Before being “exposed to the sunlight,” this mummy, along with accompanying objects such as clothing, weapons, and food, had rested in an “ice chamber” for nearly 2,000 years. In 2003, archaeologists discovered 41 ancient mummies in southern Siberia, Russia.
In April 2008, Mike Sulz, an expert in ancient mummies from the University of Göttingen, stated that after using modern examination methods, he conducted an investigation and analysis of one of the male mummies among them.
The results showed that this man had been injured, as there were traces of medical treatment on his body. This is considered the most convincing evidence of surgical skill during that time.
In 2005, in the Inner Mongolia region, a team of Russian archaeologists discovered frozen tombs. About 20 archaeologists from Russia, Germany, and Mongolia participated in the excavation of these tombs.
It took them three weeks to dig two tombs, but they were disappointed as they did not find anything scientifically valuable. The third tomb was even more disappointing as it was empty, devoid of any valuable contents from centuries ago.
Finally, the fourth tomb did not disappoint. The mummy inside still had intact clothing and weapons, and there were also the remains of two well-preserved saddled horses buried together. The tomb was about 1.5 meters below the ground.
This is a groundbreaking discovery. The President of Mongolia spared no expense and allowed the archaeological team to use a helicopter to safely transport the mummy to the capital.
According to research results, before being “exposed to the sunlight,” this mummy, along with accompanying objects, had rested in this “ice chamber” for nearly 2,000 years. And it is thanks to this layer of ice that the mummy has remained almost intact until today.
This Siberian ice mummy is a natural mummy, or in other words, it is entirely formed by nature. For example, under extreme cold weather conditions, there is the ice mummy Ötzi, and in alkaline environments, there is the Tollund Man mummy, among others.
Naturally preserved animal remains are not uncommon either, mostly found in water environments. They are animals with inherent body structures suitable for “mummification,” such as starfish and seahorses. The Rio and Dakota dinosaur mummies are classic examples.
The most well-preserved mummy known is the mummy of a baby from South America dating back to the Inca Empire, around 500 years ago, with origins in Peru, Chile, and the Inca civilization.
At that time, children were chosen as sacrificial offerings to the mountain gods, placed at the foot of the Andes mountains to pray for peace. The climate in the mountains was extremely cold, with low temperatures, causing the children to gradually lose water from their bodies and become ice mummies.
In 1995, a mummy of a girl was discovered on the Amparo snow mountain in southern Peru. The girl was around 12 to 14 years old and died between 1440 and 1450. Archaeologists believe that she was likely a ceremonial offering to the Inca mountain deity. Later, the ice mummy of the young girl was referred to by the poetic name “Maiden of the Ice.”
In England, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other places, numerous cases of bog mummies have been discovered. It is speculated that most of these individuals died due to murder or sacrificial rituals, being thrown into mossy bogs. The alkaline water, low temperatures, and lack of oxygen in the bogs caused the dead bodies’ skin and internal organs to undergo a process called adipocere formation.
Usually, when a human dies, their bones gradually erode over time, separating and dispersing from the body. However, these bog mummies are highly exceptional, with the skeletal structure remaining mostly intact. In fact, through stomach contents, researchers can even determine the last meal of their lives, what they had eaten.
