The amazing preservation of a mummy reveals intricate details of ancient burial customs. After examining a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus in Naples with a microcamera, archaeologists were sufficiently encouraged by what they saw to step inside this sealed tomb for the first time. But once they opened the passage inside the sarcophagus, sealed for thousands of years, they were shocked by the state of what they discovered.
A team of archaeologists led by Simone Formola investigating the Cerberus tomb in the northwestern Naples town of Giugliano found a man lying face up in "perfect preservation," according to a translated statement from the superintendent for archaeology, fine arts and landscape of the Naples metropolitan area. The man was covered with a shroud and surrounded by many items, among them several jars of ointments and tools for cleaning the body, often used in the burial process.
The team believes that the special care of the deceased, as well as items found near the body, suggest that the sarcophagus contained a member of the family for whom the mausoleum was originally built.
"The Cerberus Tomb continues to provide valuable information about the Phlegrean territory near Leathernum," Marian Nuzzo, who runs Italy's Ministry of Culture, said in a statement, "expanding knowledge of the past and opening up opportunities for interdisciplinary research.
Now the research team has a new treasure trove of information to mine. "In recent months," Nuzzo says, "laboratory analyses performed on samples taken from burials and sediments have yielded a significant amount of data concerning the treatment of the deceased body and funerary rituals, greatly enriching the storehouse of our knowledge.
The team of scientists believes that the shroud was most likely mineralized due to the unique climatic conditions inside the burial chamber. Analysis of the fabric is ongoing, but archaeologists hope to determine the structure, type and quality of the yarn used in the tomb. They hope this information will help elucidate additional social and cultural details.
While DNA analysis of the remains continues, the research team is also continuing to analyze organic matter, including pollen found inside the sarcophagus.
Scientists were able to discover that the body in the sarcophagus was likely treated with creams based on chenopodium, also known as goosefoot, and absinthe, designed to improve preservation.
The Ministry hopes that further sampling and analysis of all the information obtained from the sarcophagus study will provide additional information about the necropolis' surroundings that will help build a broader picture of the social and cultural fabric of Naples 2,000 years ago.