INTRIGUING discoveries have been made about an Egyptian mummy sent to London to be CT scanned.

Tahemaa, the mummy of a 26 Dynasty Egyptian priestess, was scanned at City University London as part of a joint project between Bournemouth Natural Science Society and Bournemouth University.

Results analysed so far show that Tahemaa’s mummification was not carried out to the highest standard, said Stephanie Roberts, society curator.

“Her internal organs had been removed to prevent rotting of her tissues as was normal in ancient Egypt but we found that her heart had also been removed.

“To the Egyptians the heart was the centre of being, the soul and spirit, obviously going to be needed in the afterworld.

“If it had been removed by accident it would have been carefully dried and replaced in the chest cavity,” said Stephanie.

The brain was normally removed because of its high water content, continued Stephanie, traditionally hooked out through a break in the nasal bones.

However, curiously, the scan showed that Tahemaa’s brain had been left intact.

“The finer definition of our new scans show that there is no damage to any of the tiny bones behind the nose so this did not occur”, she said.

Scans also revealed the presence of tiny amulets shaped like a dog, crocodile and a person within the bandages.

This would have been done to protect her on her difficult journey into the realms of the underworld, said Stephanie.

Tahemaa is interesting because she was “just a normal person who worked for a living”, she added.

“She was not a rich person – everything points to her being middle class.

“We will be studying the results for many years to come.”

The mummy can be visited at Bournemouth Natural Science Society at 39 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, during the weekend of September 12 and 13.

Relive the 'light fright' at museum

THE superstitious might have thought the curse of the mummy was about to be visited upon them when the coffin of Tahemaa was opened in July for the first time in 16 years.

When the coffin was opened at Bournemouth Natural Science Society in the presence of a Daily Echo reporter, the lights suddenly went out.

Southern Electric was unable to find any evidence of a power cut.

The curator was certain this was not a tale of the mummy’s revenge, echoing the fabled stories surrounding the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

She said at the time: “I think Tahemaa would be more than happy to know we’re looking after her.

“We like to consider her as the oldest member of the society!”