Within the quiet village of St Thomas am Blasenstein in Austria, an eerie discovery inside a church crypt has shocked scientists and historians alike. A 279-year-old mummy, preserved with astonishing element, has revealed a uncommon and unconventional methodology of embalming — in contrast to something seen earlier than in Europe.
The mother belongs to Franz Xaver Sidler von Rosenegg, a parish vicar who handed away in 1746. His physique lies in a crypt beneath the church, untouched by time — pores and skin, organs, and even tissues preserved with such precision that researchers have been compelled to research the key behind his unimaginable state.
For years, consultants have studied the methods by which historic civilisations preserved their useless — from Egyptian mummies to South American rituals. However this Austrian case, just lately revealed in Frontiers in Medication, could open a brand new chapter within the science of human preservation.
Dr Andreas Nerlich, a pathologist at Ludwig-Maximilians-College in Munich and lead writer of the examine, defined the crew’s findings:
“Our investigation uncovered that the superb preservation standing got here from an uncommon kind of embalming, achieved by stuffing the stomach by the rectal canal with wooden chips, twigs and material, and the addition of zinc chloride for inside drying.”
In contrast to classical embalming strategies the place the physique is reduce open to take away organs, this method used pure absorbent supplies — like fir and spruce wooden chips, fragments of branches, and layers of linen, hemp, and flax — inserted rectally to dry the inner cavity with out incision. CT scans revealed a preserved higher physique whereas the decrease limbs and head confirmed indicators of autopsy decay, additional confirming the localized drying impact of the supplies used.
Curiously, researchers additionally found a small glass sphere with holes on each ends — seemingly a monastic object — positioned contained in the corpse. Whereas its objective stays unclear, it provides to the mystique of the burial ritual.
The identification of the mother had lengthy been suspected to be Sidler von Rosenegg, however it wasn’t till this investigation that the affirmation got here. Organic evaluation dated the person’s loss of life between 1734 and 1780, with an estimated age at loss of life between 35 and 45. The skeletal stays confirmed no indicators of exhausting labor — in keeping with the sedentary lifetime of a priest — however did reveal two notable well being points: proof of a long-term smoking behavior and the presence of lung tuberculosis.
Dr Nerlich believes this unconventional preservation approach might need been extra widespread than beforehand believed however went unrecognized attributable to autopsy decay in different mummies that obscured the proof.
This case presents an enchanting new perspective on burial traditions in 18th-century Europe and raises broader questions on how native supplies and beliefs influenced preservation practices exterior of the extra extensively studied Egyptian and Peruvian contexts.
As scientists proceed to review such uncommon finds, the thriller of historic mummification strategies solely deepens — reminding us that even centuries later, the useless nonetheless have secrets and techniques to disclose.