The Incan Woman

Panzer et. al, PLOS ONE 2014

Allegedly, in the 1890s, during her trip to South America Princess Therese of Bavaria received two mummies. It's unknown what had happened to one of the mummies, but the other was that of an Incan woman. Parts of the legs of the woman were destroyed during WWII, but still remain well intact other than her missing legs.  She was donated to the Anatomical Institute of the Ludwig-Maximilian University in 1904. 

It was initially thought that she was a European bog body at first. After an Analysis of her hair though it showed that she was from South American Origins. This made sense because the braided style of her hair was not common in Europe. The bands holding her hair together were made from alpaca or llama hair and had a high diet of seafood and maize. This likely means she is from near the coastline of Peru or Chile, but there was a change in diet the 10 months before her death. She either changed her diet or moved from the area where she lived. She was likely buried in the dry sands of the Atacama Desert to preserve her body. 

It's believed that she was a pre-Columbian Incan woman.  She was between the ages of 20 to 25-years-old. 

A CT scan of the woman shows that she was murdered. It is unknown if she was a sacrifice or not, but it was likely.  She had been killed by being hit with a sharp object several times to the front of her skull. The skull bones were found in her brain cavity. However, even if she wasn't killed she was dying from Chagas disease caused from parasites. 

SOURCES:

National Library of Medicine

Archeology

Mummipedia

February 5, 1924 Jinnampo, North Korea Doe

 On February 5, 1924, the body of a mutilated toddler was found in Jinnampo, South Pyongan Province, North Korea. At the time it was under Japanese Occupation and Japanese police were in charge. A publication ban was placed so it was not widely reported. 

The infant was estimated to be around 2 years old and his death was horrific as they were done to him while still alive. His neck was severed, their limbs and genitals were removed, their skull was fractured, and their brain had been removed.

A suspect was quickly arrested, 24-year-old Lee Chang-po. He had reported to the police that he had witnessed the child's brutal murder and the details matched the scene. Lee was suffering from syphilis and was considered mentally unwell. After his arrest, he would confess but he seemed confused. He was often repeating vague statements and mumbled and mismatched words. He claimed he dug up the child from the cemetery, but that was untrue. 

He would recant his confession as it after the autopsy contradicted him. He would then claim that he did it himself and that the missing flesh, organs, and limbs would be found at his home. When Lee lead officers to the home they came across his mother and he asked her "Where did you put the knife and child's flesh you used earlier?" His mother screamed at him "This crazy person!" and refused any involvement with the child's death. Other family members also denied any involvement and the house turned up nothing. 

There was no evidence against Lee and they determined that he lied during his confession. Lee was mentally ill and this helped clear him. They believed he may have witnessed the murder as he stated and that his family was the ones who had done it. If they had it was possible that they believed like a Korean superstition at the time that eating the liver of a young person or child would cure diseases. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Namu

Ñusta

 

Ñusta was found in Bolivia and was a child that was sacrificed in the later half of the 1400s. She was around 8-years-old and was believed to be an important person, or the daughter of someone elite as she was found in a chullpa on the Andes highlands near La Paz, Bolivia. Her tomb had various items like pouches, feathers, a clay jar, and some plants.

Ñusta was ethnically Aymara, a South American people where The Aymara Kingdom was between 1200 to 1438 until they were conquested by the Incas. When the Incas claimed them religious rituals and rights were overhauled and child sacrifice (Qhapaw hucha) was practiced. The children are often sacrificed after important events or disasters. The Chullpa she was found in was rare. It was likely she was an important person or the daughter of someone elite. 

SOURCES:

Mummipedia Wikia

Lansing State Journal

All That's Interesting

WKAR

Bog Bodies: The Clonycavan Man

 

In March of 2003, a body was found in a bog by peat cutters in Clonycavan, County Meath, Ireland . The body belonged to a man between 24 to 40 (believed to be in his 20's) who died between 392 BC to 201 BC. He was 5'2", and had crooked teeth. He had long and styled hair. The front of his hair was shaven, giving him a higher hairline, and the remainder was several inches long which was folded forward and then back, and sported a goatee and mustache. There was hair oil in his hair that consisted of plant oil and pine resins found in France or Spain. He had a rich diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, and protein.

It's believed that he may have been a king that was sacrificed after a bad harvest or another disaster.  His death may have been done to please the goddess of fertility. He was likely killed during the warmer months of the year which was indicated by his diet.

He was killed from a blow to the head with a sharp instrument, possibly an ax, and then was hit in the nose, chest, and was disemboweled. His nipples were may have been sliced off or were missing due to decomposition. If his nipples were sliced off, that would possibly mean that he failed kingship or a failed candidate for kingship.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia Wiki

BBC News Jan. 7, 2006

Archeology

The Crystal Maiden

 

The Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre) is a sacred cave located near Sa Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize. This place is known as a Maya archeological site that incases skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware. It was a cave used by the Mayans for sacrificial reasons. The most known skeleton in the cave is known as The Crystal Maiden. It's possible that they were a sacrifice victim, and the conditions of the cave allowed the bones to calcify giving the body a sparkling and crystallized appearance. 

The Crystal Maiden was originally believed to be a woman around 18-20, but it's now believed that the body may belong to a teenage boy. It's believed that they died between 700 and 900. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia Wiki

Mummies: Acongagua Boy

 

In 1985 while mountaineers climbed on Aconcagua in Mendoza, Argentina the body of a boy was found at 5,300 m or 17,400 ft. They would notify archeologists and it was found that the mummified body was that of a boy sacrificed around 1500. He was likely around 7-years-old and was sacrificed for the Incan Empire as a capacocha sacrifice.

The boy was found in a semicircular stone structure and covered in vomit, red pigment, and fecal remains. the body was wrapped in textiles in a style derived and dated from the central coast of Peru. Though those were from Peru he was not and was likely raised in the Highlands. Six statuettes were found buried with him. He was buried with a multitude of grave goods and this was rare for male capacocha mummies.

Like many of the capacocha sacrifices a year and a half he was fed well with maize, quinoa, capsicum, potatoes, and terrestrial meat. Before that his diet was marine-based. He had achiote in his stomach and colon.

As a capacocha sacrifice, it's unknown if his parents were willing or not to give him up. Some parents were willing to sacrifice their children and others were not, but were forced to not show grief for their lost child. He would be chosen for his serenity and perfection, and one quality a sacrifice had to have was virginity. After being chosen he would eat well for about around a year or so. Like other sacrifices, he then had to take a trek to his resting place on the Andes. He would be hit in the head and die. Other sacrifices often died this way, or be buried alive and dying by exposure. 

SOURCES: 

Wikipedia

Mummipedia Wikia

Science

Bog Bodies: Weerding Men

 

In 1904 two bog bodies were found in Drenthe, Netherlands in the southern part of Bourtange Moor. The two were laid together in the bog initially making people think they were a couple and or related. This would lead to one of the bodies (the smaller one) being thought of being a woman. Leading for them to be called the Weerding Couple, or Mr. and Mrs. Veenstra. Later DNA tests showed that they were both males and were not Maternally related. 

The Weerding Men likely died between 160 BC and 220 AD. One of the men (the better preserved one) was found with a large wound in his chest with his intestines spilled out. It may have been ritualistic and may have been in an attempt to divine the future by reading entrails. It's unknown if this was the way he died or was killed. It's unknown how the other man died. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia

The Elling Woman

 

In 1938 a bog body of a woman was found in Silkeborg, Denmark. The bog helped somewhat preserve the body and some clothing by the bog. The woman would be termed the Elling Woman. She was around 25-years-old and her sex was hard to identify at first because the front of the body didn't mummify as well as the back. She had died around 350–150 BCE.

Her death was believed to have been unnatural. She was either, executed, sacrificed, or murdered. She was hanged with a leather thong. The thong left a V-shaped ligature in her neck. No other injuries or such were linked to her death. After this, she was placed into the peat bog. 

The woman had an elaborate braid. A sheepskin cape was wrapped over her upper legs, and her legs and feet covered by a different sheepskinn cape. She was also wearing a woven belt around her waist that had a sliding knot. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia

Archeology Magazine

 

The Kayhausen Boy

In 1922 the body of a young boy was found in a bog in Lower Saxony, Germany. He was called the Kayhausen Boy and was between 7 and 10-years-old and had lived and died between 300 and 400 BC. The boy had been killed and it's more than likely due to sacrificial reasons.

The young boy had been bound. Strips of woolen fabric were used to tie his arms behind his back, and a length of textile was wound around his neck, passed between his legs, and back up to his neck where the two ends were tied together. It was found that he had been stabbed 3 times in the neck and once in the left arm. It was likely killed with a dagger with a 4-centimeter blade. It's unknown if he was stabbed before or after he was bound.

It's likely he was sacrificed because he was disabled and probably considered disfavored by their gods. He had suffered from an infected socket at the top of his femur and was unable to walk without assistance. His story and identity will never be known as it was lost to history.

There is a picture of the boy, but it shows how he's tied up and to be a bit too much to post on here. Both links below do have images of this mummy though.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Mummipedia 

The Yde Girl Mummy

Images of her and the 1992 reconstruction of her face. 

On May 12, 1897, a man working in the Stifveen peat bog near Yde, Netherlands a well-preserved mummy of a teenaged girl. They referred to the girl as Het Meisje van Yde in Dutch.Which it meant the girl from Yde.

Yde Girls body wasn't turned over to authorities till two weeks after she was found. Due to the conditions that a bog has, it allows bodies inside of it to mummify. Her body went through some deterioration and decomposing due to mishandling. People also came to see the body and took hair and teeth from the body.

The mummy had Carbon-14 dating done on her. It was found she had died between 54 BC and 128 AD. She had died around 16 years old.  It was found she had scoliosis of the spine and stood at 137 cm and was short for her age. Her hair was nicely preserved as it was long and reddish-blonde hair. It's possible one side of her head was shaved, but sometimes this shaved feature is seen in bog bodies and it's possible that that side of her head was in oxygen a bit longer.  She was wearing a woolen cape and around her neck was a braided woolen band. The braided band was wrapped around her neck three times.

She had a stab wound to her collar bone, but it is unknown if this was what killed her. It's believed the stabbing happened when she unconscious as there were no defensive wounds.


Her name and story are lost to history. It's not sure why she had died or why her body was left in a Peat Bog. Some speculate that she was murdered or sacrificed. Others think that maybe the woolen band around her neck is evidence that she killed herself. It's not sure what really happened to the girl.

SOURCES:
Mummipedia
Awesome Stories
Atlas Obscura
Wikipedia