The Voice of Nesyamun
Scientists used a 3D-printed copy of his throat to let a 3,000-year-old Egyptian priest make a sound again.
What was reported
Nesyamun was a priest at Karnak in Egypt around 1100 BC, whose duties included speaking and singing in temple rituals. His mummy came to Leeds in 1823 and survived the bombing of the city museum in 1941.
In 2020 researchers used CT scans of his well-preserved throat and mouth to 3D-print a copy of his vocal tract, then played sound through it with an electronic larynx. The result was a single vowel-like sound, somewhere between the vowels in 'bed' and 'bad'.
Explanations offered
It isn't his speech, only the sound his vocal tract would shape in its present position, since his tongue has shrunk and the muscles are gone. The team hopes to model more sounds in future. His coffin is inscribed with a wish that his voice would live on.
- When
- Voice recreated in 2020
- Where
- Leeds City Museum, Leeds, England
- Witnesses
- Researchers in Leeds and London
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.