Mummy ‘speaks’ from beyond the grave: Scientists recreate the nasal voice of an Ancient Egyptian priest 3,000 years after he died using CT scans of his voice box

A mummified Ancient Egyptian priest is talking from beyond the grave thanks to modern technology.

Nesyamun, a priest at the time of pharaoh Ramses II the Pharaohs was mummified around 3,000 years ago.

His remains are so well preserved that scientists were able to map his throat, mouth and voice box using a CT scanner at Leeds General Infirmary, and recreate it using 3D printing.

The priest, who is normally on display at Leeds museum, was first unwrapped in 1824 and has ‘true of voice’ inscribed on his coffin.

Academics believe his voice would have produced a vowel-like sound — somewhere between an ‘a’ and ‘e’ noise.

The mummy’s remains are so well preserved that his throat, mouth and voice box were mapped using a CT scanner at Leeds General Infirmary and recreated using 3D printing

The study conducted by academics at Royal Holloway, University of London, University of York and Leeds Museum made a 3D printed version of the mummy’s vocal tract. This was then used to recreate his larynx as a plastic copy pictured) which is smaller than that of a modern man

The study conducted by academics at Royal Holloway, University of London, University of York and Leeds Museum made a took detailed scans and measurements of the mummy’s vocal tract.

This was then used to recreate his larynx as a plastic copy which is smaller than that of a modern man, likely making his voice relatively high pitched.

Experts anticipate this is due predominantly to the fact Ancient Egyptians were much smaller than modern people, between 5ft and 5ft 4inches tall on average.

The electronic larynx is similar to those used in modern medicine to give speech back to people who lost their voice.

The priest was put through a CT scanner (pictured) to recreate his voice. He lived during the politically volatile reign of pharaoh Ramses XI (c.1099-1069 BC), working as a scribe and priest at the state temple of Karnak in Thebes – modern Luxor

The priest’s mummy unusually has its tongue sticking out, leading some to speculate that he died in his mid-fifties from poisoning or a bee sting to his tongue (pictured)

The priest, who is normally on display at Leeds museum, was first unwrapped in 1824 and has ‘true of voice’ inscribed on his coffin (pictured)

The priest lived during the politically volatile reign of pharaoh Ramses XI (c.1099-1069 BC), working as a scribe and priest at the state temple of Karnak in Thebes – modern Luxor.

He unusually has its tongue sticking out, leading some to speculate that he died in his mid-fifties from poisoning or a bee sting to his tongue.

The result is a single vowel sound but experts hope full sentences could be possible in the next two years.

Scientists say the project has produced the unique opportunity to hear the vocal tract output of someone long dead by virtue of their soft tissue preservation and new developments in technology.

They add that Nesyamun stated a desire to have his voice heard in the afterlife in order to live forever.

Professor David Howard, from Royal Holloway, said: ‘I was demonstrating the Vocal Tract Organ in June 2013 to colleagues, with implications for providing authentic vocal sounds back to those who have lost the normal speech function of their vocal tract or larynx following an accident or surgery for laryngeal cancer.

‘I was then approached by Professor John Schofield who began to think about the archaeological and heritage opportunities of this new development.

Related Posts

El lujoso ‘esqueleto’ cubierto de joyas encontrado en catacumbas romanas.

En las oscuras profundidades de las catacumbas romanas, los arqueólogos hicieron un descubrimiento sorprendente: un lujoso “esqueleto” cubierto de joyas y envuelto en un velo de misterio….

Revelando las almas perdidas de Pompeya: innovadoras tomografías computarizadas iluminan la trágica historia de una ciudad antigua.

Después de permanecer sepultadas en cenizas durante más de 1.900 años, las víctimas de la devastadora erupción de Pompeya están volviendo a la vida gracias a la…

Siglos desenterrados: hombre inca de 500 años con tocado de plumas descubierto cerca de Lima, Perú.

Miles de momias de Ica, algunas de ellas reunidas en grupos de personas para buscar, han sido desenterradas de un cementerio atractivo debajo de una torre de…

No hay dos iguales: las colosales cabezas de piedra de los olmecas en México.

Las enormes estatuas probablemente representan a gobernantes de la antigua civilización olmeca. Dos de las cabezas olmecas se exhiben en el Museo de Antropología de Jalapa en…

Egipto recibe de vuelta a casa una estatua robada de Ramsés II.

Muchos de los artefactos y obras de arte de Egipto han sido víctimas de robos en el pasado. Se saquearon ricos sitios culturales y se robaron sus…

El majestuoso y antiguo obelisco de Asuán, Egipto, un monumento con 3500 años de antigüedad, es desvelado.

El Antiguo Egipto es un enigma con su arquitectura e ingeniería. Incluso hoy en día, los expertos de todo el mundo se sorprenden de que los egipcios…