In general, of course, ancient civilizations left us a lot of unusual, strange and mysterious. Moreover, the more ancient the find, the more unimaginable the versions and explanations of what is happening become.
For example, Lady Dai (Xin Zhui) is one of the best-preserved mummies in the world. And although her face looks swollen and severely deformed, the mummy's skin is still soft to the touch, there are no signs of wrinkling or cramps, and her arms and legs can still bend. The internal organs were also preserved, and blood still remains in the veins.
How did you achieve this?
When other mummies crumble at the slightest movement, Lady Dai's condition allowed doctors to perform a full autopsy 2,100 years after her death. They were not only able to determine the cause of death, but also learned a lot about her life. Her blood type was even determined - Lady Dai's autopsy is the most detailed medical profile ever compiled on an ancient human.
Mummies of humans or animals are dead bodies, the skin and organs of which were preserved by accident or intention. Decomposition of tissues can be prevented by lack of air, low humidity, high or low temperatures, or exposure to chemicals. This means that the body does not decompose as long as it is stored in a cool and dry place. Mummies have been found on all continents. For example, in Egypt, there are over a million mummies of animals, mostly cats.
In ancient Egypt, when the pharaoh died, it was believed that he simply passed into the afterlife and turned into one of several gods that people worshiped at that time. The Egyptians used the mummification process to preserve bodies and prevent decay. Intentional mummification was first recorded during the 2nd Dynasty, i.e. in 3400 BC. It soon became an integral part of the Egyptian funeral ritual (of course, not for everyone). Sometimes it took up to 70 days to properly embalm the body.
In Asia, mummies are preserved only by accident - due to the fact that people were buried in the "right place", where the environment itself acted as a means to preserve the body. Therefore, Asian mummies are most often found in the desert regions of Iran and the Tarim River basin. Mummies are also found in more humid Asian climates, but they are very difficult to recover, as bodies decay very quickly after being removed from their graves due to the warm and humid climates they are unexpectedly exposed to.
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Lady Dye's story
Lady Dai, or Xin-Zhui, was an aristocrat from the Han dynasty Li Tsan. She led a luxurious lifestyle, because her tomb was filled with numerous luxuries available only to the most powerful people of that time. Among the finds were hundreds of exquisite silk items, garments, various spices, flowers, and cosmetics. Also in the tomb were numerous lacquerware, musical instruments and statuettes of musicians and thousands of other items.
“These findings clearly demonstrate that Lady Dai led a wealthy life that she loved very much,” said Willow Weilan Hai Chang, gallery director at the China Institute in New York, where some of her grave items were on display in 2009. "It is obvious that Lady Dye wanted to preserve all her goods in the afterlife."
Lady Dai's cause of death
It was this luxurious life that supposedly caused her death. It is generally accepted that Lady Dai was very beautiful in her youth, but later indulged herself too much in culinary delights (for example, Scorpio soup) until her miniature figure was transformed into obesity. The drawings on her gravestone show Lady Dye leaning on a cane. Perhaps she could not walk without a cane because of coronary thrombosis and arteriosclerosis, acquired as a result of a sedentary lifestyle. The autopsy also revealed a displaced disc in the spine, causing severe back pain and difficulty walking.
Lady Dai was diagnosed with parasites due to poorly cooked food and poor hygiene, as well as clogged arteries, serious heart disease, osteoporosis and gallstones, one of which was in the bile duct and further worsened her already poor condition. Lady Dai died at the age of about fifty from a sudden heart attack caused by poor health. Melon was her last meal. Ironically, her tomb contains a colossal volume of books on health, well-being and longevity. The tablets carved with Chinese characters bear recipes for traditional Chinese medicines for headaches, paralysis, asthma, sexual and other health problems.
Finding the mummy of Lady Dai
Dai's tomb was discovered in 1971 at the Mawandui archaeological site near the Chinese city of Changshi. Xin Zhui was found in twenty layers of silk in a complex of four nested coffins of decreasing size. To maintain optimal moisture content, her tomb was filled with charcoal, and the top was sealed with several layers of clay. This waterproof, sealed space effectively destroyed any bacteria that might be inside and helped keep the body in top condition. Archaeologists have also found traces of mercury in the coffin.
This provides evidence that the toxic metal could be used as an antibacterial agent. Lady Dai's body was soaked in an unknown acidic liquid, which also prevented the growth of bacteria. Some researchers believe that this liquid is simply moisture from the body, and not some kind of preservative solution poured into the coffin.
It is still a mystery how exactly Lady Dye's body fought decay, as many bodies buried in such isolated environments have not survived to this day. The excavations at Mawandui of Lady Dai's body, as well as her husband and son, are considered one of the most ambitious archaeological finds of the 20th century. From the construction of tombs to various burial artifacts, archaeologists have been able to piece together a picture of the lifestyle of aristocrats during the Hun period. From the various dishes in the tomb, and even from the contents of Lady Dai's stomach, scientists have been able to reconstruct the dynasty's remarkably detailed dietary history. Light has been shed on agricultural practices, hunting techniques, animal domestication, manufacturing, cooking, cultivating recipes, and structural understanding in the development of one of the world's great and longest-running cuisines.
Lady Dai's body is now in the Hunan Provincial Museum, which can be visited any time of the year.