Radiographers from the University of Suffolk have been invited by Colchester and Ipswich Museums to scan special objects in their collection, including one 200,000 years old.
Senior lecturer in diagnostic radiography at the university, Christopher Cobb, will X-ray a variety of items from the museum’s collection in the radiography suite.
These items include a 200,000 year old steppe mammoth vertebrae, excavated from the Maidenhall area of Ipswich, an Anglo-Saxon fighting knife from Belstead, and spears, a taxidermied corncrake, a doll and an Egyptian mummified cat.
Scanner findings
Full results are yet to be published, but early findings have revealed the mammoth may have had an illness which severely impacted the last years of its life.
Meanwhile the Anglo-Saxon fighting knife – known as a seax – had an intricate pattern that would have been visible on the surface, indicating it was owned by someone of high status.
The taxidermied corncrake has provided insight for the museum teams to aid in future conversation, and was found to have a broken bone in its leg. An X-ray of the doll revealed an internal pull mechanism for opening and closing its eyes.
Community impact
Mr Cobb added: “It was wonderful to see this collaboration has uncovered some new secrets for these fabulous artefacts – some of which date back hundreds or thousands of years, and we look forward to seeing the publication of the full results of this study in due course.
“The university has signed a civic university agreement, pledging to be a force for good in our communities, and inviting the team from Colchester + Ipswich Museums into our high-quality radiography suite is just one of the ways we can deliver this community impact.”
Joining Mr Cobb were diagnostic radiography lecturers Nancy Sims – who helped optimise the images and record them for future viewing – and Charlotte Wright (who trained as an archaeologist before becoming a radiographer), who provided expert guidance on appropriate projections and interpreting the results.
'A powerful tool'
Councillor Carole Jones, Ipswich Borough Council’s portfolio holder for planning and museums, added: “We’d like to thank the University of Suffolk for allowing our teams to use this state-of-the-art technology.
“Using X-ray analysis will continue to help our curators and conservators to make discoveries about the artefacts in our collections and give us a better understanding of their past and unravel their hidden secrets for us to share with our visitors. I’m excited to see what our teams may discover!”
Dr Simon Jackson, collections and learning curator at Colchester and Ipswich Museums, said: “X-ray analysis is a powerful tool to help us look beneath the surface of our objects and into their very fabric and nature. Although the technology has been around now for several decades, recent advances in X-ray technology allow far more detail to be seen.
“The results of the tests at the University of Suffolk clearly show the potential of this technology in helping us to more fully understand them. Undoubtedly more secrets are locked away in our collections waiting to be discovered.”
To find out more about Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service and its collections, visit the website here.
For more information on studying diagnostic radiography at the University of Suffolk, visit the course page here.
(Image: One of the mammoth vertebrae that was X-rayed in the collaboration, via Colchester + Ipswich Museums Service)