Micro-CT tomographic data set of 38 mummy labels from the BNU in Strasbourg (2/2)

Summary

This submission contains a tomographic dataset of 38 mummy labels from the BNU in Strasbourg used to perceive the anatomical identification possibilities of the woods used for mummy labels and to carry out ring width measurements. The data will be made available as part of [Blondel et al., 2024].

Apparatus

The dataset is acquired using the EasyTom 150/160 X-ray tomograph (RX Solutions). This tomograph is equipped with a sealed X-ray generator with a compact tube and an interchangeable-plane sensor fitted with a CsI scintillator. The CT scanner parameters for the session carried out on the mummy labels were set at 90 Kv with an intensity of 195 mA for an acquisition resolution varying between 11 and 42 µm with 2016 projections (that is about 20 images on average per projection) with a frame rate of 12,5 and a temperature of 28°C. Each image was then reconstructed by filtered retroprojection using the XAct software (RX Solutions).

Information on placing mummy labels in the tomograph

The installation of the mummy labels was the same for all the different labels, some of which varied in size. They were attached to a plastic clamping vice-type support covered in expanded foam to prevent the labels from being marked during clamping, before being placed on the tomograph's rotating platform.

Issues relating to the data collected

The data collected for this study were carried out to perceive the possibilities of anatomical identification from tomographic images in the transverse plane. The tangential and radial planes were not of sufficiently high resolution due to the dimensions of the mummy labels, see details in [Blondel et al., 2024]. The other objective was to use tomographic imagery to facilitate the acquisition of ring widths in the transverse plane of mummy labels. The mummy labels were not tomographed in their entirety. Only the central part, a few centimetres high, was tomographed to maximise resolution. The number of projections and the resolution per label are specified in table form in [Blondel et al., 2024], as they vary according to the width and thickness of the mummy labels. All raw tomography image data (i.e. without corrections) are available in .tif format. The post-processing steps are described in the methodology of [Blondel et al., 2024].

List of Contents

The content of the submission is divided into 38 data sets corresponding to the 38 mummy labels. Each set is labelled with the inventory number of the BNU mummy label and its resolution. Each set contains:
- all the images of the transverse plane in .tif format, the number of projections of which varies from one label to another depending on the resolution of the acquisitions, see details in [Blondel et al., 2024].
- The .xls file containing a summary of the scanner metadata for each of the mummy labels.
- The three images processed in the transverse plane for each label, including those used to measure ring width for the 7 labels for which ring width measurement was possible, as presented in [Blondel et al., 2024].
- Colour photographs of the front and back of each tomographed mummy label including those on which ring width measurements were taken on their surface, unless otherwise stated[1]. All these photographs are marked: Coll._et_photogr._BNU_Strasbourg_OpenLicence, accompanied by the inventory number.

Acknowledgments

We would also like to thank engineers Damien Favier and Antoine Egele from the Charles Sadron Institute for their work on the tomographic acquisitions carried out on the 38 mummy labels.