Local News
Friday, April 24, 2009
Exploring Egypt at FMSFEATURES WRITER
Sixth graders at Fostoria Middle School traveled through the sands of time to ancient Egypt, studying the culture, religions and, perhaps the best known piece of Egyptian culture: mummies.
The activities for the unit included mummifying a carrot, then building and decorating a sarcophagus for it. In May, the children will get to peek inside and see what their mummified carrots look like.
For Breanna Butler, learning about mummies was her favorite part.
"I liked it when we made the carrots into mummies. We put it in a box and covered it with salt and baking soda. It was pretty cool and I found out that you can mummify your pets or even yourself. I want to mummify my pet, but it costs too much," she said.
"All of it was really fun to see and hear about what they did back then," said Megan Brown.
Tim Jacacki, president of Fostoria Community Hospital, came to the school Friday to give the students a presentation about his experiences with the two mummies at the Toledo Museum of Art.
Museum founders Edward and Florence (Scott) Libby bought the mummies along with hundreds of ancient Egyptian objects on a trip to the country in 1906.
Jacacki began his career as an X-ray technician and worked at Toledo Hospital and 90 years later, the museum sent its mummies there to find out more about them, including their gender, what their daily life was like and any historical evidence about the mummies.
"When we brought them from the museum to the hospital, we treated them with respect. ... We thought of them as precious pieces of art. They were very fragile, more than 2,000 years old. And they were live human bodies at one time," said Jacacki. He pointed out that not everyone got mummified. Pharaohs, members of the royal court, the wealthy and their beloved servants were given the honor.
One of the mummies was fully wrapped and could only be investigated using X-rays, CT scans and other scientific methods.
"With the exception that (the mummy) isn't breathing, it looked very similar to the scans of the living patients we compared them to," Jacacki said.
X-rays showed that both mummies were male, one was 17-20 years old and the other in his 40s or 50s.
They also concluded that the mummy of the older man was that of a servant. The teeth were worn down nearly to the nerves, likely leaving the man in excruciating pain for the last year or so of his life, according to the hospital's experts.
Because of the desert environment, sand got into the food. While the rich could afford to have their food cleaned and carefully prepared, the poor ate what they could when they could. It was common for the poor to have their teeth literally sanded down by the particulates in their food over the years.
A CT scan of the bone also showed a narrowing of the spine. It, too, was worn down, indicating that the man had been someone who did a lot of work likely carrying things on his back.
The images also showed some soft tissue — muscle and remains of some organs (most of which had been removed by the Egyptians and preserved in canopic jars) — remained.
"It's amazing that so much was preserved for more than 2,000 years. They gave us so much to learn from," said Jacacki.
All contents © 1996 - 2008
Fostoria Review Times
Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
VIDEO
RT PHOTO GALLERY
Images for Sale
You can purchase photographs from The Review Times through our easy-to-use online system. Get prints, mousepads, T-shirts and more!
U.S. Headlines
- Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn (AP)
- AP Exclusive: Backers of NYC mosque appear divided (AP)
- Wind-whipped fires add to Detroit's economic woes (AP)
- Appeals court lets government halt torture lawsuit (AP)
- LA police chief booed at community meeting (AP)
- Highway deaths fall to lowest level since 1950 (AP)
World News
- Appeals court lets government halt torture lawsuit (AP)
- Fla. minister determined to hold 9/11 Quran burn (AP)
- Obama firm, won't yield on tax hike for wealthiest (AP)
- Colorado wildfire destroys more than 130 homes (AP)
- BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)
- AP Exclusive: Backers of NYC mosque appear divided (AP)