Mummies

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.

Related Topics: Ancient Egypt, Archaeology,

Latest Updates

A 3D CT scan of the skull of one of the South American mummies in the new study.

'Massive trauma' found on 1,000-year-old South American mummies

By Patrick Pester published

South American mummies were likely brutally murdered 1,000 years ago, and the evidence is still preserved today, a new study finds.

A 3D animation of the Mysterious Lady's skull.

Signs of cancer found in mysterious 'pregnant' Egyptian mummy

By Harry Baker published

Researchers in Poland have revealed that a mysterious pregnant mummy from ancient Egypt shows signs of cancer.

Tollund Man may have been a victim of human sacrifice between 405 B.C. and 380 B.C.

7 famous mummies and secrets they've revealed about the ancient world

By Stephanie Pappas published

These striking mummies and their burial goods hold the secrets of peoples' practices and beliefs.

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

Haunting 'mermaid' mummy in Japan is probably a gruesome monkey-fish mix

By Harry Baker published

Researchers in Japan have begun a new study into a 300-year-old "mermaid mummy" to determine the exact origins of the gruesome remains.

A computer generated image of the object, potential a fetus, found inside the first known pregnant mummy. .

Fetus inside Egyptian mummy was 'pickled like an egg,' researchers say

By Harry Baker published

Researchers studying the fetus found inside a pregnant Egyptian mummy claim the developing baby was "pickled like an egg," but some scientists disagree.

Child mummies in the Capuchin Catacombs

Child mummies in Sicily's Capuchin Catacombs to be X-rayed

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Very little is known about the identities of these child mummies.

The mummy — the remains of a male between 18 and 22 years old — was found buried in a fetal position in a tomb at the site of Cajamarquilla in Peru.

1,000-year-old mummy in fetal position found in underground tomb in Peru

By Owen Jarus published

Archaeologists have unearthed a mummy lying in a fetal position and bound by rope in Cajamarquilla, Peru.

Forensic reconstruction of the mummies JK2911, JK2134 and JK2888.

3 Egyptian mummy faces revealed in stunning reconstruction

By Mindy Weisberger published

Using genetic data, a forensic artist rebuilt the faces of three ancient Egyptian mummies, revealing each individual's likely appearance as a 25-year-old.

The remains of Marcus Venerius Secundio were preserved in a sealed chamber in a Pompeii cemetery. Though the body is nearly 2,000 years old, close-cropped hair and an ear are still visible on the skull.

Stunningly preserved mummy of slave found in Pompeii graveyard

By Stephanie Pappas published

The partially mummified remains of an urbane Pompeii resident have been discovered in a tomb outside the city center.

The two mummified cave lion cubs were found with their fur, teeth, skin, organs and whiskers in tact.

Frozen mummy of extinct cave lion is 'best-preserved ice age animal ever found,' researchers say

By Brandon Specktor published

Researchers have analyzed the mummified bodies of two extinct Ice Age lion cubs in unprecedented detail.

Left image shows a sheep leg recovered from a historic salt mine in northwest Iran, specimen is on site at the mine. Right two images show the cleaned leg against a plain grey background

Pristine DNA recovered from 1,600-year-old sheep mummy

By Nicoletta Lanese published

The sheep specimen is a rare example of "natural" mummification.

Journalists film as the carriage carrying the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II (12791213 BC) advances as part of the parade of 22 ancient Egyptian royal mummies departing from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square on April 3, 2021, on their way to their new resting place at the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

Glitzy parade of 22 mummified pharaohs fills Cairo streets

By Nicoletta Lanese published

The 22 mummies included 18 kings and four queens.

The reconstruction of KV 55, thought to be the pharaoh Akhenaten.

King Tut's father revealed in stunning facial reconstruction

By Mindy Weisberger published

An astonishingly lifelike facial reconstruction reveals the face of an enigmatic mummy who may have been the biological father of the renowned pharaoh Tutankhamen.

Section of the papyrus that deals with swellings of the skin.

Ancient papyrus holds the world’s oldest guide to mummification

By Mindy Weisberger published

A newly discovered instruction manual for embalming mummies in ancient Egypt contains the earliest known description of these mysterious techniques.

The man lived in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas, pictured here, sometime between 1,400 - 1,000 years ago. The arid area where he was buried caused his body to become naturally mummified.

Man who died of constipation 1,000 years ago ate grasshoppers for months

By Owen Jarus published

A man who died of constipation more than 1,000 years ago survived on just grasshoppers for months, his mummy has revealed.

X-ray diffraction showed the mummy's unerupted adult teeth and a mass of resin inside the skull.

Roman-era Egyptian child mummy scanned with laser-like precision

By Mindy Weisberger published

High-energy X-ray scans of an intact Egyptian mummy mapped a detailed glimpse of the bones and objects inside.

The adult cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) mummy still has a nose.

Cave bear mummy discovered in Siberia still has its internal organs, fur and black nose

By Laura Geggel published

An ancient cave bear adult and cub mummy have been found in the melting permafrost of Siberia.

The ice age pup's well-preserved teeth are still sharp.

A pup preserved in permafrost ate one of the last woolly rhinos on Earth

By Laura Geggel published

Before it died in what is now Siberia, this ice age puppy ate a chunk of woolly rhino meat.

Scientists used a micro CT scanner to 'unwrap' a mummified kitten without even touching it

Mummified kitten 'strangled' to death before being offered to the gods, new 3D scans reveal

By Brandon Specktor published

Researchers scanned the mummified corpses of a cat, a snake and a bird, revealing the grim details of their deaths

"Meritamun" was inscribed on the mummy's wrappings. And the researchers believe that when she was alive, Meritamun would have stood just under 5 feet (151 centimeters).

'Screaming mummy' may have died of a heart attack, researchers say

By Stephanie Pappas published

An Egyptian woman who was mummified with her mouth open in a silent scream probably died of a heart attack, new research finds.