During the reign of Pharaoh Ramses XI in Ancient Egypt, there was a priest named Nesyamun who sang chants as part of his ritual duties at the temple of Karnak in Thebes. After a time, like all of us mortals, Nesyamun died, and his body was mummified, and can be found in the Leeds City Museum in England.
Subsequent studies determined he had died in his mid-50s with no damage to the bones around his neck.
Nesyamun wished to be able to speak after his death. This dying wish can be seen on the inscriptions on his coffin. Now, after 3,000 long years, his voice can be heard once again: with the help of a 3D-printed vocal tract, scientists were able to recreate the sound of his voice.
According to the study, the exact dimensions of an individual's vocal tract produce a sound unique to them. Nesyamun's voice could be synthesized using non-destructive CT scans, 3D printing and an electronic larynx.
An accurate replica can only be created if the soft tissues are well preserved, which scientists found was the case here. However, only a single vowel sound could be created through this technique — not running speech.
More details about this over at CBS News.
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