Mummified Human Remains from Early Modern Period to Present – Decay Process, Burial Customs and Ethical Challenges
Part of: Society for Historical Archaeology 2017
Mummification is not just a part of burial traditions in ancient Egypt as it also occurs as a natural process under right ambient conditions. Mummified human remains can be found in various geographical locations with wide climatic and temporal spectrum. For this session we would like to receive papers related to mummification as a process including the effects of burial customs. The emphasis is on the naturally mummified human remains from medieval or younger time periods.
The main research questions are: 1) what kind of climatic and environmental conditions have positive contribution for the mummification process? 2) What is the role of external factors such as funerary attire or post-mortem treatment of the remains on the decay or mummification of individual? 3) What novel techniques are utilized when mummification process and mummified remains have been studied? 4) What kinds of ethical or scientific challenges are encountered while researching mummified remains?
Other Keywords
Mummification •
bioarchaeology •
Preservation •
Paleopathology •
Material Culture •
Textiles •
Ethics •
Legislation •
Mummies •
Parasites
Temporal Keywords
Early modern •
XVII/XIX century •
c. 1600-1850 •
Early modernity (c. 1560 - 1629) •
Ancient world and Middle Ages
Geographic Keywords
Europe (Continent) •
Western Europe •
Finland •
Republic of Finland (Country) •
Turku Ja Pori (State / Territory) •
Ahvenanmaa (State / Territory) •
Vaasa (State / Territory) •
Oulu (State / Territory) •
Kymi (State / Territory) •
Mikkeli (State / Territory)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-6 of 6)
- Documents (6)
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Ethical Issues In The Study And Preservation Of Early Modern Church Burials Of Northern Finland (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
A recent project on the study of early modern church burials of Northern Finland in the perspective of research and preservation of human and other material remains has raised several ethical issues. We have identified several parties who partake in the interest, opinions and sentiments in dealing with this particular context including local community, parish and the government. The rights, administration, and jurisdiction of different parties involved is far from being explicit, and this has...
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Medieval Mummies: the next interdisciplinary frontier for paleopathology and the case of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne (742 - 814) (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Since its humble and pioneering beginnings, mummy research, as a branch of paleopathology, has grown remarkably. The implementation of state-of-the-art radiological techniques, as well as molecular and chemical methodologies, has advanced our knowledge of how mummification was performed in ancient Egypt, at the same time allowing us to get a clearer idea of the history and morphology of diseases in primeval times, thus shedding light on the evolution of pathogens and biological responses to...
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Mummies in the crypts of the church of The Holy Virgin Mary in Szczuczyn (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
In the course of archaeological explorations conducted within churches and chuch yards, the researchers meet the most often skeletal burials. Their better or worse conditions depend on the environment of the burial location. In case of crypt burials, mummies of the deceased aren't frequently excavated, which fact is conditioned by special factors enabling corpses’ natural mummifying process. This very situation was observed in Szczuczyn church listed above. In winter 2013, inventory and...
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Story of an unusually preserved early modern Vicar in Finnish Lapland (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
The custom of burying beneath church floors, commonly practiced among the early modern elite, is responsible for the mummification of the remains of a Northern Finnish vicar, Nikolaus Rungius (c.1560–1629). The mummy of Vicar Rungius exhibited since the 18th century is the source of several local stories. A computed tomography (CT) imaging performed on his remains allowed examining his anthropometric features, but it also revealed indications of pathological conditions of which the Vicar may...
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Textiles – Decay and preservation in burials (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Archaeological textiles are a rare find, often closely associated with human remains. While the decay of human remains is impacted and even slowed by the presence of funerary clothes, decomposition processes can likewise serve to preserve textile materials. This paper examines the taphonomy of funerary textiles in close association with human remains in northern Finnish contexts, addressing a series of in situ burials still "dressed" in funerary clothing. Some burials examined in this paper...
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"Unwanted Guests": Evidence of Parasitic Infections in Archaeological Mortuary Contexts (2017)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
Parasites have had a significant impact on the course of human history. Activities of a variety of parasites throughout the world can lead to lethargy, dementia, malabsorption of nutrients, bowel obstruction, internal bleeding, blindness, physical disability and deformation, and many other symptoms of disease. Furthermore, parasites have caused the deaths of countless individuals, have resulted in the abandonment of settlements, and have even affected the outcome of wars. The effect that...