Mummies from Around the World

          

 

            When most people think of Mummies, their first thought is Egyptian sarcophagi holding a withered body wrapped in bandages. Egyptians were far from the only culture to have preserved mummies. Many countries around the world have discovered mummies although admittedly quite a few preserved by accident. Because Due to different cultures practicing various burial practices and  climate differences would produce unique results. Here are a few different preservations found around the world:

 

            Tarim Mummies

 

            The Tarim Mummies are two thousand year old mummies that were discovered in The Tarim Basin of Western China. What is interesting about these particular mummies, is that they had blonde, red or brown hair and appeared to be Caucasian. This was a mystery to researchers and historians because they had no other proof that any Western civilization had traveled that far East for another thousand years.

       

 

            The burial of these bodies were indicative of Western culture at that time, so the mummification of the bodies were not do to a man made preservation practice. It was rather the hot dry climate and rocky terrain that contributed to the preservation.

 

           

 

Mummies of the Catacombs; Palermo, Italy

 

            In 1599 the Capuchin Monks discovered that the catacombs that lay on the outskirts of Palermo, Italy were ideal conditions for preserving the dead. For decades the monks would display beloved clergy along the walls and in coffins. They also allowed some locals to bring their loved ones to be laid to rest in the catacombs. One of the most beautiful and most well preserved mummies in the Palermo catacombs if a two year old little girl by the name on Rosalia Lombardo.

  

          Rosalia was only a toddler when she fell ill to Pneumonia in 1920. Her father was stricken with grief after she passed and asked the monks if she could be placed in the catacombs so that he may be able to see her whenever he liked. The monks agreed and she became one of the last bodies to be placed there.

            Because of the ideal conditions of the catacombs, Rosalia’s body remained completely preserved. MRI scans and X-rays indicate that all of her internal organs are still intact. Due to some recent changes in the environment, her body was recently discovered to show signs of decomposition. To continue to preserve her body she has been placed in a more dry part of the catacombs and in incased in an airtight glass. People who tour the catacombs have nicknamed Rosalia “Sleeping Beauty”.

 

            Bog Bodies  

            Another example of natural mummification is the Bog Bodies. These are ancient corpses that were found buried in the Northern Bogs and wetlands on Northern Europe. The perfectly preserved bodies are claimed to be as old as two thousand years. Because of the nature of the deaths it is believed that the corpses found in the wetlands were likely the result of religious sacrifice.

 

            The Llullaillaco Maiden

 

            In 1994 during an expedition climbing Mt. Llullaillaco, researchers discovered the mummies of three children. For years the mummies were stored until researchers could figure out the best way to study them without the bodies breaking down. The reason for this was because the mummies were so well preserved they looked as though they could still be alive. Recently they have finally been able to study and display these mummies.

            The most well preserved of the three was a fifteen year old girl they named the Llullaillaco maiden. Their research indicated that she was an Incan girl. She looked to have been a perfectly healthy and beautiful girl. She wore layers of clothing and had on beaded shoes, all which remained preserved as well.

            Researchers believe that these ancient Incan children were a sacrifice. True to the Incan tradition of that time, the children were given alcohol and then left on top of the mountain where they fell asleep and froze to death. Because of the cold, dry climate and the thin air, the children’s bodies never decomposed.

 

            Soap Mummies

 

            Sometimes it’s not just the environment that effect how a mummy is preserved. In the 19^th century a new kind of mummy was discovered. Two different bodies were discovered that had mysteriously turned into soap. Both a male and female, apparently plump in nature had died and were buried under the same type of soil. Because of the mineral content in the soil a chemical change happened to the fatty tissue in the bodies creating soap like substance.

            The male was the most preserved with his organ still preserved in the body. Because of his fragile state he is stored at the Smithsonian and cannot be displayed. The woman is on display at the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia.