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12 recent, spooky discoveries about ancient death rituals, from vampire burials to vanishing mummy pregnancies
12 recent, spooky discoveries about ancient death rituals, from vampire burials to vanishing mummy pregnancies
Marianne GuenotOct 29, 2022, 21:34 IST
Archeologists have made some surprising discoveries based on these human remains.A. Leydo/Warsaw Mummy Project, Mirosław Blicharski, HS2, Johan Reinhard
Archaeology is always trying to understand more about how we treat our dead.
A slew of recent studies revealed more information about ancient burial rituals.
Archaeology provides fascinating insights into the complex rites humans have used to send off our dead.
In time for Halloween, here are 12 discoveries made recently about death and burial practices, based on recent archaeological findings.
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An ancient Egyptian mummy may not have been a male priest been, but a pregnant woman
A mummy that was found to likely be a pregnant woman, rather than a priest named Hor-Djehuty.A. Leydo/Warsaw Mummy Project
A 'bundle' in the mummified oven.
A cross-section of the mummy's body, with the soft tissue identified as the fetus highlighted in red.Warsaw Mummy Project
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The fetus was 'pickled,' some scientists think.
A 3D reconstitution from the scan of the mummy shows the soft tissue thought to be a fetus inside the mummy.Warsaw Mummy Project
A body buried with a sickle around its neck could have been a 'vampire'
Female "vampire" with a sickle across her throat found in Pień, Poland.Mirosław Blicharski
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The vampire myth ruled European burials for centuries.
Remains of a woman who died in 16th-century Venice, buried with a brick in her mouth.REUTERS/Handout/Insider
An 'extremely rich' woman was buried with dozens of gold rings in her hair.
A cache of ancient gold rings discovered in Romania.Ţării Crişurilor Museum, Oradea, Romania.
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Inca children were likely given a powerful hallucinogenic before their ritual sacrifice
An archaeologist examines a Peruvian mummy.Dagmara Socha
The ayahuasca was likely to keep the children happy rather than high.
One of the mummies sacrificed by the Inca, pictured when she were discovered in 1995.Johan Reinhard
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40 beheaded Romans were found buried with their head between their legs
A decapitated Roman skeleton found in Buckinghamshire, UK.HS2
A cache of ancient Egyptian tools provides clues about embalming techniques
Jars found in an Abusir embalming shaft.Archive of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, photo Peter Košárek
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About dozen a pre-Inca people were likely sacrificed to accompany one dignitary in death.
The remains of one of 14 pre-Incan mummies found in Cajamarquilla, Peru.Reuters/Stringer
A pre-Inca dignitary was found mummified, bound, and clasping his hands to his face.
The remains of the mummy are shown in a box.CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP via Getty Images)
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A skeleton with a nail through its foot is likely a rare example of Roman crucifixion
A nail found in the heel bone of an ancient skeleton.Albion Archaeology
A person buried 2,600 years ago in Egypt was sent off with a block of cheese.
Excavations at the Saqqara necropolis in Egypt in September 2022.Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
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King Amenhotep III was buried with two large sphinxes
Two large sphinx statues were discovered during the restoration of a temple in Luxor, Egypt.Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities