279-year-old Austrian mummy reveals mysterious anticorrosion methods that have never been seen before | World News
A creepy discovery inside the church’s basement shocks scientists and historians in the quiet village of St Thomas Am Blasenstein in Austria. A 279-year-old mummy preserves amazing details that reveal a rare and unconventional method of anticorrosion – unlike anything seen in Europe before.
The mummy belongs to the parish pastor Franz Xaver Sidler von Rosenegg who died in 1746. His body is located in an underground crypt below the church, without time-skin, organs, and even tissues, that it is preserved so precisely that researchers are forced to investigate the secrets of their incredible state.
For years, experts have studied how ancient civilizations preserved the dead – from Egyptian mummies to South American rituals. However, the recent Austrian case published in the field of medicine may open a new chapter in the science of human preservation.
Ludwig-Maximili-Pathologist at the University and lead author of the study Dr Andreas Nerlich explained the team’s findings:
“Our investigation found that the excellent preservation status came from an abnormal type of anticorrosion, which stuffed the abdomen with wood chips, branches and fabrics, and added zinc chloride for internal drying.”
Unlike classic anticorrosion methods, the body is cut to remove the open amount of organs, the technique uses natural absorbent materials (such as FIR and spruce chips, debris of branches, layers of flax, cannabis and flax) to be inserted upright into the interior to dry the inner cavity within the inner cavity. The CT scan showed that the upper body retained the upper body, while the lower limbs and head showed signs of post-mortem attenuation, further confirming the local drying effect of the materials used.
Interestingly, the researchers also found a small glass ball with holes at both ends (probably an object from a monastery) placed inside the body. Although its purpose is not yet clear, it adds to the mystery of the funeral.
The mummy's identity has long been suspected of being Sidler von Rosenegg, but it was not until this investigation. Biological analysis records individual deaths between 1734 and 1780, with an estimated age between 35 and 45 years old. The skeletal remains show no signs of hard labor—align with the priest’s sedentary life—but do reveal two significant health problems: long-term smoking habits and evidence of the existence of tuberculosis.
Dr. Nellich believes that this unconventional preservation technique may be more common than previously thought, but cannot be recognized due to other post-mummy decays.
This case raises a fascinating new perspective on the burial tradition in 18th century Europe and raises broader questions about how local materials and beliefs affect the study of broader preservation practices in the Egyptian and Peruvian contexts.
As scientists continue to study this rare discovery, the mystery of the ancient mummy method will only deepen – a reminder that even centuries later, there are secrets that the dead still reveal.
