Mummies

mummy
(Image credit: Ibrahim Ramadan/Anadolu Agency/Getty)

Mummies provide a window into the traditions and rituals practiced by ancient cultures. Modern analyses on their bones, teeth, hair and preserved soft tissues can also provide information on the health conditions these ancient people experienced, as well as what type of food they ate. Here's the latest news on mummies and what analyses have revealed about their lives.

  • Empty list

Latest about mummies

We see a grayish head and torso of an "alien" in a pillow-like box

'This is complete nonsense': Scientists rail against 'alien' bodies shown before Mexican congress

By Owen Jarus published

Scientists blast claims of two 'alien' bodies that a journalist presented to Mexico's congress.

Archaeology
An ancient Egyptian clay vessel depicting a human.

Elite ancient Egyptian woman was embalmed with exotic ingredients smelling of vanilla and larch, new analysis reveals

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Chemical analyses have revealed the specific components ancient Egyptians used to embalm the dead, including exotic ingredients that were acquired through trading.

Ancient Egyptians
Human mummified remains lay over a snow bank.

Ötzi the Iceman may have been bald and getting fat before his murder 5,300 years ago

By Tom Metcalfe published

A new DNA analysis reveals that Ötzi the Iceman was genetically predisposed to male-pattern baldness, diabetes and obesity.

Archaeology
A painted human-shaped sarcophagus on a table under a tent.

2,300-year-old Egyptian mummification workshops found at Saqqara

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists in Egypt found ancient mummification workshops — one for humans and one for animals — at Saqqara.

Ancient Egyptians
We see an ancient and fragile child mummy whose head is resting on a pillow. The mummy is a brownish color.

Ancient Egyptian children were plagued with blood disorders, mummies reveal

By Hannah Kate Simon published

A look at 21 ancient Egyptian mummified children reveals that one-third of them had a blood disorder known as anemia.

Ancient Egyptians
The head and torso of the mummy, which likely belonged to a small monkey.

Haunting 'mermaid' mummy discovered in Japan is even weirder than scientists expected

By Harry Baker published

A new analysis of a mummified "mermaid" found in a Japanese temple has revealed exactly what it is made from, and it's not what scientists thought.

Archaeology
An artist's interpretation of an embalming scene with a priest in an underground chamber.

Elaborate underground embalming workshop discovered at Saqqara

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

A workshop discovered in Saqqara showcases the different ingredients ancient Egyptians used for embalming.

Ancient Egyptians
Teutonic Knights art, All About History 126

Rise and fall of the Teutonic Knights in All About History 126

By Jonathan Gordon published

Inside All About History 126: Discover why the Teutonic Knights brought their holy war back to Europe and how they became a major medieval power.

Human Behavior
The bog skull, known as Porsmose Man, dates from the Neolithic of Denmark. He met a violent death, according to bone arrowheads found embedded in his skull and sternum.

Who were Europe's 'bog bodies'? Deep look uncovers the secrets of this mysterious practice.

By Laura Geggel published

A deep dive into "bog bodies" reveals that this practice started in southern Scandinavia during the Neolithic and spread throughout Northern Europe.

Archaeology
Mummy coffins on display in part in the permanent Egyptian collection and also part of the 'Queens of the Nile' Exhibition held at the National Museum of Antiquities or Rijksmuseum van Oudheden on November 30, 2016 in Leiden, Netherlands. With 350 prized Egyptian pieces, including royal portraits, statues of deities, sophisticated jewellery, amulets and precious utensils, plus the sarcophagus and grave goods of Queen Nefertari, from the Museo Egizio in Turin. This is the first time that such a large exhibition on the queens of Egypt has been organised in the Netherlands.

5 stunning archaeological discoveries that may finally be unearthed in 2023

By Owen Jarus published

Here are five predictions about what archaeologists may dig up in 2023.

Archaeology
123456789Archives