Awesome! A 3D-printed vocal tract allows an ancient mummy to speak.

A replica of the vocal tract of a 3,000-year-old mummy has revealed what that mummy would sound like if it were raised from the dead. Using CT scans of the mummified Egyptian priest Nesyamun, the researchers mapped the exact shape of the mummy’s vocal tract, which governs the unique sound of a person’s voice; When attached to an artificial larynx, a 3D-printed cast of the mummy’s vocal tract produces a sound between the vowels of bed and malo, the researchers report.

Nesyamun’s undead expression does not quite mimic his original voice, because the mummy’s tongue, which affects the shape of the vocal tract, is dry and flattened. Rather, it has created the sound it would make if it spoke while currently lying in its sarcophagus, according to archaeologists.

The plastic cast of the priest’s vocal tract cannot speak full words, but using a computer simulation of the vocal tract with a moving jaw and tongue, they could make him speak, scientists say. By using inscriptions in the mummy’s tomb and other ancient religious texts, researchers may one day be able to make vocal recordings of Nesyamun’s own prayers and daily liturgy that he would have performed in his duties as a priest.

Allowing Nesyamun to speak from beyond the grave could create more immersive museum exhibits and provide insight into ancient architecture. It’s quite clear that various parts of the Karnak Temple, where Nesyamun worked, were built in ancient times to have a certain acoustic quality for chants and hymns, according to the study’s co-author, an Egyptologist at York University in England. Bringing Nesyamun’s voice back to where he was using his voice helps to better interpret that environment.

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