Date of Award
Spring 2019
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department/Major
Anthropology
First Advisor
Dr. Tony Krus
Second Advisor
Dr. Silvana Rosenfeld
Third Advisor
Joleen Pietrzak
Keywords
Osteobiography, 14C Measurements, Sarcophagus, Mummified Remains
Abstract
Osteobiography is the compilation of molecular and anthropological analyses to reconstruct the pre-, peri-, and post-mortem histories of individuals. Post-mortem histories of human remians can extend millennia after the time of death, such as the many Ancient Egyptian mummies brought to North America during the 19th and 20th century for carnivals and sideshows. A sarcophagus curated at the W.H. Over Museum, Vermillion, South Dakota, has been tentatively identified as dating to the Ptolemaic Dynasty (330-30 BC), but casts doubt on sumbols used as they do not represent known hieroglyphs. The sarcophagus was prominently displayed at a 21st century amusement park carnvial and roadside museum in Nebraska and a consensus was not able to be tentatively made on the age of the skeletal remains. Obtaining 14C measurements on the mummified individual within the coffin will help to identify authenticity and establish a time period for this individual. The comparison of this measurement, along with the analysis of current information of the sarcophagus will aid the osteobiographic interpretation of the mummified individual. Further analysis of the mummified remains has also yielded answers to question in regard to the individuals health, social status, and age at time of death.
Recommended Citation
Tester, Cassandra, "Osteobiography of Ancient Egyptian Mummified Remains, 900-790 BC" (2019). Honors Thesis. 68.
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/68