Appearance and Reality in Ancient Egyptian Votive Animal Mummies

Context of Research
In ancient Egypt animals were mummified in their millions as votive offerings or 'gifts for the gods'. Our understanding of the role and function of these animal offerings relies on our ability to interpret the material remains accurately. Previous research on animal mummies has been mainly species-specific or involved individual collections; however, recent work by the research team at Manchester has adopted an interdisciplinary approach. In contrast to human mummies that were preserved for a continued existence in the afterlife, these animal mummies are best understood in the light of the intentions of the ancient religious officials, who created votive offerings as a means of communication between the earthly and the divine worlds.
High-resolution non-invasive imaging, including radiography (X-ray) and computed tomography (CT) are powerful techniques for investigating the contents of wrapped mummy bundles without causing damage. Clinical imaging techniques have been successfully applied by our research group to over 300 animal mummies during the course of a Research Project Grant funded by the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2013-143). This highlighted that a complete animal skeleton is present in less than half of the specimens studied. Instead, the majority of these mummies appear to have been constructed from partial animal remains (of one or more than one individual, or in some cases human remains) from non-skeletal animal material (feathers, egg shell), or from non-animal material (mud, vegetable matter, etc.). Irrespective of the contents, the bundles were carefully wrapped in linen and often given highly decorated exteriors before being deposited in sacred areas. These votive animal mummy bundles containing anything other than a complete animal body have sometimes been interpreted as 'fakes', implying a deliberate attempt to deceive the purchaser; however, this explanation has never been tested.

Aims and Objectives
The overall aim of this proposal is to investigate the varying correlation between the external appearance and the actual contents of wrapped votive animal mummies by answering the following three research questions (RQs):-

RQ1: Can mummy bundles containing anything other than a complete animal body be classified as 'fakes'?
RQ2: Were some of these partial- and pseudo-mummies equally effective as votive offerings regardless of their actual contents?
RQ3: Were partial- and pseudo-mummies intended to serve a different votive function?

We will answer these questions using the following techniques:-
- Visual analysis of the exterior of mummy bundles to assess the sophistication of embalming, wrapping and decorative treatment. Did this vary depending on the contents?
- Non-invasive imaging techniques (clinical and industrial) combined with optimised CT protocols and sophisticated 3D software manipulation methods will improve our identification of materials included within mummy bundles.
- Imaging data and 3D replicas will be studied using zooarchaeological comparison techniques to identify anomalies 'hidden' within wrapped bundles.
- Historic sources from the Ptolemaic-Roman periods (c.332BC-AD395) will be collated and studied, to corroborate the scientific findings.

Potential Applications and Benefits
The results of the project will benefit researchers in the fields of Egyptology, zooarchaeology, imaging science, papyrology and museology through the interdisciplinary analysis of a substantial dataset and a novel methodology for its study. The strong and enduring public and broadcast media interest in the history, culture and people of ancient Egypt will help to generate extensive opportunities for outreach and engagement with public audiences. The project team have a strong record of public engagement through their regular holding of study days to disseminate recent research findings and their close involvement with museum exhibitions and broadcast media.

We have identified five groups of potential beneficiaries:-

1. General User Groups
The Ancient Egyptian Animal Bio Bank database, which will be made available online, will benefit both academic and general users. The Bio Bank database will be expanded as further museum collections are studied and will form a resource that brings together a disparate and disjointed collection of material from multiple museum collections in a user-friendly resource. It will also aid museum professionals wishing to further interpret their collections in conjunction with those from other institutions (see below). Project publications will be delivered in open-access format so that non-academic users (including curators, school learners and interested members of the public) can benefit from the results of the research.

2. Museum Professionals
The research will impact on museum professionals through participation in workshops held in collaboration with ACCES, a subject specific network, where research methods and results will be shared to encourage best-practice working methods on this often-neglected body of material. The project team will run annual workshops in connection with the International Trainee Programme (organised in collaboration with the British Museum and Manchester Museum) to highlight the potential of non-invasive imaging techniques on mummified material, thus using the research to better inform collections management and care. The project team will work closely with collaborating museums to update catalogue holdings to ensure that research outcomes are optimised.

3. Members of the Public
Members of the project team will give talks to wide audiences of professionals and members of the public who are interested in Egyptology, archaeology, museology, imaging science, mummy studies, papyrology and zooarchaeology. Engagement with the large community of individuals with personal interests in Egyptology will be advanced through participation in study days organised through Egyptology Online at the University of Manchester, including the popular range of public MOOCs. Public engagement will be delivered via a day school held in collaboration with Manchester Museum.
This proposed research will build upon the success of the touring exhibition Gifts for the Gods: Animal Mummies Revealed by further capitalising on public interest (the exhibition attracts 40,000 visitors per month with a further 2000 participating in engagement events). This exhibition, which won the CityLife 'Exhibition of the Year' Award for 2015, has cultivated close working relationships with our museum partners at Manchester Museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and World Museum Liverpool. The exhibition will remain open until late Spring 2017, enabling opportunities for continuing interaction with the public. A range of public engagement activities will be hosted at Manchester Museum and other museums contributing data to the Bio Bank to disseminate the results of the research to a wide and varied audience.

4. Educational Groups
Since the re-introduction of the study of ancient Egypt into the school curriculum in 2014, educational packages have been designed to deliver information targeted at KS2 groups and above. Close liaison with collaborating museums will provide extensive opportunities for educational outreach with KS2, KS3 and KS4 school groups and adult visitors. The PDRA will continue to be actively involved in the provision of educational visits at Manchester Museum, delivering educational packages and resources for taught and self-led school and college groups.

5. Audiences of Broadcast Media Programmes
It is likely that the project will attract opportunities to work with broadcast media companies fueled by the strong enduring public interest in the history, people and culture of ancient Egypt. The PDRA has previously featured in pre-recorded and live TV and radio programmes for the BBC, Channel 4 and international broadcast channels.