coffins

Caves and rock shelters dot the mountains in the northwestern highlands of Thailand. Over 40 in Mae Hong Son province contain wooden coffins on stilts, dating back 1,000 – 2,300 years. Credit: © Selina CarlhoffAncient DNA helps researchers elucidate the structure of a prehistoric community from Southeast Asia.A mortuary practice known as Log Coffin culture characterizes the Iron Age of highland Pang Mapha in northwestern Thailand. Between 2,300 and 1,000 years ago, individuals were buried in large wooden coffins on…

Six animal coffins from Egypt—impressively still sealed after about 2,500 years—have been opened virtually by a team of researchers using a unique imaging technology.The coffins contained lizard remains, the scientists found, as well as textiles that may have once wrapped the small bodies and lead, which may have had magical connotations. The coffins’ insides were revealed using neutron tomography after several failed attempts to see inside the coffins with X-ray imaging. The team’s research is published today in…

In a thrilling discovery for Egyptologists and ancient history buffs, the contents of six ancient animal sarcophagi have been examined, all without a single scientists opening a coffin lid, thanks to groundbreaking neutron tomography.The method was used by scientists from the British Museum and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) not to avoid any fabled curses linked with disturbing mummified remains, but to preserve the artifacts in their natural, whole state while being able to sneak a peek at their…

Animal coffin EA36151, surmounted by a human-headed part-eel, part-cobra creature wearing a double crown, associated with the ancient Egyptian god Atum. Credit: The Trustees of the British Museum. The contents of six sealed ancient Egyptian animal coffins—which were imaged using a non-invasive technique—are described in a new study published in Scientific Reports.…

In this image provided by the City of Tulsa, Crews work on an excavation at Oaklawn Cemetery searching for victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla. Officials say the search for remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre has turned up 21 additional graves in the city’s Oaklawn Cemetery. Credit: City of Tulsa via AP The search for remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race…