# The Story of an Egyptian Cat Mummy Through CT Examination +
## 2 Egyptian Mummification  
Ancient Egyptians are perhaps the best-known mummy-makers, thanks to the wealth of available sources and the charm of Egyptian culture, which has always increased studies; the current development of imaging and AI techniques now make it possible to also study Egyptian mummies without being invasive or destroying the outer casings [5].  
Ancient Egyptians believed that the preservation of a dead body from decay contributed to the well-being of the soul throughout eternity [6].  
A limited amount of information concerning the mechanics of the process has been handed down through Classical authors. The process of mummification started more than 4500 years ago [7]. The basic principle was to achieve dehydration in order to avoid putrefaction, which is responsible for the progression of decomposition [8]. Mummification was not only used to preserve humans, but also animals [9]. Animal mummies fall into many different categories: pets, food, sacred, vovtive, and 'other' [9; 10]. The ancient Egyptians believed that different animals were associated with specific deities and could either be worshiped as manifestations of a deity or given as votive offerings [9; 11; 12].  
Cats, in particular, were worshiped and sacrificed to the feline goddess [PERSON], who was the symbol of beauty, fertility, and love and a fierce protector of women and children [13]. Therefore, cats were sacrificed and presented as mummies to [PERSON] to gain her support for eternity. Archeological evidence points to the use of both wild and domestic forms of _Felis silvestris_, [PERSON], 1777, as well as of the jungle cat (_Felis chaus_, [PERSON], 1777) for mummies [14; 15]. In addition, the presence of the sand cat, _Felis margarita_, [PERSON], 1858, cannot be excluded in Egypt, even if it is rare in the area and has not been identified when large samples of cat remains have been investigated (e.g., [16]).  
One of the earliest methods to study mummies was autopsy, unwrapping or cutting through the bandages to reveal the hidden contents [17]. While informative, this was destructive. While radiography was employed on mummies at the outset of its inception, the cost and difficulties involved made it a rarity [18]. Currently, medical imaging such as radiography and computed tomography (CT) have transformed the methods of the analysis of Egyptian mummies [11; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24]. Alongside these lines of research, the applications of CT imaging to the study of zooarcheological remains has improved methodologically in the past years, building solid protocols to gain as much information as possible from ancient skeletal remains in a non-destructive way [25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33].  
The first CTs of animal mummies were performed around 1987 [20; 34; 35], and one of the most ardent supporters of this method was [PERSON] and his colleagues [20]. They used CT imaging to reveal a mummified cat within a sarcophagus. This technology allowed them to identify the bones and to conduct an in-depth analysis of both the cat mummy and its container. Subsequent research has continued to demonstrate the importance of using non-destructive methods to analyze mummy bundles [19; 34; 35].  
CT is useful not only for species identification but also for the identification of fractures, the internal collapse of skulls, age-related skeletal markers, dentition, amulets, bandage layers, and resins used for mummification. Furthermore, it is also a crucial tool for distinguishing between real mummies and pseudo or 'false' mummies, where the content is different from their external appearance [9; 10; 24; 36].  
There is no doubt that CT technology has significantly advanced mummy research, allowing for deeper insights while preserving these valuable artifacts [11; 19; 34; 35; 37].