Mummified body with knees folded to chin, South American, before 1400
- Made:
- Before 1400 in South America
Mummified body with knees folded to chin, covered with coarse fabric and fishing net, South American, possibly from northern Chile, pre-Columbian era (before 1400)
This preserved body was purchased on behalf of Henry Wellcome’s Historical Medical Museum from a London auction house in 1928 as part of a collection of five 'Peruvian mummies'. Further research is needed to confirm this individual’s cultural and geographical origins, but the burial position suggests it may originate from northern Chile.
It is wrapped in cloths of different textures and a finely woven net, possibly a casting net for fish. The latter’s excellently preserved condition indicates it may have been a modern addition.
Details
- Category:
- Ethnography and Folk Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A113174
- Materials:
- body, flesh, body, bone and wrapping, cloth
- type:
- human remains and mummies
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust
