January 2008
Three members of the Consortium have been called upon to make replicas of ancient Egyptian tools for a series of TV programmes. The programmes, which will be shown on the History Channel in the Spring, investigate a 3000-year old Egyptian mummy, Nesperennub, exploring how he died and how the process of mummification was carried out.
His death is thought to have been caused by a blow to the head from a stone mace and, to test the theory, stonemason Matthias Garn and wood-carver Ian Broadbent were asked to make a mace to the specification of an actual Egyptian weapon of the same period held in a museum. Matthias was pictured carving the head, while Ian made the handle. The finished article was tested on a pig’s head to check whether the effect replicated the impression on the mummy’s head.
Meanwhile blacksmith Don Barker was replicating copper and bronze cranial hooks used to break up the brain and remove it through the nasal passage as part of the rather gruesome process of mummification. These too were tested successfully, this time on a sheep's head. As a consequence Don received a further order for similar hooks for the Egyptology students at York University!