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Mummies

The scientists got permission to defrost the mummified remains.

Scientists Made Sourdough Bread With Yeast Found on Ötzi the Iceman’s Mummified Body

Discovered in the Alps in 1991, the remains are home to a wide variety of bacteria, fungi and yeasts

The papyrus fragment with a passage from Homer's Iliad

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth a Papyrus Fragment From the ‘Iliad’ Tucked Inside the Wrappings of a 1,600-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy

The excerpt from Homer’s epic poem features his catalog of ships, a famous passage listing the Greek forces that sailed to Troy. It may be the first Greek literary text found in the context of mummification

Seven mummified cheetahs and the remains of dozens more were found in caves in northern Saudi Arabia.

Cool Finds

Mummified Cheetahs Discovered in Caves Could Help Saudi Arabia Bring the Wild Cat Back to Its Historical Range

Researchers thought that just one subspecies of cheetah lived in Saudi Arabia long ago. But an unexpected discovery seems to broaden the gene pool

An artist's reconstruction of Edmontosaurus some 66 million years ago

Scientists Finally Know What This ‘Mummified’ Dinosaur Looked Like

A recent study suggests the unique geology of an area in Wyoming makes it a trove of unusually preserved fossils

The four individuals lived in the Andes in Colombia between 1216 and 1797.

These Individuals Were Buried in Colombia Wearing ‘Death Masks.’ Researchers Just Digitally Removed the Skull Coverings to Reveal Their Faces for the First Time

See the portraits of a 6- or 7-year-old child, a woman in her 60s, and two young men who were buried in Colombia between the 13th and 18th centuries

The bodies were arranged into crouched positions, then propped over or placed near a fire to slowly dehydrate.

New Research

The World’s Oldest Mummies Might Be These Smoke-Dried, 12,000-Year-Old Skeletons From Southeast Asia

The human remains predate Chile’s Chinchorro mummies and the famously preserved pharaohs of ancient Egypt by millennia

The Uan Muhuggiag mummy is housed at Libya's National Museum, where it rests in a glass case on a cushion of cotton.

Africa’s Oldest Mummy Is a Toddler Who Died 5,400 Years Ago, Nearly a Millennium Before the Egyptians Started Mummifying Their Dead

Libya’s civil war has placed the Uan Muhuggiag mummy at risk. But negotiations are underway to transport the rare artifact from Libya to Rome, where it will undergo restoration and scientific analysis

Digital 3D models of the female Pazyryk individual, using visible-spectrum photographs (A) and near-infrared photography (B).

Gorgeous, Hidden Animal Tattoos Discovered on a More Than 2,000-Year-Old ‘Ice Mummy’ by Using Digital Imaging

The ancient tattoos, which would have required trained artistry and hours of work, would be difficult for even modern tattooists to produce, a new study suggests

The mummified remains of an ancient Egyptian woman named Asru have been on display at the Manchester Museum since 1825.

This Museum Is Asking Visitors Whether It Should Continue to Display Mummified Human Remains

The Manchester Museum in England is inviting guests to share feedback on Asru, an ancient Egyptian woman whose body was unwrapped 200 years ago

Jose Aliaga, an archaeologist with the gas company Cálidda, excavates the mummy in Lima, Peru.

Gas Workers Digging Beneath the Streets of Lima Stumble Upon 1,000-Year-Old Mummy With Dark Brown Hair

The burial belonged to a child who may have lived among fishermen from the Chancay culture, which thrived in Peru before the rise of the Inca Empire

Tutankhamun's gold funerary mask has been on display at the Egyptian Museum for nearly a century.

Tutankhamun’s Iconic Gold Death Mask Is Getting a New Home Near the Pyramids of Giza

Soon, the elaborately decorated artifact will be transferred to the brand new Grand Egyptian Museum, joining more than 5,000 other items from the boy king’s tomb

Tomb of the unknown Abydos dynasty king

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Unknown Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh

The king’s mummy and sarcophagus are missing from the royal tomb, which is the second of its kind unearthed this year

The suitcase was likely made in the 1920s.

Cool Finds

Suitcase Belonging to the Legendary Archaeologist Who Discovered King Tut’s Tomb Surfaces in England

Howard Carter used the luggage while working in Egypt before giving it to a fellow researcher in 1939. Now, it’s heading to the auction block

The scientists recorded dozens of scents, which they broke down into four categories, including embalming ingredients and odors from plant oils used by modern museum conservators.

Discover the Aromas of Ancient Egyptian Mummies, From Orange Peels to Pine to Incense

A new, first-of-its-kind analysis of the scents of nine mummies detected woody, spicy, herbal and rancid notes, among other odors

Researchers studied tattoos on this mummified hand.

New Research

Scientists Are Using Lasers to Reveal Intricate Tattoos on Peruvian Mummies

A new study sheds light on tattoo designs found on more than 100 mummies from Chancay culture, a group that lived on the Peruvian coast between roughly 900 and 1500 C.E.

Tutankhamun's tomb wasn’t plundered or looted to the same extent as others in the Valley of the Kings.

On This Day in History

Why the Discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb Was the Most Significant Archaeological Find of the 20th Century

The intact burial—unearthed on this day in 1922—contained a “wonderful” cache of objects linked to the ancient Egyptian pharaoh

The cub belongs to the species, Homotherium latidens, and was unearthed from the Badyarikha River in Yakutia, Siberia.

A 35,000-Year-Old Saber-Toothed Cub Was Unearthed in Siberia—and It Still Had Its Whiskers and Claws

The frozen kitten, discovered in 2020, has stunned scientists with its remarkably well-preserved body

The decorative coffin of Lady Chenet-aa, a high-status woman who died some 3,000 years ago

New Research

Scientists Are Using CT Scanners to Reveal the Secrets of More Than Two Dozen Ancient Egyptian Mummies

For the first time, researchers were able to see inside the mummies in the Chicago Field Museum’s collections. Their findings paint a more comprehensive picture of ancient Egyptian life

The chunks of cheese were found alongside ancient mummies in China in 2003.

New Research

The World’s Oldest Cheese Was Buried in a Chinese Tomb 3,600 Years Ago. Now, Scientists Have Sequenced Its DNA

New research has revealed that the mysterious white substance found alongside three ancient mummies was once a soft cheese called kefir

The woolly rhino horn discovered by miners.

Miners Unearth a Mummified Woolly Rhino in Siberia, With an Intact Horn and Soft Tissue

The rare discovery will help scientists find out more about the prehistoric animal’s development, diet and living conditions

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