26 March 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

For the first time, researchers discovered bioarchaeological evidence of familial embalming in early modern France

A unique discovery has revealed new insights into the burial rituals of early modern Western Europe: For the first time, researchers have been able to provide bioarchaeological evidence of the familial embalming of infants and adults in early modern France.

For a long time, embalming practices were considered exotic rituals associated primarily with the ancient Egyptians or cultures in South America. New finds at the Château des Milandes in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, Dordogne, France, now prove that these techniques were also used in Europe.

The remains of seven adults and five children discovered in a cellar, as well as the remains of a single mummified buried woman, all belonging to the aristocratic Caumont family, provide researchers at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) with valuable information. About embalming practices in the 16th and 17th centuries.

‘These finds provide unique insights into embalming techniques,’ says Caroline Partiot from the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. ‘Our examinations of a complete individual and the almost 2,000 fragments show a careful and highly standardized technical treatment of the deceased, which is similar for adults and children. This reveals expertise that has been handed down over two centuries,’ says Caroline Partiot from the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Using the skeleton of the individuals in the crypt and the individual female body, which was buried alone, the researchers were able to examine the modus operandi of embalming based on the cut marks on the entire skeleton. Particularly noteworthy is the precise skinning, which covered the entire body, including the upper and lower limbs down to the fingertips and toes.

Steps of the embalming procedure and selection of bone parts showing signs of the operation. Image Credit: © C. Partiot/ÖAI/ÖAW/M. Bessou/CNRS
Steps of the embalming procedure and selection of bone parts showing signs of the operation. Image Credit: © C. Partiot /ÖAI/ÖAW/ M. Bessou/CNRS

These methods are similar to the procedures described in 1708 by the then-leading French surgeon Pierre Dionis. Research has now shown that this was used in an 18th-century autopsy in Marseille. “It is remarkable that the tradition has persisted for at least two centuries,” explains the archaeologist.

The discovery of the tomb and the analysis of the skeletons show that this practice was a deeply rooted tradition within the Caumont family, which enjoyed high social status at the time. Partiot explains: ‘The treatment indicates that embalming was not so much for long-term preservation, but rather to be able to display the corpse during funeral ceremonies.’

This is because multiple embalmings in one and the same family are rare, and the only known case in medieval Western Europe in which multiple embalmings were carried out in one and the same family with children is the Medici family in Italy in the 15th century. “The application to family members, regardless of age at death and gender, also reflects the acquisition of this status by birth,” emphasizes Partiot.

Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAW)

Partiot, C., Bessou, M., Kacki, S. et al. First bioarchaeological evidence of the familial practice of embalming of infant and adult relatives in Early Modern France. Sci Rep 14, 27075 (2024).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-78258-w

Cover Image Credit: The skull of the individually buried woman, was sawn into pieces to remove the brain, right side view. © M. Bessou/CNRS UMR

Related Articles

The historic Egyptian Palace is being demolished, it may hold a surprise underneath

27 August 2021

27 August 2021

The cause for the evacuation and demolition of the ancient Tawfiq Pasha Andraos Palace, located in the precincts of the...

An extraordinary archaeological discovery in Spain: A new decorated stela has been found in context, in the 3000-year-old funerary complex

15 October 2023

15 October 2023 2

Archaeologists have discovered a new decorated stela in the 3000-year-old burial complex of Las Capellanías in Cañaveral de León (Huelva,...

5,000 years old Mother Goddess statuette unearthed in Yeşilova Mound

25 October 2023

25 October 2023

A Mother Goddess statuette, determined to be 5 thousand years old, was found during the excavations carried out in the...

Cave paintings discovered in western Turkey carry the region’s past back to prehistory

18 December 2021

18 December 2021

During the archaeological survey carried out in and around the ancient city of Alinda in Aydın province in western Turkey,...

One Of The Largest And Most Significant Iron Age Hoards Ever Discovered In The UK Has Been Unveiled

26 March 2025

26 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, the Melsonby Hoard has emerged as one of the most significant Iron Age discoveries in...

Excavations in Poland uncover Goth graves filled with ornate jewellery

17 August 2023

17 August 2023

A 2,000-year-old Goth burial site filled with ancient jewels has been discovered in Wda Landscape Park (Wdecki Park Krajobrazowy) near...

Recent excavations at Girsu uncovered innovative civilization-saving technology of Ancient Sumerians

19 November 2023

19 November 2023

In ancient city Girsu, located near the modern city of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq, revealed through a recent excavation by...

“If this site (Sharda temple)is restored and conserved, it will attract thousands of Hindus and Buddhists from Kashmir and the rest of the world”

7 August 2021

7 August 2021

Sharda Peeth, a historic learning institution located 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Muzaffarabad, the capital and largest city of Pakistan-administered...

The Largest Circular Tomb of the Ancient World Is Opening

16 February 2021

16 February 2021

The restoration of Augustus’ colossal tomb, which is expected to be opened in 2014, has been completed. The Augustus mausoleum...

5,500-year-old Menhir discovered in Portugal

28 August 2023

28 August 2023

A 5,500-year-old (that is around 3500 BC) menhir has been discovered in the town of São Brás de Alportel in...

Iron Age and Roman Skeletons Discovered on Alderney

19 May 2021

19 May 2021

Well-preserved skeletons from the late Iron Age and Roman periods were found in Alderney, one of the channel islands. The...

A 2,000-year-old ancient “mirror” throws light on aristocratic life in China

17 May 2022

17 May 2022

Archeologists in Beijing have successfully reconstructed a 2,000-year-ago dressing mirror once cherished by the high nobility during the Han Dynasty....

A burial complex dating to the Second Intermediate Period has been discovered at the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis at Luxor

12 April 2023

12 April 2023

At the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis in Luxor, a family burial complex from the Second Intermediate Period has been found....

An olive workshop dating back to the 6th century was found in the ancient city of Dara

16 February 2022

16 February 2022

An olive workshop dating back to the 6th century was unearthed in the ancient city of Dara, one of the...

Archaeologists found a medieval skeleton with a prosthetic hand in Freising, Germany

28 October 2023

28 October 2023

Archaeologists in the city of Freising in Bavaria, Germany, unearthed containing a skeleton with a prosthetic hand. The metal part...