Corpse medicine was a type of remedy produced with the bones, organs, and blood from dead bodies. It is mentioned in ancient medical texts and histories from Greece, China, Mesopotamia, and India. One of the more peculiar accounts of corpse… Read More ›
Bioarchaeology
The vampire slayings of 19th century New England
The vampire myth originates in ancient beliefs in demons or evil spirits who feed on the blood and flesh of the living. Cultures all over the world have a version of a blood-sucking creature that returns from the grave to… Read More ›
Skeletal remains of Cromwell’s prisoners of war found in mass graves
Archaeologists overseeing construction at Durham University’s Palace Green Library discovered two mass graves in November of 2013. Durham University archaeologists didn’t know it at the time but these skeletal remains would solve a mystery that dates back to 1650. On… Read More ›
Archaeologists found an Aztec skull rack that once held tens of thousands of human heads
On Thursday, August 20th archaeologists from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced they unearthed a masonry platform and 35 skulls in the Templo Mayor complex, in what is now Mexico City. They believe the skulls and platform… Read More ›
A pharaonic murder mystery that was solved with forensic analysis
Forensic analyses of two Egyptian mummies published in the British Medical Journal in 2012 may have answered questions scholars had about the outcome of an ancient conspiracy against Pharaoh Ramesses III and the identity of a contorted mummy believed to… Read More ›
The case of the murder and scalping of Jane McCrea during the American Revolution
Jane McCrea was a Loyalist who was killed and scalped during the American Revolution on the way to meet her fiancé in a British camp. According to the most widely accepted account of her death, Jane was murdered by Wyandot… Read More ›
The impaled cranium that allegedly belonged to a 14th century pirate
Pirates were larger than life characters known for their clothing, the way they talk, their treasure, and their flags. Their adventures have been immortalized in folktales that recount debauchery and adventure on the high seas. But a pirate’s life wasn’t… Read More ›
Researchers may have found the elusive tomb of Miguel de Cervantes
A multidisciplinary team of researchers, including forensic anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians, announced this week that they believe they have found the skeletal remains of Miguel de Cervantes and his wife, Catalina de Salazar. Born in Alcala de Henares, Spain on September 29,… Read More ›
The race to save the decaying Chinchorro mummies
The doll-like mummies of the Chinchurro culture are the oldest mummies in the world but have started to decompose at an alarming rate in the last ten years. Museum officials at the University of Tarapacá’s San Miguel de Azapa Museum… Read More ›
This Buddhist statue holds a macabre secret
Last year the Drents Museum in the Netherlands displayed a large Buddhist statue as part of their “Mummies: Life Beyond Death” exhibit. This was the first time that this statue had been presented outside of China. Why was a statue… Read More ›
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