A new wave of frozen mummies? (telegraph.co.uk) 

"Defying the old saying that you can't take it with you, some of America's richest men are planning to enjoy their fortunes from beyond the grave. They are preparing not only to have their bodies deep-frozen at the moment of death but also to use a tax loophole to bequeath their wealth to themselves. Known as personal revival trusts, the schemes invest millions of dollars until future medical technology makes it possible to bring the beneficiaries back to life. Believers in "cryonics" sign up to private companies which will suspend their remains in liquid nitrogen and store them for what may be hundreds of years. Most are extremely wealthy - necessarily so, given the $150,000 cost of preserving a body. Now they are seeking to ensure enough future funds to pay for their revival - and for their living expenses in what might be 23rd-century America...."

Meet the two latest bog body discoveries

Is Clonycavan Man an Iron Age David Beckham? (bbc.co.uk) with photo

"Scientists at Dundee University have helped to recreate the face of a man dubbed the Iron Age David Beckham because of evidence he gelled his hair. Clonycavan Man, named after the area he was found, was one of two bodies discovered in a peat bog in the Republic of Ireland in 2003. The chemical composition of the peat mummified the body, enabling scientists to recreate his face...." 

Facial reconstruction of Clonycavan Man revealed (scotsman.com) with photo

"The hair-gelled head of an ancient Celt, dubbed the Iron Age Beckham because of his slicked-back look, has been reconstructed by Scots scientists. Examinations of the Clonycavan man, found fully preserved in a peat bog in Ireland, revealed he used a gel made from a mixture of plant oil and pine resin, believed to be from south-west France or Spain, on his hair.... Now a team of scientists at the University of Dundee has reconstructed the Iron Age face from the man's preserved remains, and Dr Caroline Wilkinson, a forensic anthropologist, said that the discovery of the primitive hair product was one of the more "surprising" finds of the project.... The forensic scientists were in an unusual position when reconstructing the man's facial features because his skull had dissolved due to the acidic chemical composition of the peat bog where he was found...." 

Clonycavan Man used imported French hair gel (nationalgeographic.com) with photo 

"Fancy imported hair gel is, unfortunately, no guard against a good solid axe blow to the skull. This sad fact is illuminated by Clonycavan man (pictured above) who suffered three blows from an axe to his head, one to his chest, and was also disemboweled before being mummified in an Irish peat bog. Experts studying the remains of the murder victim say he likely lived between 392 B.C. and 201 B.C. The man's hair contains a substance made from vegetable oil mixed with resin from pine trees found in Spain and southwest France. The man might have used the product, researchers say, to make himself appear taller...." 

Oldcroghan Man had manicured nails (nationalgeographic.com) with photo 

"Male grooming has an ancient history in Ireland, if the savagely murdered bodies of two ancient "bog men" are anything to go by. One shows the first known example of Iron Age hair gel, experts say. The other wore manicured nails and stood 6 feet 6 inches (198 centimeters) tall. Discovered in peat bogs in central Ireland, the well-preserved human remains were unveiled this month in Dublin. Researchers say the men were probably wealthy, well-connected individuals. Living well over 2,000 years ago, both were tortured and killed while in their early 20s, possibly as ritual sacrifices.... Oldcroghan man was preserved so perfectly that his discovery sparked a police murder investigation before archaeologists were called in....." 

Two Iron Age bog bodies unveiled in Dublin (bbc.co.uk) with photo 

"Archaeologists have unveiled two Iron Age "bog bodies" which were found in the Republic of Ireland. The bodies, which are both male and have been dated to more than 2,000 years ago, probably belong to the victims of a ritual sacrifice. In common with other bog bodies, they show signs of having been tortured before their deaths.... The first body dropped off a peat cutting machine in February 2003 in Clonycavan, near Dublin. The forearms, hands and lower abdomen are missing, believed to have been hacked off by the machine. The second was found in May the same year in Croghan.... Old Croghan Man, as it has become known, was missing a head and lower limbs. It was discovered by workmen clearing a drainage ditch through a peat bog...."

One of the men used prehistoric hair gel (reuters.co.uk) 

"The preserved remains of two prehistoric men discovered in an Irish bog have revealed a couple of surprises --- one used hair gel and the other stood 6 foot 6 inches high, the tallest Iron Age body discovered.... The fashion-conscious gel wearer has been named Clonycavan Man and Kelly said the fact he was able to buy imported cosmetics suggests he was a wealthy member of Irish society about 2,300 years ago. The other was dubbed Oldcroghan Man...."

More details of the discovery (mirror.co.uk) 

"Tortured, maimed and disembowelled, the two savagely slaughtered bodies were a grisly sight for the Irish peat bog workers who unearthed them. One of the dead men was found in County Meath, Ireland. The other was discovered three months later, just 25 miles away in Co Offaly. With soft flesh, fingernails, masses of red hair, teeth and eyeballs still intact, it seemed that the corpses had been freshly buried. And detectives thought they had stumbled across IRA victims. But when state pathologist Marie Cassidy saw the water-logged graves, she suspected the remains were much older than they seemed...."

Did St. Louis museum purchase a stolen mummy case? (stltoday.com) 

"A one-time forger and art smuggler has accused the St. Louis Art Museum of purchasing in 1998 a stolen Egyptian mummy mask and displaying it in its galleries. Museum director Brent Benjamin said the history of the mask was thoroughly researched before its purchase, and he is confident the piece was not stolen. The accusation comes at a time of heightened scrutiny of the international trade in antiquities. This case also illustrates the difficulty of constructing complete records detailing the ownership of ancient objects - proving the object wasn't stolen or forged...."

Diving plastinated woman added to Toronto 'Body Worlds' exhibit (stltoday.com)

" 'The Head Diver,' is a new plastinated donor specimen which will be joining Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS 2: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies at the Ontario Science Centre. She is full of grace and poise, and her intention to make a perfect dive is evident. Her front torso leans towards the water, back half arches dramatically, and her internal organs and legs are stabilized at the center by perfectly pointed feet. Preserved through Plastination - Dr. Gunther von Hagens' method of halting decomposition of the body by replacing all bodily fluids with polymers - the specimen is an athletic woman in her physical prime. She is the seventh female plastinate to join the exhibit, and a reminder of the growing number of female donors signing on to the exhibit's Body Donation Program, such as the first Canadian body donor, Stephanie Chapu who recently announced her decision to donate her body for plastination...."

Will the mummy of John Wilkes Booth (or his imposter) ever be found? (hcnews.com) 

"...the mummy of a distinguished gentleman named either John Wilkes Booth, John St. Helen or David E. George continues to be missing in action. It was last spotted on the freak show circuit in New Hope, Pa., in 1975. ...the leathery curio is presently in one of two places: Six feet under, where it probably should have been originally, or in someone’s living room, displayed like a stuffed bass...."

Italian son placed his mother's body in sealed wardrobe for three years and accidentally turned her into mummy as he collected her pension (reuters.co.uk) 

"An Italian man 'mummified' the body of his 71-year-old mother when she died, stashing it away in the bedroom wardrobe three years ago and sealing it with silicone gel. The grisly secret was kept until this week, when the landlord stumbled upon the 'house of horrors' during a routine check of the rented property near the north Italian town of Aqui Terme. He first found the body of the 35-year-old son, Mirko Sartori, who police said was killed while working on his car...."

More details emerge (timesonline.co.uk) 

"In an echo of Alfred Hitchcock’s spine-chilling thriller Psycho, an Italian man kept the dead body of his widowed 71-year-old mother in her bedroom wardrobe for three years, pretending to neighbours that she had become a recluse. Mirko Sartori’s grisly secret emerged when his landlord called round to find out why the rent had not been paid. The landlord first found Signor Sartori’s body, crushed beneath his red Fiat Panda in the garage, and then a note nearby saying “Mother forgive me.” It was not clear whether Signor Sartori had intended to kill himself or whether the car jack had simply collapsed. He had been dead for a fortnight. The landlord, Antonio Barbasso, called police, who found Signor Sartori’s mother in a wardrobe sealed with silicon. Her son had continued to collect her pension and her medicines from the local chemist. Forensic scientists said that Anna Pelloni’s body was effectively “mummified” inside the airtight cupboard...." 

Dead woman left in front of TV for over two years, turned into natural mummy (msnbc.com) 

"The mummified body of a woman who didn’t want to be buried was found in a chair in front of her television set 2 1/2 years after her death, authorities said. Johannas Pope had told her live-in caregiver that she didn’t want to be buried and planned on returning after she died, Hamilton County Coroner O’Dell Owens said Monday. Johannas Pope had told her live-in caregiver that she didn’t want to be buried and planned on returning after she died, Hamilton County Coroner O’Dell Owens said Monday...."

Woman believed she would return to life (ketv.com) 

"It may be weeks before officials know what killed an Ohio woman whose mummified remains were discovered in a chair in front of her television set. Johannas Pope's body was found last week in the upstairs of her Home in Madisonville, Ohio. She died two-and-a-half years ago at age 61. Johannas Pope's body was found last week in the upstairs of her Home in Madisonville, Ohio. She died two-and-a-half years ago at age 61. The air-conditioning unit mummified Pope's body, Coroner O'dell Owens said...."

Body of Buddhist monk will be mummified (bbc.co.uk) 

"Buddhist monks in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh have decided to preserve the body of their master so he can be worshipped forever. Disciples of Yogi Amtrin, who died on 1 July last year aged 84, plan to mummify his body, breaking with tradition. Tibetan Buddhists oppose preserving the dead, but his followers want to continue to be able to pay respects. Yogi Amtrin, who belonged to the minority Drupka Kargu sect, came to India from Tibet nearly 45 years ago. He spent years teaching yoga and meditation at the Khampagar monastery at Tashijong in the Kangra valley - 260km (160 miles) away from the state capital, Shimla. Khampagar is considered to be the oldest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India. Since his death, the monk's body has been placed in a wooden box [in a lotus sitting posture as if he is meditating] ... packed with salt which is changed every two months....  Salt removes the moisture from the body, preventing decay. Disciples say the mummification process will take a year...." 

Recent analysis fills in details about the life and times of Sylvester at Seattle's 'Ye Olde Curiosity Shop' (discovery.com) 

"Recent analysis of a mummy nicknamed 'Sylvester,' who is believed to have been a 19th century cowboy, validates some Wild West lore popularized in movie westerns, but dispels at least one myth, suggests the director of the research project. Since shotgun pellets blasted Sylvester's right cheek years before his death, and he appears to have survived another bullet to his collarbone, the 'wild' in Wild West appears true. His liver, however, was in good condition, so not all cowboys drank as hard as they otherwise lived. The mummy was owned by a California doctor whose uncle was one of two cowboys who found Sylvester’s body in 1895 as they galloped through Arizona’s Gila Bend Desert...."

Used as mummy wrapping, world's oldest map now on display in Turin (ansa.it)

"Turin is to uncover the world's oldest surviving map as part of the rich programme of cultural events accompanying February's Winter Olympics. The 1st-century-BC Papyrus of Artemidorus, which contains the map, will go on display for the first time ever at the city's Palazzo Bricherasio from February 8 to May 7.... [It] shows roads, rivers and settlements in an attempt to depict realistic spatial arrangements; something which makes it the first example of the kind of map used today.... The parchment, along with other documents and letters, later formed part of the material used to prepare a mummy. This made sure it was preserved for posterity...."

Man lives with mummified body of wife for a year (news24.com) 

"A 71-year-old man in Germany lived for about a year with the decomposing body of his wife until neighbors reported the stench from their apartment to authorities, said police on Wednesday...."

Giza souvenir seller busted for offering ancient mummy for sale (timesonline.co.uk)

"Officers of Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities police arrested a Giza souvenir shop owner last week after he tried to sell a mummy for $10m (£5.8m). Ahmed al-Jabari was taken into custody after a raid on his shop, located near the Pyramids Plateau, revealed 126 items from the pharaonic era, including 27 necklaces — one of which was made from gold — and 18 amulets. The mummy, alleged to have been offered in its original packaging of a limestone sarcophagus, was not found on the premises...."