It is quite saddening to look at the little girl in the crypt and think of all the life she never got to see.

I wonder if altitude plays a factor in preservation. Was it in the mountains of Sicily?

 

I would think that would have less of a factor than the general humidity of the area. Corpses preserve easier in dry weather/soil.

I would think that would have less of a factor than the general humidity of the area. Corpses preserve easier in dry weather/soil.

 

Thanks for the input. :thumb:

I would think that would have less of a factor than the general humidity of the area. Corpses preserve easier in dry weather/soil.

 

Creepy. BGP's music and corpse expert. :scared:

I can see why the new picture is so amazing but I don't understand why the one from 1984 is anything special. I find it hard to believe that there weren't any better pictures between now and then?

Creepy. BGP's music and corpse expert. :scared:

 

I watch a LOT of History Channel, National Geographic Channel and Discovery. You pick up on certain things if you hear 'em enough times.

I can see why the new picture is so amazing but I don't understand why the one from 1984 is anything special. I find it hard to believe that there weren't any better pictures between now and then?

 

I think it's an amazing photo, and has always been considered one of the best pictures in NG. It captures the fear in a young girl's eyes in a place where life was/is really tough.

From the article:

 

No one knows exactly what started the mummification; probably by chance it was discovered that a body left in a crypt with a particular atmosphere of coolness and porous limestone would actually dry out rather than rot. Then a system was devised. The newly dead were laid in chambers, called strainers, on terra-cotta slats over drains, where their body fluids could seep away and the corpses slowly desiccate, like prosciutto. After eight months to a year, they'd be washed with vinegar, put back in their best clothes, and either placed in coffins or hung on the walls.

 

I would not want this job!

My question is why the Sicilian girl's body was exumed and photographed? Yes, it is remarkable to be in such wonderful shape.......but why?

My question is why the Sicilian girl's body was exumed and photographed? Yes, it is remarkable to be in such wonderful shape.......but why?

From what I gather, the body was not buried. The casket was kept in the catacombs below the city.

The newly dead were laid in chambers, called strainers, on terra-cotta slats over drains, where their body fluids could seep away and the corpses slowly desiccate, like prosciutto.

I'll never eat at Subway again! :eyeonyou: