Archaeologists plan to X-ray Sicily's Capuchin Catacombs' child mummies

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Some of the children appear to be "little little dolls" because of their remarkable preservation.

In the northern Sicilian city of Palermo, the mummified and skeletal remains of more than 160 children lie preserved. Experts hope. X-ray technology can reveal some mysteries surrounding their lives and deaths.

According to the new project's website, there are at least 1,284 mummified and skeletonized bodies in the catacombs. According to the Palermo Catacombs website, the catacombs were used from the late 1590s until 1880; two more bodies were interred there in the early 1900s.

It will be the first inquiry to focus solely on the underground crypts and corridors for children, with funding provided by the Arts and Humanities Research Council of the United Kingdom. As reported by The Guardian, the experts plan to X-ray 41 mummies kept in the catacombs' "children's room" or "child chapel" interred between 1787 and 1880.

As part of the experiment, we'll use a portable X-ray device to collect hundreds of photographs of toddlers from various angles; the project's chief investigator and an assistant professor of bioarchaeology at Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom tells the Guardian. As well as learning more about the children's identities and health conditions, the team plans to analyze cultural artifacts like the burial attire, she explained.

A child's gender and age will be determined, as well as any developmental flaws or diseases, using X-rays. It is expected that the results of this study will be compared to each child's clothing, accompanying funeral objects, their placement in the chapel, and the manner of mummification used to preserve them. The team will also use old death certificates, which provide only the names and dates of the deceased's death.

Considering all of these signs, it should be possible to piece together the lives of Palermo's mummified infants from the 18th and 19th centuries. According to the Palermo Catacombs website, being converted into a mummy was a "status symbol" and "a way to preserve prestige and dignity even after death" during the period.

The Capuchin Catacombs were originally constructed as a private burial ground for friars in the late 1590s. According to the catacombs website, the Capuchin order began permitting laypeople in the region to be buried there in 1783. Families might also donate to the organization to have the bodies of their deceased loved ones preserved and displayed in the catacombs.

Reference : https://www.livescience.com/child-mummies-research-project-capuchin-catacombs

Image source : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/pohon-hutan-gurun-pinus-kayu-pinus-273828/

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