Embalming methods and plants in Renaissance Italy: two artificial mummies from Siena (central Italy)

Knowledge of the embalming methods used in Renaissance Italy comes not only from the literary texts of physicians and surgeons of that period, but also from artificial mummies which have been found. In 1999 two mummified bodies, dated back to the end of 15^th and beginning of the 16^th century, were recovered in a crypt of the hospital chapel of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena (central Italy). The individuals were identified as Salimbene Capacci (1433–1497), Rector of the hospital, and his wife, Margherita Sozzini (?-1511). The mummies were submitted to autopsy and paleopathological examination, which included Computed Tomography. Palaeobotanical and palynological analyses were performed on the vegetable materials and plants used to fill the body cavities. This study was carried out with a multidisciplinary perspective, that allowed us to reconstruct the embalming techniques and substances used for mummification. The results are compared with the evidences provided by other mummies and embalming handbooks of that time.     

Seasonal fluctuations in diet and death during the late horizon: a stable isotopic analysis of hair and nail from the central coast of Peru

The goal of the isotopic analysis of hair and nail from Puruchuco-Huaquerones is to reconstruct short term paleodiet using the stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in one centimetre increments of hair and two discrete points (distal and proximal) on the nail. This sampling method allows for the reconstruction of diet on a monthly basis (hair) and also diet at two periods (nail): four months and two weeks antemortem. The analysis of these two tissues demonstrates that diet varied from month to month and that food was not stored in any significant quantity. The patterning of the isotope data appears to be closely tied to the agricultural cycle, although a vertical economy cannot be rejected as an alternative explanation. Isotope data for both short (e.g., hair and nail) and long term diet (e.g., bone) are similar; this is interpreted as evidence for the continuity of the settlement in this area. There are no significant differences in the season of death between males or females or between the winter and summer months. The slightly higher mortality rate in the summer may be due to crop failure and subsequent food shortages.     

Hair surface and mechanical properties of Copt mummies from Antinopolis

In the late nineteenth century, excavations were conducted in the necropolis of the site of Antinopolis, a city founded in 130 CE. Over sixty Copt mummies, out of the thousands of graves excavated, were brought to France in the early twentieth century. Unlike mummies of the Pharaonic era, no specific study has been conducted on the mummies of the Christian era. To identify these techniques of mummification and their state of preservation, the Louvre museum has conducted a multidisciplinary study on thirty-nine mummies located throughout France.In this work, we studied the surface topography and the mechanical properties of the hair from eleven mummies.To qualify the hair wear, 3D topography of their surface has been measured with an interferometer of vertical resolution 2 nm and an analysed surface of 20 × 84 μm. The results show that, for most of the hair samples, the cuticle has completely disappeared and the cortex appears very porous. However, for a few of the hair samples, the scales are perfectly regular like those of healthy hair, which is probably due to the mummification techniques used.The mechanical properties of the hair were determined using a three-point bending mechanical test.The results show that the mechanical hair properties are not correlated with the surface morphology of the cuticle.     

An Analysis of the Gut Contents of Five Well-Preserved Human Bodies from Tarapacá, Northern Chile

The detailed microscopic analysis of the gut contents from five well-preserved desiccated human bodies, dated between 540 BC and AD 600, from the Tarapacá quebrada, Northern Chile, has been undertaken. This analysis indicated that local wild resources such as the seeds of Chenopodium sp., pods of Prosopis sp. and the underground organs of Schoenoplectus/Scirpus sp. made up a substantial part of the diet even after the presence of domesticated species can be demonstrated for the area. Evidence for the consumption of fish was also recovered but the identification of larger mammals such as the Andean camelids in the diet is only tentative. This stands in contrast to the data recovered from other classes of archaeological remains and highlights the need to correlate as many different classes of complementary data as possible if a more complete picture of ancient diet is to be forthcoming.     

Mummies, maize, and manure: multi-tissue stable isotope analysis of late prehistoric human remains from the Ayacucho Valley, Perú

This paper reports the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of bone collagen, muscle and skin from several late prehistoric–early colonial (AD 1490–1640) mummies from Perú's Ayacucho Valley. The mean of the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of bone collagen are −11.5 ± 1.4 and 11.1 ± 0.7‰, respectively. The mean of the δ¹³C values for Vinchos skin is −11.8 ± 1.2‰ and the mean of δ¹⁵N values is 13.2 ± 0.5‰. The samples of muscle tissue have a δ¹³C mean of −11.9 ± 0.9‰ and a δ¹⁵N mean of 12.7 ± 0.3‰. The data from bone collagen indicate maize was the basis of the region's subsistence economy. A significant correlation between δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of bone collagen (R² = 0.75) is consistent with the preferential fertilization of maize with composted manure. Both skin and muscle samples are consistently enriched in δ¹⁵N relative to paired samples of bone (2.1 ± 0.5 and 1.6 ± 0.7‰, respectively), possibly as a result of short term physiological stress or differential decomposition.     

Osteopathological findings in mummified baboons from ancient Egypt

We present the pathological findings in a historic population of 82 baboon mummies recovered from the animal sanctuary of Tuna-el-Gebel in Egypt, in which we were able to demonstrate a high prevalence of disease. In almost 20 per cent of the baboons, signs were present of chronic malnutrition causing bowing and shortening of the long bones. A further 15 per cent of the animals revealed features of chronic joint or vertebral deformities suggesting poor living conditions in their cages. There were three cases of post-traumatic fractures, three of haematogenous osteomyelitis, one individual showed osteoporosis and one hyperostosis of the scapula of uncertain origin. Additionally, we found one tumour of the pelvic bones with features, which might be attributable to an aggressive osteoblastoma or an osteosarcoma. Our findings clearly demonstrate the high rate of bone abnormalities and the wide spectrum of diseases encountered in Egyptian baboon mummies. These observations contribute significantly to our understanding of the life of ancient Egyptian baboons and particularly to their living conditions.