Silicon Graphic International 3D visualization brings ancient Egyptian back to life

The Egyptian child, who was embalmed and mummified before burial according to Egyptian custom, was brought back to animated life by a team of world-renown experts in Silicon Valley using high-quality 2D scans of the mummy to generate the most detailed 3D model ever, without disturbing its delicate form.

The model is the highest quality interactive visualization of a mummy ever seen, and allowed specialists to arrive at conclusions regarding the age and gender of the child that lived two thousand years ago. Detailed analyses led to the realization that the child was female and was approximately five years old when she died, while the scented resin paste on her golden face mask suggests that her family was wealthy.

"The realism and detail of the reconstructed mummy by scientists using SGI's prism technology is unprecedented and is an important advance for historical research. This is the first step towards recovering a wealth of historical information locked beneath bandages and in prehistoric bone fragments. We are sure to see further fructuous application of the 3D rendering techniques that allowed a two-thousand year old Egyptian to come back to computer-aided life," said Gilbert Soufan, General Manager, SGI, Middle East and North Africa.

SGI reaches over 50 countries in servicing strategic market segments such as government and defense, media, manufacturing, and energy. The leader in high-performance computing, visualization and storage boasts one of the largest Research and Development investment figures in the industry at 13%.

"The Prism visualization platform is simply one more way that SGI continues to push the limits of computing and innovation in 3D visualization. The latest SGI systems are exceptionally powerful, and are within reach of more people than ever before, bringing cutting-edge technological advances that are being leveraged not only by archeologists and Egyptologists but by business across all major industries as unique planning, evaluation and research tools to address strategic issues and tough business problems. Our systems are used in seismic data analysis for oil and gas exploration, and in crash simulation and product design for the automobile industry," Soufan concluded.