Tag Archives: mummies

The Earliest Human Mummies: A 14,000-Year-Old Smoking Process

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Left: The remains of a middle-aged woman at the Liu Po site in southern China, where smoke was used before burial approximately 8,000 years ago. Right: Contemporary smoke-dried mummies of Dani individuals in West Papua, Indonesia.

Zhen Li, Hirofumi Matsumura, Hsiao-Chun Hung

Carefully preserved through smoking practices up to 14,000 years ago, a human body has been found at archaeological sites in Southeast Asia, making it the world’s oldest known mummy.

This custom continues today among the Dani people in West Papua, Indonesia, who mummify their deceased relatives by exposing them to smoke and treat them with care and respect as part of the household. Many of these mummies are found in a tightly bound squatting position.

Similar “highly flexed” ancient remains have also been discovered in Australia, China, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan.

Hsiao-Chun Hung from the Australian National University in Canberra noted the striking similarities between burial remains excavated in relation to Dani traditions while working on ancient skeletons in Vietnam in 2017.

Hung and her team analyzed the burial practices of 54 hunter-gatherers from 11 archaeological sites across Southeast Asia dated between 12,000 and 4,000 years ago to uncover evidence of smoking. Most sites were based in northern Vietnam and southern China.

Numerous remains displayed clear signs of partial burning, though not enough to indicate cremation. The researchers utilized two analytical methods, X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy, on several bone samples to assess thermal exposure.

Over 90% of the 69 skeletal samples displayed indications of heat exposure. The findings suggest that while human remains were not subjected to extreme temperatures, they likely endured lower temperatures, potentially from smoking for extended periods.

The oldest mummy examined by a Vietnamese team from Hang Cho dates back over 11,000 years. However, a tightly bound skeleton from another site, Hang Mooy, indicates practices recorded over 14,000 years ago. “We didn’t need X-rays or infrared to analyze this one because it’s evidently partially burned and visible to the naked eye,” explains Hung.

Previously, the oldest known mummy was believed to come from northern Chile, approximately 7,000 years ago, and ancient Egypt around 4,500 years ago.

Hung suggests that the evidence indicates this burial tradition likely spread across southern China and Southeast Asia at least 14,000 years ago, as agricultural societies became prevalent in the region around 4,000 to 3,500 years ago. The constricting bindings of mummified bodies may have facilitated their transport, she notes.

Ethnographic studies indicate that these traditions persisted in southern Australia until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, according to Hung. “Additionally, our literature review in the New Guinea highlands reveals that these practices continue among some communities today.”

“Our results signify a unique blend of techniques, traditions, culture, and a profound connection to ancestry that spans an extraordinary timeframe, covering vast regions from the Paleolithic era to the present,” she states.

Vito Hernandez from Flinders University in Adelaide suggests that this study challenges long-standing beliefs that such practices were exclusive to arid regions like Chile’s Atacama and Egypt’s Nile Valley. “It highlights the role of tropical environments in nurturing distinct mortuary traditions among early modern humans across the Far East and potentially into the Pacific,” he remarks.

“By extending the timeline of mummification by at least 5,000 years, the Chinchalo culture [of South America] emphasizes Southeast Asia’s role as a center for cultural innovation, demonstrating a deep continuity that connects early Holocene hunter-gatherers with present-day indigenous groups in New Guinea and Australia,” Hernandez adds.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ancient Siberian Ice Mummies Adorned with Unique Tattoos

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3D representation of a tattooed mummy. The upper image uses textures captured under visible light, while the lower image’s textures come from near-infrared photography.

M. Vavulin

The intricate tattoo, featuring motifs of tigers, birds, and mythical creatures, has been uncovered on an ice mummy dating back over 2000 years. This mummified female belonged to the Pasilic culture in Siberia, which is part of the broader Scythian civilization.

Assessing the prevalence of ancient tattoos is challenging, yet some exceptions exist, such as Ötzi “Iceman,” who lived around 3300 BC and was found preserved in ice.

Now, Gino Casparri from the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Germany and his team studied the remains of semi-nomadic Iron Age herders from the Altai Mountains of Siberia, who passed away in the 3rd or 4th centuries BC. This individual is among the few in the region whose deep burial sites remain frozen, preserving her skin’s dark and dry condition.

Tattoos featured creatures resembling both real and mythical species.

D. Riday

“When observing the mummy with the naked eye, the tattoo remains invisible,” explains Casparri. Hence, his team utilized high-resolution near-infrared imaging to uncover astonishing hidden visuals.

“We see herbivores being hunted by tigers and leopards, and in some cases, birds are depicted,” Casparri remarks. “Given their age and vivid artistic style, Pasilic tattoos are genuinely remarkable.”

One bird resembles a rooster, as noted by team member Aaron Deter-Wolf from the Tennessee Department of Archaeology, highlighting how the tattoos feature a blend of realistic and fantastical animals.

The researchers also uncovered the process behind creating these tattoos. “Our investigations reveal that tattoos were crafted using a direct puncture technique rather than being etched or stitched into the skin,” states Deter-Wolf.

One of the tattoos seems to depict a rooster.

D. Riday

Cross-cultural evidence indicates that the tattooing method used was a technique called hand-poking. In this method, the needle is dipped in ink and punctured into the skin to create dot patterns, with carbon pigments likely sourced from charcoal, soot, or ash.

The tattoos on the right forearm exhibited more intricate designs compared to those on the left, suggesting they may have been created by different artists with varying skill levels, according to Caspari. “Our research indicates that tattooing was not only a widespread practice across the Eurasian steppe over 2000 years ago but also a specialized craft requiring significant expertise and technique,” he concludes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Archaeologists Uncover Unusual Rectal Preservation Techniques Used on Mummies

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Recent archaeological findings indicate that well-preserved mummies were air-dried using long chips, twigs, cloth, and zinc chloride inserted into the rectum.

The 280-year-old remains belong to an Austrian priest and represent the first documented case of such an unusual but effective preservation method.

“The remarkably preserved mummy found in the Church District of St. Thomas am Brassenstein is that of Franz Zaber Sidler von Rosenage, a local pastor who passed away in 1746,” said Professor Andreas Nellich, a pathologist from Ludwig Maximilians University, Germany, involved in the Frontiers of Medicine study.

“Our investigation revealed that excellent preservation was achieved by packing the abdomen with wood chips, twigs, and dough, coupled with zinc chloride for internal desiccation.”

The mummy’s body walls were entirely unharmed, though more decay was evident on the head and legs. – Credit: Andreas Nellic

The upper body of the mummy remained largely intact, while significant collapse was observed in the head and lower body.

Nerlich, along with a global team of researchers, conducted thorough analyses, including computed tomography scans (using X-rays and computers to construct detailed body images), radiocarbon dating, and chemical assessments.

These studies confirmed Sidler’s identity, indicating he died between 1734 and 1780 at the age of 35-45.

Further discoveries of unique fabric tissues from materials found in the mummy’s abdominal cavity. Left: A piece of cotton with an intricate floral pattern. Right: A silk fabric fragment. – Credit: Andreas Nellic

In their efforts, scientists removed preservatives from Sidler’s body, uncovering that the abdominal and pelvic cavities were filled through the rectum with family and spruce chips, along with linen, hemp, and flax fabrics.

These materials were readily available in the small Austrian village where Sidler lived. Additionally, silk and embroidered linen were discovered within his remains, suggesting that the stuffing absorbed much of his abdominal fluids.

Toxicological examinations indicated that zinc chloride, a potent drying agent, was used to maintain the body’s condition.

Moreover, researchers found a small glass bead, likely lost within Sidler during the preservation process.

Left: The removal of some foreign materials from the dorsal abdominal wall revealed a mix of white fabric, plant matter, and brownish amorphous tissue residues. Right: A round object found in the left pelvis had a small hole with raised lips. – Credit: Andreas Nellic

Nerlich stated that the extent of rectal preservative use among mummies remains unknown, and other well-preserved bodies may have previously gone unreported.

The reasons behind Sidler’s preservation method remain unclear, though Nellich suggested:

“It’s possible the pastor was intended for transportation to his home monastery, but for reasons unknown, that plan may have failed.”

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Ancient tattoo designs on mummies revealed by shining laser

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The tattooed hand of a 1200 year old mummy from Peru

Michael Pittman and Thomas G. Kaye

Laser scanning of a South American mummy reveals the intricate details of a tattoo dating back more than 1,200 years.

The mummy, belonging to a pre-Hispanic tribe known as the Chancays, was discovered in 1981 at the Cerro Colorado cemetery in Peru’s Huaura Valley.

It was obvious to the naked eye that many of the 100 mummies were tattooed, but the ink smeared beyond the boundaries of the original design and faded, making it impossible to see what the original markings looked like. It was impossible.

In a new study, michael pitman Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong shined a laser on the specimens in a dark room and took long-exposure photographs. The laser brightened the skin and created a sharp contrast with the non-fluorescent tattoo ink.

This technique, which does not damage mummies, has never been used for tattoos before. Importantly, Pittman says, it shows not only where the ink is on the surface, but also where it is in the deeper layers of the skin.

“This allowed us to see the bleeding that had accumulated over the lifetime of the tattoo owner and reveal the original, finer design of the tattoo,” he says.

Researchers say the tattoo is so minute that it must have been created using a needle-and-ink technique using cactus needles or sharp animal bones, rather than a “cut-and-fill” method. That’s what I think.

Tattoos appear to have been important to the Chancay people, Pittman said, as they appear on the majority of known mummified human remains.

Forearm with Chancay mummy tattoo

Michael Pittman and Thomas G. Kaye

“Many of the designs, which are geometric patterns featuring triangles and diamonds, are also shared in other art mediums such as pottery and textiles, and some ceramic figures show geometric tattoo designs. Some are,” he says.

Some tattoos have intricate designs that seem to require special effort, while others are small and simple. “Thus, ancient Chancay tattoos show some similarities with the variations in design and significance that can be observed in tattoos today,” Pittman says.

Pittman says many traditional tattoos made by other ancient peoples can also be viewed in detail using laser-stimulated fluorescence technology. “We therefore plan to apply this method to other ancient tattoos from cultures around the world and try to make other interesting discoveries,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com