Multidetector CT of an Antillean Zemi Idol

Volumetric multidetector computed tomography (CT) was performed on an anthropomorphic cotton zemi idol from the Taino culture, which flourished in the Antilles between the 13th and 15th centuries ad. The zemi belongs to the permanent collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography at the University of Torino in Italy. According to some researchers of Taino culture, this is the only known cotton figure functioning as a reliquary that contains a partially preserved human skull. Postprocessing consisted of multiplanar and three-dimensional reformation of the axial CT scans. The built-in capacity of CT to measure the density of materials allowed detailed characterization of the structure of the zemi, which includes vegetable fibers, wood, stone, shells, and bone—in particular, the anterior part of a human skull. The results of this multidisciplinary study involving radiologists and physical anthropologists confirm the importance of multidetector CT in the noninvasive study of delicate museum objects and have awakened anthropologic interest in the form of multidisciplinary studies that are currently underway to better identify the social meaning of the object. These studies will undoubtedly provide new information about Taino culture.