Mummies, dinosaurs and vikings—CT is becoming the modality of choice to study history
Computed tomography isn’t just the imaging modality of choice for medical providers tasked with caring for the living; it has become increasingly popular among experts who study ancient history as well.
Recently, researchers with the University of Gothenburg in Sweden used CT imaging to get an inside look at the skulls of the Vikings of Varnhem in the Swedish province of Västergötland, an area known for its droves of ancient graves. The team conducted a series of scans on 15 well-preserved skulls believed to belong to Vikings from the area.
The images acquired allowed the team to gain unprecedented insight into the sorts of diseases Vikings were affected by during that era. Despite the skulls being hundreds of years old, the team was able to make detailed observations on the subjects’ health, identifying signs of osteoarthritis, sinus and ear infections, dental diseases and more.
"The results of the study provide greater understanding of these people's health and well-being. Everyone knows what it's like to have pain somewhere; you can get quite desperate for help. But back then, they didn't have the medical and dental care we do, or the kind of pain relief—and antibiotics—we now have. If you developed an infection, it could stick around for a long time,” explained study lead Carolina Bertilsson, an assistant researcher at the University of Gothenburg and a dentist within Sweden's Public Dental Service.
This latest study joins a growing trend of historians and archeologists utilizing modern technology to better understand the lives of those who came before us. The Field Museum in Chicago has been conducting similar work on its mummies.
In 2024, the team was using a mobile unit parked outside the museum to study the mummies in a more sensitive, person-centered approach that helps to preserve their wrappings. Over a four-day period during the summer, researchers scanned 26 mummified individuals from the museum. Through this, they have been able to answer questions related to the ages, lifestyles and even causes of death of the individuals scanned.
Prior to that, the St. Louis Science Center and the Washington University School of Medicine conducted similar analyses on mummies and dinosaur remains. And speaking of dinosaurs, in 2022 experts with UChicago Medicine Center for Care and Discovery scanned parts of the Field Museum's Tyrannosaurus rex, Sue, in an attempt to answer the decades old question of why the massive animal had such short arms.
These are just a few examples of the many historical projects that have tapped into the potential of CT to get a more detailed look into the past.
"Very many of today's archaeological methods are invasive, with the need to remove bone or other tissue for analysis. This way, we can keep the remains completely intact yet still extract a great deal of information," Bertilsson suggested.
Learn more about the team’s project here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.