Scientific methods applied to cultural heritage analysis: The study of Kha’s grave goods by means of X-ray Computed Tomography.

Nowadays, the study of cultural heritage is increasingly based on a scientific multidisciplinary approach, in which the synergy of various analytical techniques plays a key role to address inquiries concerning the composition, dating, manufacturing technique and state of conservation of an ancient object or work of art. The research activity of our group fits into this context and is focused on the development of innovative systems for X-ray Computed Tomography (CT), a powerful non-destructive technique able to give morphological and physical information on the inner structure of the objects. Our CT systems can perform the analysis of artifacts of various types and size both in the laboratory and on-site. In June 2023 we transferred one of our systems to the Egyptian Museum in Turin for the investigation of several items from Kha’s grave goods, still regarded nowadays as the richest non-royal burial assemblage ever found in Egypt. In particular, this contribution will illustrate some interesting results from the CT analysis of six wooden boxes and five terracotta amphoras, also focusing attention on the difficulties that need to be faced when carrying out CT investigations on site.