Asayansi aphunzira chithunzi cha Fayum cha mtsikana wazaka za zana lachiwiri ndikusungidwa ku Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Iwo anaona chotupa pakhosi pake ndipo ananena kuti mwina chinali chithunzi chenicheni cha goiter - kukulitsa kwa chithokomiro. Izi zanenedwa m'nkhani yofalitsidwa mu Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.
Pafupifupi makilomita zana kum'mwera chakumadzulo kwa Cairo ndi Fayum oasis, yomwe ili m'malo okhumudwa achilengedwe okhala ndi malo pafupifupi masikweya kilomita zikwi ziwiri. Anthu akhala akukhala mu oasis kuyambira nthawi zakale, koma chitukuko chake chachuma ndi chikhalidwe chinayamba kumayambiriro kwa zaka za m'ma 2 BC, pamene likulu latsopano linamangidwa pano pansi pa mafumu a mzera wa 12 - mzinda wa Iti-Tawi. Chifukwa cha ngalande ndi madamu omangidwa ku Fayum oasis, dera lalikulu limathiriridwa, zomwe zimalola kuti likhale dera lolemera kwambiri ku Egypt.
Fayum idakulanso pambuyo pake, pomwe dzikolo lidalamulidwa ndi mafumu a Ptolemaic kenako ndi Aroma. Ngakhale zapezedwa zambiri m'derali, malowa amadziwika kwambiri ndi omwe amatchedwa zithunzi za Fayum. Nthawi zambiri zimakhala zowonetsera zenizeni zomwe zimapangidwa mumayendedwe a Greco-Roman omwe amaphimba nkhope za ma mummies. Mwambo wa kupanga kwawo unayamba nthawi yomwe alendo ambiri adayamba kukhazikika ku Fayum, yemwe adatengera zochitika zakale zaku Egypt zosungira akufa. Koma nthawi yomweyo, pankhope za mummies sanayike masks ochulukirapo, koma zithunzi. Zinthu zakalezi zidayamba m'zaka za zana loyamba AD ndipo nthawi zina zimapezeka kunja kwa Fayum Oasis. Asayansi pakadali pano akudziwa za zithunzi chikwi za Fayum.
Raffaella Bianucci wa ku yunivesite ya Palermo, pamodzi ndi anzake ochokera ku Australia, Britain ndi Germany, adaphunzira chithunzi cha Fayum cha mtsikana atavala nkhata yonyezimira. Chojambulachi, chomwe chimatalika masentimita 36.5 x 17.8, chinapezedwa ku Egypt koyambirira kwa zaka za zana la 20 ndipo chidalembedwa mu AD 120-140. Pakadali pano ili ku Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Asayansi akuwona kuti chotupa chikuwoneka bwino pakhosi la mkazi, chomwe sichifanana ndi "mphete za Venus" - zopindika pakhosi zomwe zimawoneka chifukwa cha zinthu zingapo zakuthupi. Panthawi imodzimodziyo, malinga ndi akatswiri, zithunzi zambiri za Fayum zimasonyeza anthu zenizeni. Malinga ndi ofufuza, mayiyo mwina anali ndi goiter. Malinga ndi ochita kafukufuku, palibe milandu yoyambirira ya goiter yomwe idalembedwa kale pakati pa Aigupto akale, ngakhale kuti zikutheka kuti matendawa anali ofala. Kufotokozera kwake ndikuti, ngakhale kupewedwa kwakukulu kudayamba ku Egypt mu 1995, komwe kumaphatikizapo kuwonjezera potaziyamu iodide ku mchere wamchere (iodization), goiter akadali matenda omwe amapezeka ku Fayoum.
M'mbuyomu, zidadziwika kuti zofukula zikuchitika ku Fayum oasis. Ofufuza aku Egypt adapeza malo akulu oyika maliro komanso maliro angapo a Agiriki ndi Aroma omwe, mwa zina, anali ndi zidutswa za gumbwa ndi amayi okhala ndi zithunzi za Fayum.
