Preservation of the heart in ancient Egyptian mummies: A computed tomography investigation with focus on the myocardium
Stephanie Panzer 1 2, Alice Paladin 3, Stephanie Zesch 4, Wilfried Rosendahl 4, Peter Augat 2, Randall C Thompson 5, Michael I Miyamoto 6, M Linda Sutherland 7, Adel H Allam 8, L Samuel Wann 9, James D Sutherland 7, Chris J Rowan 10, David E Michalik 11, Klaus Hergan 12, Albert R Zink 13
Abstract The ancient Egyptians considered the heart to be the most important organ. The belief that the heart remained in the body is widespread in the archeological and paleopathological literature. The purpose of this study was to perform an overview of the preserved intrathoracic structures and thoracic and abdominal cavity filling, and to determine the prevalence and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of the myocardium in the preserved hearts of ancient Egyptian mummies. Whole-body CT examinations of 45 ancient Egyptian mummies (23 mummies from the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin, Germany, and 22 mummies from the Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy) were systematically assessed for preserved intrathoracic soft tissues including various anatomical components of the heart (pericardium, interventricular septum, four chambers, myocardium, valves). Additionally, evidence of evisceration and cavity filling was documented. In cases with identifiable myocardium, quantitative (measurements of thickness and density) and qualitative (description of the structure) assessment of the myocardial tissue was carried out. Heart structure was identified in 28 mummies (62%). In 33 mummies, CT findings demonstrated evisceration, with subsequent cavity filling in all but one case. Preserved myocardium was identified in nine mummies (five male, four female) as a mostly homogeneous, shrunken structure. The posterior wall of the myocardium had a mean maximum thickness of 3.6 mm (range 1.4–6.6 mm) and a mean minimum thickness of 1.0 mm (range 0.5–1.7 mm). The mean Hounsfield units (HU) of the myocardium at the posterior wall was 61 (range, 185–305). There was a strong correlation between the HU of the posterior wall of the myocardium and the mean HU of the muscles at the dorsal humerus (R = 0.77; p = 0.02). In two cases, there were postmortem changes in the myocardium, most probably due to insect infestation. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the myocardium systematically on CT scans of ancient Egyptian mummies. Strong correlations between the densities of the myocardium and skeletal muscle indicated similar postmortem changes of the respective musculature during the mummification process within individual mummies. The distinct postmortem shrinking of the myocardium and the collapse of the left ventriclular cavity in several cases did not allow for paleopathological diagnoses such as myocardial scarring.
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heard from the grape vine there might be some DNA recorded here but I don't have access
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Genetic Predisposition of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Ancient Human Remains Authors Christina Wurst, Frank Maixner, Alice Paladin, Alexandra Mussauer, Guido Valverde, Jagat Narula, Randall Thompson, Albert Zink
Abstract Background: Several computed tomographic studies have shown the presence of atherosclerosis in ancient human remains. However, while it is important to understand the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), genetic data concerning the prevalence of the disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in our ancestors are scarce.
Objective: For a better understanding of the role of genetics in the evolution of ASCVD, we applied an enrichment capture sequencing approach to mummified human remains from different geographic regions and time periods.
Methods: Twenty-two mummified individuals were analyzed for their genetic predisposition of ASCVD. Next-generation sequencing methods were applied to ancient DNA (aDNA) samples, including a novel enrichment approach specifically designed to capture SNPs associated with ASCVD in genome-wide association studies of modern humans.
Findings: Five out of 22 ancient individuals passed all filter steps for calculating a weighted polygenic risk score (PRS) based on 87 SNPs in 56 genes. PRSs were correlated to scores obtained from contemporary people from around the world and cover their complete range. The genetic results of the ancient individuals reflect their phenotypic results, given that the only two mummies showing calcified atherosclerotic arterial plaques on computed tomography scans are the ones exhibiting the highest calculated PRSs.
Conclusions: These data show that alleles associated with ASCVD have been widespread for at least 5,000 years. Despite some limitations due to the nature of aDNA, our approach has the potential to lead to a better understanding of the interaction between environmental and genetic influences on the development of ASCVD.
Sample material The ancient sample material used in this study derived from mummified and skeletonized human remains from various geographic areas and time periods, including 17 individuals from Ancient Egypt (3640 BC–655 AD), one individual from Bolivia (1000–1470 AD), one individual from Peru (1367–1427 AD), one church mummy from Switzerland (1787 AD), and one Australian aboriginal mummy (1904 AD). In addition, the genetic data of the new genome from the Iceman (3350–3120 BC) has been included in the analyses [24] (Figure 1A; Supplementary Table S1).
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I only see SNP data for 4 of 17 Egypt individuals Looked in supplement 2 also although there are some other graphs in S1
Probably related, mentioned in the '3 Interesting abstracts thread' , upcoming article focusing on the Egyptians for 2/2025
ABSTRACT HGP-023 Genetic study of ancient Egyptian human remains dating from the Predynastic Period to the early Islamic Period (ca. 4000 cal. BCE - 800 cal. CE) Speaker: Alexandra Mussauer Eurac Research - Institute for Mummy Studies, Italy; Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany Co-authors: Christina Wurst1,2, Alice Paladin1, Valentina Coia1, Frank Maixner1, Albert Zink
1 Eurac Research - Institute for Mummy Studies, Italy 2 Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Abstract: Due to high-throughput sequencing and targeted enrichment methods, ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis is emerging as a valuable tool for the investigation of ancient Egypt’s demographic history. However, the recovery of aDNA from Egyptian human remains is challenging due to poor DNA preservation and a high contamination risk. Thus, so far, less than five ancient Egyptian genome-wide datasets have been published. In addition, mitochondrial genomes are almost exclusively limited to a timespan ranging from the New Kingdom to the Roman Period (1550 BCE - 395 CE) as well as to a single archaeological site (Abusir el-Meleq). To extend the pool of ancient Egyptian genome datasets, both mitochondrial and genome-wide, we report the results of a genetic study of 100 ancient Egyptian human remains. Overall, these individuals exhibit an endogenous human DNA content between 0.01% and 40.84%. Using an enrichment capture targeting the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), we were able to reconstruct complete mitogenomes for 25 individuals dating from the Predynastic Period to the Coptic Period (ca. 3500 cal. BCE - 650 cal. CE) and encompassing the archaeological sites of Asyut, Akhmim, Deir el-Bahari, Deir el-Medina, Thebes, the Valley of the Queens, and Gebelein. These genomes exhibit a mtDNA haplogroup diversity similar to ancient Egyptian haplogroup profiles published by Schuenemann, et al. Nat. Comm. 2017. This provides further evidence for shared maternal ancestries between western Eurasian or northern African populations and ancient Egyptians during and after the New Kingdom. In addition, we also found western Eurasian mtDNA haplogroups in individuals dated to periods prior to the New Kingdom. Furthermore, we performed a whole-genome enrichment capture on seven individuals to test these findings also on a genome-wide scale. Overall, this study provides further insights into the demographic history of ancient Egyptians considering a broader geographical context and the older periods of Egypt’s past.
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posted
The ancient Egyptian word for heart as in the physical organ is haty whereas the metaphysical concept is called ib. The difference the same as that between the brain and the mind. The ib was seat of consciousness and was in many ways equivalent to the mind. The Egyptians also believed that one's ib was inherited from the mother which is why in many ancient proverbs women were more scrutinized for their character in choice of spouse. It was believed that the ib was put in a balancing scale in the Underworld as part of Ausar's judgement on whether or not a person was accepted into eternity.
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