Stumbling block: Scientists discover that shaman mummy has decayed (people.com.cn)

"Chinese scientists have carefully stripped a 2,800-year-old mummy, only to find the corpse underneath the delicate attire of a possible shaman priest had decayed and broken at the neck and arms. But research work on the mummy would continue, said Dr. Li Xiao, head of the heritage bureau in Turpan, of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 'We didn't expect the mummy to be so badly decayed, but technically, it won't prevent us from confirming his status and further research on the history of shamanism in northwest China,' said Li, a noted historian. The Caucasian-looking mummy was unearthed from a cluster of ancient tombs in Turpan in 2003 and research has been going on since. Scientists stripped the mummy last week hoping to better preserve it and find out more about the clothing, culture and life of the time the shaman lived, Li said. The mummy had seemed perfectly intact in his heavy outfit: a leather coat, a knitted mantle as well as hat and boots, said Jia Yingyi, a researcher with the regional museum of Xinjiang...." 

Chinese scientists set to study mummy of possible shaman found in Xinjiang in 2003 (xinhuanet.com)

"Chinese scientists are conducting laboratory work hoping to identify a 2,800-year-old mummy presumably of a shaman in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The well-preserved mummy of a seemingly Caucasian man with a Roman nose and deep-set eyes was unearthed from a cluster of ancient tombs in 2003 and research work has been going on ever since. Archeologists found the mummy most intriguing because a sack of marijuana leaves was found buried alongside the corpse. The mummy remains intact in its original outfit despite the passage of time: leather hat, heavy coat and boots, huge earrings of copper and gold, a turquoise necklace, a copper laced stick in the right hand and a bronze ax in the left, according to Li Xiao, head of the heritage bureau in Turpan. Inside the leather coat, the man was wearing a dainty brown and red mantle, and his hands were crossed in front of his chest, said Li. 'From his outfit and the marijuana leaves, which have been confirmed by international specialists to be ingredients for narcotic, we assume the man had been a shaman and had been between 40 and 50 years old when he died,' said Li, a noted historian in Xinjiang...."

Tests on mummified body of Prince Sancho de Castile prove that he was not poisoned in1370 (reuters.com)

"For more than 600 years, Spaniards have believed Prince Sancho de Castile's uncle poisoned him to become king of Spain, but studies of the boy's mummified body show the seven-year-old died of natural causes. One of Spain's great royal legends may have been put to rest by medical tests that show Sancho, son of King Pedro I "the Cruel" of Castile, and a successor to the throne, was likely to have died in 1370 of a lung infection such as pneumonia. Examinations of the prince's body have found no trace of cyanide, arsenic, mercury or any other poison his uncle, Enrique, was believed to have used to kill him, according to the convent where the prince's remains have lain since 1409. 'It appears the prince wasn't poisoned after all,' the convent's Sister Maria Jesus Galan said on Saturday. The study led by the University of Granada and the pathology unit of Barcelona's Hospital Clinico found Sancho had inflamed lungs after chronic exposure to smoke, which was likely to have come from an open fire. Enrique, the illegitimate son of Alfonso XI of Castile, killed his half brother Pedro I in the Castilian civil war in 1369 and became King Enrique I "the Bastard" of Castile...."

Latest word: Even more on the origin of the notorious eBay mummy (baltimoresun.com)

"Ronn Wade wants his mummy back. It's a quest that started in October, when Michigan authorities confiscated the mummified cadaver of a child illegally placed for sale on eBay. The incident briefly made headlines around the world. And Wade, director of the anatomical services division at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, is convinced the body is part of an obscure but historic set of medical mummies known as the Burns collection. Acquired by the university in 1820, it's one of the oldest collections of mummies once used for dissection in the United States. Since 1974, Wade has been its de facto curator. 'They're such an interesting part of the history of anatomy - definitely one of a kind,' says Kristin Horner, a Michigan State University anthropologist who helped produce a recent National Geographic TV program on the Burns mummies.

More on the origin of the notorious eBay mummy (msnbc.msn.com)

"When the University of Maryland's medical school opened 200 years ago, doctors had one big problem: They needed dead bodies, and there was no good way to get them. In those early years, the school turned to grave robbing. More than a few corpses got yanked out of fresh dirt in nearby cemeteries and wound up on the dissection table for anatomy lessons. So as U-Md. begins to celebrate its bicentennial and a distinguished history as the nation's oldest public medical school, it seems only fitting that one of the centuries-old cadavers has resurfaced. In Michigan. On eBay. Everyone, it seems, has a skeleton in a closet. And even weirder: There are still people willing to pay for them.... The school's founding in 1807 can be traced to an ugly incident over a cadaver. Word had spread that John Beale Davidge, a Baltimore doctor, was dissecting a corpse to teach anatomy. An angry mob smashed his building to pieces, an uproar that prompted Davidge and other doctors to win state approval for a Maryland school offering formal medical training. 'There were reports of hostility when it was discovered a grave had been emptied,' said Larry Pitrof, executive director of the Medical Alumni Association, whose book on the school's history is scheduled to be published next year. 'They had a pretty good idea where it had wound up.' Medicine didn't have much of a reputation back then. Sometimes barbers acted as surgeons, many common diseases had no known cure, quacks sold bottles of cure-all. And anyone serious about the study of anatomy had to get bodies -- somehow...."

Notorious eBay mummy came from Scottish anatomy collection from 19th century (iht.com)

"Mummified human skeletal remains confiscated from the home of a woman who police say was trying to sell them on eBay likely came from a Scottish collection, authorities said. Police said Friday they have closed their investigation into the remains and do not plan to request criminal charges. The remains had been confiscated Oct. 10 after being spotted on the Internet auction Web site. A Michigan State University anthropologist determined that remains likely date from the early 19th century and were part of a collection of anatomical specimens from anatomist Allen Burns, the Times Herald reported. The collection has been housed at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The remains are from a child, probably between the ages of 6 and 9, Norman Sauer, an anthropology professor, told police in an e-mail. 'The medical mummy is clearly an important historical specimen and should be returned to the Burns Collection,' Sauer wrote. Lynn Sterling, of Port Huron, told police she obtained the remains from a friend who works in demolition and who said he found them in a Detroit school he helped demolish about 30 years ago...."

Media coverage of eBay mummy exaggerates the story for Halloween angle (thetimesherald.com)

"A mummified skeleton a Port Huron woman was trying to sell on eBay has created an international stir. The skeleton was confiscated by Port Huron Police from resident Lynn Sterling's Jenkinson Street home Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, the St. Clair County Medical Examiners office examined the mummified remains and made plans to send it to a Michigan State University anthropologist next week for further analysis. The medical examiner's office said the skeleton is very old and most likely was used for medical study. 'It really surprises me,' said Mary Palmateer, chief forensic investigator with the medical examiner's office. 'I don't think they realize it's a medical specimen. People are picturing a mummy and the body wrapped in white sheets. And it's close to Halloween.' Sterling said since the story ran Thursday in the Times Herald her phone has been ringing off the hook. She has received calls from several newspapers, including the Washington Post and television stations, such as Fox 2 News in Detroit. The story also was featured Friday on CNN."

eBay seller only intended to sell mummy 'for medical purposes' (detnews.com)

"Maybe it's just a sign that Halloween is around the corner. Port Huron officials this week confiscated a mummified cadaver that a woman tried to sell on eBay, an online auction site. The human remains were obviously those of a body used for scientific research, said Port Huron Police Capt. Don Porrett. The seller, Lynn Sterling, said she got the mummy from a friend who found it when he helped demolish a Detroit school about 30 years ago, Porrett said. Sterling said she only intended to sell the item for medical purposes. 'I would never have put it on (eBay) if I thought it was anything other than an anatomical, medical thing,' she told the Associated Press. Porrett said it was unclear how long Sterling had the mummy, which appeared to be a male, or where she kept it. The St. Clair County medical examiner reviewed the corpse and has sent it to a Michigan State University anthropologist, Porrett said. Those officials will dispose of the body, he said. Sterling will not be charged with any crime. EBay officials removed the item from its auctions Wednesday. By then, a buyer identified as Satan's Child had bid $500...." 

Port Huron woman tries to sell mummified human remains on eBay (thetimesherald.com)

"The mummified remains of a human body found in a Port Huron woman's home are expected to be analyzed by an anthropologist at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Port Huron police confiscated the skeletal remains from the Jenkinson Street home Tuesday evening. Police Capt. Don Porrett said officers received a tip resident Lynn Sterling was selling the remains on the Internet auction site eBay. St. Clair County Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz examined the skeleton Wednesday and confirmed it was that of a human, said Mary Palmateer, chief forensic investigator at the medical examiner's office. The MSU anthropologist will examine the skeleton to determine factors such as how old it is. Sterling said she was selling the item for a friend, had done research and contacted an attorney before posting the remains on eBay. The mummy, she said, was taken from a Detroit school several years ago...."

Woman's body with hands "too mummified to yield fingerprints" may have Louisville connections (courier-journal.com)

"A woman who may have Louisville connections was found dead in a small tent in Pacifica, Calif., her body already starting to mummify. She was surrounded by books, empty soda bottles, tea light candles and an umbrella — but no identification. Written in duct tape on the side of the tent were the words, 'No go, no eat, no drink, murder.' Since the body was found June 6, San Mateo County coroners have been trying to identify the woman. Her hands were too mummified to yield fingerprints, said Kristine Gamble, senior deputy coroner in San Mateo County. Despite that, analysts were able to pull a print off an item found inside the tent. That information led them to a match based on a police report filed by the California Highway Patrol in San Francisco...."

Preserving the psalter: A psalm book found in Irish bog is saved--again (theartnewspaper.com)

"An astonishing discovery in an Irish bog is posing an unusual conservation challenge. A chance find by a peat cutter last summer in County Tipperary, southern Ireland, turned out to be a psalter, which has been dated to around 800 AD. The discovery has been described as the Irish equivalent of the Dead Sea Scrolls. National Museum of Ireland conservator Rolly Read and his team are now stabilising the compacted vellum mass. The difficult issue is how to separate the pages, preserving as much as possible of the ancient text. The story began on 20 July, at Faddan More. Bulldozer driver Edward Fogarty was cutting peat when he spotted something unusual in his excavator bucket. After it was realised that the find was an ancient book, Kevin and Patrick Leonard, the bog’s owners, immediately called for archaeological assistance, and followed advice to keep the find damp and not expose it to air. The following morning National Museum of Ireland conservators safely moved the find to their laboratory at Collins Barracks, in Dublin. The next task was to excavate the area where the psalter had been found. This led to the discovery of fragments of leather straps and a leather sheaf, probably the remains of a bag in which the book had been kept. Also found was an organic substance that might have been used to conceal the object...." 

Mummified man, discovered in bed, had been dead for 18 months (ekathimerini.com)

"A reclusive 78-year-old man, whose corpse was found over the weekend in his Thessaloniki home surrounded by bank booklets attesting to an overall fortune of 1.3 million euros, had been dead for a year and a half, it was revealed yesterday. The body of the man, identified only as A.H., was found on Saturday by a secondhand dealer who had entered the old house to scrounge for antiques as the structure is scheduled for demolition. On finding the old man’s mummified body on one of the beds, he notified police. A medical examiner ruled that the man had died of natural causes, but an autopsy will be conducted to determine whether any criminal activity was involved. A police search of the house unearthed a total of 30 bank books and bond purchase receipts under the bed which revealed that the old man had holdings of some 1.3 million euros. They also found a dialysis machine he had used to treat his kidney problems. And, amid a stash of cheap furniture and bric-a-brac, officers discovered a wardrobe with 15 well-preserved suits...."

4,000-year-old mummy of doctor named Qar found near Saqqara (eitb24.com)

"Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the funerary remains of a doctor who lived more than 4,000 years ago, including his mummy, sarcophagus and bronze surgical instruments. The upper part of the tomb was discovered in 2000 at Saqqara, 20 km (12 miles) south of Cairo, and the sarcophagus came to light in the burial pit during cleaning work, state news agency MENA said on Tuesday, quoting Egyptian government antiquities chief Zahi Hawass. The doctor, whose name was Qar, lived under the 6th dynasty and built his tomb near Egypt's first pyramid. The 6th dynasty ruled from about 2350 to 2180 BC. Hawass said the lid of the wooden sarcophagus had excellent and well-preserved decoration and the mummy itself was in ideal condition. 'The linen wrappings and the funerary drawings on the mummy are still as they were,' he said. 'The mask which covers the face of the mummy is in an amazing state of preservation in spite of slight damage in the area of the mouth.' The tomb also had earthenware containers bearing the doctor's name, a round limestone offering table and 22 bronze statues of gods."

Egyptian mummy with ornately painted sarcophagus to be auctioned at Christie's this week (nysun.com)

"...On Thursday, the Western Reserve Historical Society is selling a mummy and sarcophagus brought back from Egypt in 1900 by Liberty Holden, the publisher of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who made his fortune in silver mining.... According to the head of Christie's antiquities department, G. Max Bernheimer, Holden was taking the 'obligatory trip up the Nile' in the winter of 1900, when he learned that an Egyptian dealer had discovered a cache of four mummies and was offering them for sale. He bought this sarcophagus with its mummy, shipped it to Cairo for export clearance, and, on his return to Cleveland, donated it to the Historical Society, where the sarcophagus was publicly opened and the mummy partially unwrapped. The Historical Society is selling the mummy, Mr. Bernheimer said, because it doesn't fit their mission, which is to collect objects related to Northeast Ohio. The last mummy in its sarcophagus to go to auction was sold at Christie's in London in 2003 for $1.4 million. Christie's has entered this mummy in the catalog as 'estimate on request.' So, who is he? The mummy has been assigned different names over the years, but Christie's has identified him as a man named Neshkons, who was a Stolist, or priest responsible for anointing the cult statue of the god Amun in his temple, who lived and died during the Third Intermediate Period, sometime between 1040 and 900 B.C.E...."

"Christie's is auctioning an ancient mummy and sarcophagus so spooky and well-preserved, you'd expect Boris Karloff to come dragging out of it. 'It almost looks like a stage prop, but it's the real deal,' said Rita Kueber of Ohio's Western Reserve Historical Society, which owns the mummy. Ornate paintings and hieroglyphics inside and outside the 75-inch sarcophagus identify the body as Neskhons, an Egyptian church official who lived around 950 B.C. Neskhons' mummy was brought to the United States in 1900 by the Cleveland publisher Liberty E. Holden, who partially unwrapped the corpse to see what riches had been buried with him...."

View the mummy at Christie's

No one claims mummified body discovered last month in Lancaster (lancasteronline.com)

"David Buckingham died alone in his Mulberry Street apartment sometime over the past two months. And it appears he will be buried without mourners at his graveside.Dr. Gary Kirchner, county coroner, said no relatives have been found to claim the remains of the 53-year-old man whose body was found in a mummified state Nov. 25. An autopsy last week showed no foul play, the coroner said. 'We’ve been trying to locate family. His body needs to be buried,' Kirchner said. Neighbors in the 200 block of North Mulberry Street said Saturday they had seen the man who lived on the third floor of an apartment building, but did not know him. Neighbors gathered early last week to discuss the body the police and coroner took away Nov. 25, one neighbor said Saturday. None of the neighbors that gathered knew the man that had lived on their block for six months, she said...."

Second mummified body discovered in Lancaster in last month (lancasteronline.com)

"For the second time in little more than a month, city police were summoned to a Lancaster home to find a mummified body. This time the body was of a man known to very few in his North Mulberry Street neighborhood. A first-floor neighbor in the three-apartment building in the 200 block of North Mulberry Street said through his door Saturday evening that he called police around 4 a.m. because a large swarm of flies was covering the ceiling and hallway of the building. The man, who declined to be identified, said he knew who the man was, but never talked to him. Police and the coroner arrived to find the mummified man in his third-floor apartment. Saturday evening, the window of the apartment remained open. Neighbors identified the man, but the Sunday News is withholding his name because relatives had not been notified, according to city police...." 

Preliminary study of eight high-status Akhmim mummies suggests that 'race had little to do with class' in Egyptian society (philly.com)

"Scholars have long believed that ancient Egypt was a genetic stew of ethnicity, as the fabled kingdom was both a center of international trade and often the victim of foreign invasions. Now, new evidence suggests that may have been true even in the upper echelons of society, according to researchers who have used a blend of art and science to re-create what the ancients looked like in real life. They have used CAT scans to model the skulls of seven mummies from various museums, including one unveiled yesterday at Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences, revealing physical features that range from Mediterranean to African. All seven were buried with the trappings of a high status in society, including two clearly connected to the priesthood, said project leader Jonathan Elias, director of the Harrisburg-based Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium. He cautioned against drawing firm conclusions from such a small sample, and he stressed that ethnic traits were a small part of his research. But he said the findings suggested a society where race had little to do with class. 'They all identified themselves as Egyptians,' Elias said. 'These are people. You can't slice them up like they're chocolate cake or vanilla cake.' Philadelphia sculptor Frank Bender has created plaster busts from five of the seven skull models, including one of the anonymous young woman - dubbed Annie - whose 2,200-year-old remains are on display at the academy on Logan Circle. Bender sculpted her with a nose and cheekbones that Elias described as "northern Mediterranean" - the location of modern-day Greece and Turkey. Another one of the five has what Elias called 'Sudanese' features: full lips and a 'prognathous' profile - meaning the jaw protrudes farther than the nose. The others have a blend of ethnic facial characteristics...."

More on the Akhmim Mummy Studies Consortium project

Unseen Egyptian mummy reveals face this week at Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend (24hourmuseum.org.uk)

"Visitors to the Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend will come face to face with an ancient Egyptian mummy this week, as a 3-dimensional digital image of her head is put on display at the Museum for the first time. The mummy, known as Bakt Hor Nekht, has never been seen before; her intricately decorated coffin sealed out of respect and to preserve her remains. However, a CT scan carried out by Newcastle General Hospital this summer has now been used to create an accurate, detailed digital reconstruction of her head. Gill Scott, Egyptologist for the Hancock Museum, which has loaned Bakt Hor Nekht to Segedunum, explained the significance of the model: 'Although we already have a forensic-style model of her as she would have appeared in real life, this 3 dimensional reconstruction will show how the mummification process has affected her. The CT footage provides us with fantastic computerised images of the mummy, but seeing the physical reconstruction of the head is quite an eerie experience. It is possible to see her perfectly preserved pierced ears, as well as a vague outline of the false eyes which were placed over her real ones by the ancient Egyptian embalmers.' "