Mummification

Archaeologists from the University of Sheffield along with archaeologists from University of Manchester and University College London concluded that mummification was an ancient practise among Britons during the Bronze Age. This is the first study to establish that mummification was a widely accepted practise in Britain.

The study used microscopic bone analysis to compare the bacterial bioerosion of British skeletons with bones of mummified bodies from Yemen and Ireland. According to archaeologists, the damp British climate is not favourable to organic materials and all prehistoric mummified bodies that may be located in UK will have lost their preserved tissue if buried outside of a preservative environment. Archaeologists therefore used microscopic bone analysis to figure out whether the skeleton was previously mummified even if it was buried in an environment that is not favourable to mummification. The study was undertaken on the basis of a previous study conducted at a single Bronze burial site in Outer Hebrides.

The new study has altered the perception of funerary rituals and belief of Britons from Bronze Age which can facilitate the discovery of other ancient civilisations who mummified their dead.