For the first archaeologists, the only way to peer inside an ancient coffin or container was to take the artifact apart. In fact, it was only through the dismantling of ancient artifacts that these individuals learned about the lives, religions and rituals of antiquity, including those of Egypt.
Nowadays, there's a longer list of less invasive approaches for learning about antiquity, and that list is expanding. According to a paper published in Scientific Reports, for instance, a team of researchers recently applied a new, non-invasive imaging technique to six sealed coffins from around 2,500 years ago in Egypt.
Revealing the remains of mummified lizards, the team says that the paper provides a clearer picture of the process of ancient animal preservation while also signaling the suitability of the new technique for future investigations of ancient artifacts.
