombo. Sobek had many of the characteristics of the living reptile and was an object of both terror and reverence. He also embodied the strength, power and virility of the Egyptian pharaoh. After the crocodile died, it was mummi ed in a fashion similar to that used to mummify humans. It was
partly eviscerated, dried with natron, covered with resin and wrapped in bandages. The wrappings were removed prior to arrival in the British Museum, but traces are still visible.
The CT-scans captured by the Digital Imaging Team at the RVC provided incredibly detailed images of the mummy’s internal features, such as the stomach contents and skeleton - elements hidden beneath layers of resin and skin - in addition to evidence of the mummi cation process itself, facilitating the study of the sacred animal’s treatment both in life and death.
Thus more secrets of this Nile crocodile, an avatar of a god, and a member of the largest crocodile species in Africa, are being revealed and these ndings will be highlighted in a forthcoming exhibition at the British Museum.
The Asahi Shimbun display Lord of the Nile: a sacred crocodile mummy opens, in Room 3 of the British Museum, 10 December 2015. Admission is free.
Student award for Charles Shirazi
Congratulations to Charles Shirazi, a 4th Year BVetMed student, who was selected for a Summer of Student Innovation Award to help develop his veterinary diagnostic application ‘Ask Fido’.
‘Ask Fido’ aims to enable users, primarily veterinary students, to conduct a meta-search across multiple platforms using a unique clinical diagnostic interface. This
evidence-based approach will allow the user to access recent papers, treatments, clinical signs, descriptors, suggested diagnostic tests and even images and videos, providing more reliable and accurate references than internet search engines.
He will receive a grant and support from Jisc (a registered charity
who champion the use of digital technologies in UK education) to
develop his application with the aim of improving his creative design, research, entrepreneurial and project management skills.
This is the second year in a row that an RVC student has been selected for one
of these prestigious awards - last year Matthew Dobson (4th Year BVetMed) won one for his popular ‘Vet Revise’ application.