In the mid-19th century William Hicks, the mayor of Bodmin, in Cornwall, hosted a dinner party. As the story goes, rather than entertaining his guests with music or poetry, he chose to prank his guests with a fake seance…. Read More ›
Osteoarchaeology
Did long-term corseting really cause women to meet an early demise?
H/T: Dr. Kristina Killgrove’s article “Here’s How Corsets Deformed The Skeletons Of Victorian Women” on Forbes. For centuries people have deformed their skeletons to mold different parts of their bodies to what is considered an ideal shape in their culture. Long-term corseting,… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
A game of thrones written in bones: The skeletal collection from the Battle of Towton
The Battle of Towton took place on Palm Sunday in 1461 and was one of the grisliest battles of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487). That conflict was so bloody that it’s estimated that tens of thousands of soldiers were massacred. In… Read More ›
How the bones of 1185 soldiers became part of the largest battlefield skeletal collection
The Visby skeletal collection at the Fornsalen Museum contains the remains of 1185 people who died at the Battle of Visby in 1361 and is the largest battlefield skeletal collection in Europe. Anthropologists from all over the world come to examine these… Read More ›
A mummy murder mystery wrapped in a hoax
In October of 2000 Pakistani authorities heard that a Karachi resident was trying to sell a mummy on the black market for $11 million. When the police interrogated the seller he told them he got the mummy from an Iranian… Read More ›
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