From Lost Children of Palermo's Catacombs to 'Screaming Woman': Six Mummy Discoveries That Stunned the World

Preserving for the Afterlife

Mummification was a process that was hugely popular throughout Egyptian history. Mostly elites and certain animals were mummified for religious reasons, the Smithsonian Institution reported. Common folks could also invest in the process but mostly didn't because of how expensive it was back in the day. The aim was to preserve the home of their spirit- their bodies and take items individuals believed were necessary for them in their afterlife. Here are six mummy finds that are bizarre, and sure to leave an impact on people's minds.

1. The Lost Children of Palermo’s Catacombs

The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo in northern Sicily have been a mystery intriguing researchers for decades, Smithsonian Magazine reported. The tomb holds more than a thousand bodies, of which more than 163 were children. Experts across centuries have been baffled seeing the exceptional condition of mummies buried in this place. The catacombs were created by Capuchin friars in 1534. Throughout the 16th century, the place was used as a mass grave. After the catacombs were full, the friars exhumed 45 mummified bodies and found that their preserved faces were still recognizable. Believing this to be a miracle, the friars displayed the bodies as relics in niches along the walls of the new cemetery, they were building for burial. From the 17th century onwards, even laypeople were allowed to get buried in the catacombs. The place remained in use until 1880.

2. 'Frankenstein Mummies' of Scotland

The discovery of 'Frankenstein Mummies' of Scotland in 2001 shocked experts because instances of mummification are very rare in Northern Europe, Archaeology Magazine reported. A pair of mummies were found at Cladh Hallan, a Bronze Age settlement on the island of South Uist in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. On analysis, it was revealed that the duo was 3,000 years old. Both the mummies, one of a male and another of a female were buried in the fetal position. On further tests, a shocking detail came to light that the male mummy was a composite. The torso, skull and neck, and lower jaw of the mummy, belonged to three different men. Recent DNA tests have proven, that the female skeleton was also a composite with a male skull, a female torso, and the arm of a third person, whose gender is still being determined by experts. Carbon dating indicates that the various people in the composite were not even of the same age. The skull of the female mummy was found to be 50 to 200 years older than the torso. Researchers are still at work trying to figure out, the reason behind such a burial in the settlement. 

3. Egypt’s Screaming Mummy

"Screaming Woman" was discovered between 1935 and 1936 near the tomb of Senmut in Luxor, Egypt by archaeologists, NPR reported. The female mummy captivated experts due to the haunting expression on her face. After unwrapping, the woman was found open-mouthed, with an aching countenance. It seemed that the woman had gone through something painful, before her death. Researchers on the discovery of the screaming mummy shared that oftentimes when the mummification process is not properly done, individuals being buried end up with an awkward expression on their face. Cairo University radiologist, Dr. Sahar Saleem, and anthropologist, Samia El-Meghan, in 2024 conducted tests using CT scans and other tools, and found that the woman may have "died screaming from agony or pain." The experts also did not find any evidence of a poor mummification process. The next objective for the researchers is to figure out the woman's cause of death.

4. Saltmen of Ancient Iran

In 1993, miners recovered a remarkably preserved human body from the Douzlākh salt mine near Chehrābād village in the Zanjan Province of northwest Iran, the Royal Society reported. Since then, a total of eight ‘Salt Men’ have been found in the mine. Most of them date back to almost 1500 years, and yet somehow have retained keratinous tissues such as skin, hair, and both endo- and ectoparasites. The archaeologists have also found leather objects and animal remains alongside the mummies. In this case, the mummification happened naturally, according to the experts. The miners likely met their end due to a collapse, and their bodies were preserved for centuries due to the salt that was surrounding them.

5. 16th-Century Vampire Mummy

In 2006, archaeologists excavated a mass grave on the Venetian island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, the New York Post reported. One of the bodies, they discovered was of a woman with a brick firmly wedged in her mouth. Researchers believe that the woman was found in such a condition because locals thought that she was a vampire. The brick was placed to ensure that she did not attack anyone. Forensic researcher Cícero Moraes recreated the face of the mummy, to understand whether the brick was inserted before or after her death. Moraes concluded that the activity would be easier to conduct after the woman died, and if it was done before then it led to a lot of pain due to the damage inflicted on the teeth and tissues.

6. Frozen Children of Llullaillaco

Frozen mummies of three children were discovered by archaeologists in 1999, entombed within a shrine near the 22,100-foot (6,739 meters) summit of the Argentinian volcano Llullaillaco, Live Science reported. A recent study revealed that these three Inca children were supplied with coca leaves (from which cocaine is derived) and alcoholic beverages, before their death. Researchers believe that this was done to keep them compliant towards the ritual, in which they were ultimately sacrificed. The children were sacrificed almost 500 years ago for the sacred ritual called "capacocha," as per experts. The ritual was done for the prosperity of the empire and the children were chosen based on their purity and beauty. The children were frozen to death in the mountain and had a calm, almost peaceful expression on their faces when they were discovered.