Mummy Monday: The Mummies in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo

It's time again for Mummy Monday! Last week, we explored the crypts of Piraino to learn more about Piraino 1, who is interred there. Today, we will be looking at a group of mummies interred within the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo (Catacombe dei Cappuccini) in the city of Palermo, which is about two hours from the MSFS's base in Santa Lucia del Mela. These catacombs are unique in that they house a huge number of mummies and that these mummies were interred here over three centuries. The Order of the Capuchin Friars settled in Palermo in 1534 and built their convent next to the preexisting church of Santa Maria della Pace. A burial next to the church was opened in 1599 to reveal 45 well-preserved bodies. The bodies were considered "incorruptible", which was a sign of God. A total of 40 of these bodies were subsequently transferred to a new space under the main alter. Later, another room was excavated to house the bodies of friars who lived and died in Palermo. The catacombs reached their current configuration in 1732, though construction continued until 1823. This was originally only a place for interring friars, but during the 17th century, other benefactors began to be admitted. Eventually, the site was subdivided into sectors for friars, men, women, children, priests, and professionals. These mummies were created spontaneously in some instances and intentionally in other instances. A variety of techniques were used for artificial mummification, thus the site provides an interesting look at the development of Italian mummification methods over the centuries.

Mummies of the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo (Photo Credit: Catacombe dei Cappuccini Facebook Page)

Mummies Profile: The Mummies within the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo

Lived: Between the 16th and 20th centuries

Sex: Both males and females interred

Occupation in Life: Variable

Status: Friars, priests, professionals, and aristocrats

Age at Death: Variable

Cause of Death: Variable

Place of Interment: The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo

Societal Importance in Death: Some of these mummies hold religious significance, while others made up other segments of the Palermo community between the 16th and 19th centuries. These mummies provide a wealth of data regarding mortuary practices.

When Students Will Meet These Mummies: During the second week of the field school.

Student Spotlight: Ciao, Caleb!

Caleb Petersen is a Political Science major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He made a very clear promise to share any candy that he gets while in Sicily with his fellow students (or at least with his instructors). He does not, however, have any additional information to share. (He's starting off his career as a politician on the correct foot.) We tracked Caleb down to ask him about taking part in the UNL Mummy Studies Field School this summer.

Hey, Caleb! How did you hear about our program?

Girlfriend.

What made you interested in our program?
The topic is unique and interesting. Also Italy is number 1 on my list of places to visit.

What are you most looking forward to about our program?
Experiencing the Italian culture, as well as being pretty much a tourist while not looking whatsoever like a tourist.

What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
I'm mostly anxious about the trip there. The schedule from bus to flights is fairly tight, and having airport issues in an unfamiliar location screams anxiety. But really, the program itself sounds fun and the only aspect of being in Italy that worries me is how everyone has made it seem like 1,000 different people are looking to steal my identity.

What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
Probably enter the world of politics, whether that be through working in the state government, or going into the field of policy analysis. There's a lot of options.

Is this your first time out of the country?
It is my first time out of the country, but I would, however, consider myself a somewhat experienced traveler.

Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
No (Italian for, "No.") That's really all.

Who is your favorite mummy?
Don't have one, but the movie "The Mummy" is pretty bomb.

Mummy Monday: Piraino 1

Thanks for joining us again for Mummy Monday! Now that we have met our first mummy, The Blessed Antonio Franco, let us now turn our attention to a mummy with a bit more anonymity. Today, we feature a mummy from the crypt of the Piraino Mother Church in the village of Piraino within the province of Messina, Sicily. This mummy, known as Piraino 1, is one of 26 mummies within the crypt that belong to religious dignitaries dating from the late 18th-mid 19th centuries. This mummy was inspected in 2008 with support from the National Geographic Society for evidence of pathology. The mummy was found to have dental calculus, dental enamal hypoplasia, pleural adhesions, spinal arthritis (moderate), and lytic lesions on the skull, ribs, and femur. 

A human whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) egg
recovered from Piraino 1.

A coprolite from the mummy revealed the presence of whipworms (Trichuris trichiura). Intestinal contents were also examined for the presence of botanicals, such as seeds, fruit tissues, and pollen grains. The archaeobotanical work revealed that this mummy died during months of low pollination and had been eating grapes prior to death. This indicated that the mummy likely died between September and November. The mummy also had a high concentration of Polygayla sp. pollen in the gut, which was likely used medicinally in life to treat lung disease and skeletal pain experienced by this individual.

Piraino 1 being examined in the Piraino Mother Church in 2008 by Arthur C. Aufderheide (left) and Dario Piombino-Mascali (right).

Mummies Profile: Piraino 1

Lived: During the late 18th and mid-19th centuries

Sex: Male

Occupation in Life: Religious Dignitary 

Status: Mummy of Religious Significance

Age at Death: 35-50

Cause of Death: Likely from multiple myeloma

Place of Interment: Piraino Mother Church 

Societal Importance in Death: This is one of several religiously significant mummies. The analysis of this mummy has revealed a great deal about the individual's life and final days.

When Students Will Meet This Mummy: During the second week of the field school.

Student Spotlight: An Encounter with Erik!

Erik Schulz is an Anthropology major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is minoring in Archaeology and, like other students, is also adverse to mushroom consumption. He enjoys riding his motorcycle and chatting over coffee. He's excited to travel to Sicily and learn all about Italian mummies. He is most intrigued by the cultural aspects of mummy studies. We tracked Erik down to ask him about taking part in the UNL Mummy Studies Field School this summer.

Hey, Erik! How did you hear about our program?

I heard about this program from Dr. Reinhard. He came to a class of mine and talked to us about the opportunity. 

What made you interested in our program?
I was most interested because of the mummies. It's not every day that you get to go see them! I am also doing this for the research aspect, because I have hardly any actual field research experience. I thought this program would help me build my skills and open up more opportunities in the future.

What are you most looking forward to about our program?
I am most looking forward to learning about the process for making the mummies themselves. I find it very fascinating. I am also really excited to go to Italy and to specifically see Sicily. I have not been yet and I love experiencing new cultures. 

What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
I am a little nervous about the flight. This will be my first time flying by myself. The second thing that I am axious about are the days that I am going to spend there after everyone else comes back. 

What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
My goals after college are still unraveling for me. I would love to be able to move to another country or to a place that I haven’t been yet and study the people there. I am more of a cultural anthropologist, so I like to study groups, especially the ones that have had little contact with the rest of the world. With my studies, I like to focus on religion and spiritual contexts of groups or individuals. This would be my top goal: to go study people and possibly pursue a graduate degree.  

Is this your first time out of the country?
I have traveled outside the United States a few times. When I was a toddler, I lived in Germany for about a year, and then two years ago I spent a few weeks in England and Scotland.

Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
I am in the process of learning Italian. I am using the app Duolingo, and am making progress, but I still have a lot more to learn. 

Who is your favorite mummy?
I cannot really say that I have a favorite mummy, mainly because I do not know a ton of information about different ones. I am excited to learn a lot about these Italian mummies and maybe study other mummies in other places so that I can make a choice about which ones are my favorites. 

Mummy Monday: Meet The Blessed Antonio Franco of Naples

Portrait of the Beato Antonio Franco 

In preparation for this summer's field school, we will now be posting a weekly blurb about the mummies that we will be meeting later this year. To kick off our aptly named Mummy Monday series, let's meet the first mummy that students will encounter upon their arrival in Santa Lucia this July.

Meet the late Monsignor Antonio Franco who lived from 1585 to 1626 and is interred within the Basilica of Santa Lucia del Mela. This individual was beatified in 2013. In life, he spent much of his time in Santa Lucia del Mela, the Sicilian town where we will be spending much of our time during the MSFS this summer. The Blessed Antonio Franco was born in Naples to a noble family on September 26th, 1585. He studied law, receiving a doctorate, and later moved to Rome to further his studies. He was ordained into the priesthood and was named a royal chaplain by King Phillip III on January 14th, 1611. Five years later, he was appointed as the major chaplain of the Kingdom of Sicily, an appointment that came with the Prelature of Santa Lucia del Mela. He was formally installed in this appointment by 1617. He was known as a holy man who wore two chains at all times, ate little, and slept on the floor. He died at age 40 and his remains were deemed to be incorruptible. In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI declared Antonio Franco to be Venerable, saying he had lived a virtuous life. The following year, the pope approved a decree that ratified the existence of a miracle, which led to Antonio Franco's beatification. He was beatified by Cardinal Angelo Amato on September 2nd, 2013. Prior to the beatification, the mummy was restored by forensic anthropologist, Dario Piombino-Mascali and restorer Jens Klocke.

The restored mummy of the Beato Antonio Franco.

Mummy Profile: The Blessed Antonio Franco

Lived: 1585-1626 

Portrait of the Beato Antonio Franco

Sex: Male

Occupation in Life: Monsignor

Status: Beatified

Age at Death: 40

Cause of Death: Unspecified

Place of Interment: The Basilica of Santa Lucia del Mela

Societal Importance in Death: Mummy of Religious Significance

When Students Will Meet This Mummy: On the first day of the field school.

The body of the Blessed Antonio Franco coming back to Saint Lucia del Mela on September 15th, 2013,

after the beatification ceremony that took place in the Cathedral of Messina. 

Student Spotlight: Say Hello to Sam!

Samantha Hayek is a Forensic Science major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She loves spending time outdoors, but when she's inside, you may catch her baking yummy treats or binge-watching Netflix. Sam will be graduating after her return from Sicily this summer! We tracked Sam down to ask her about taking part in the UNL Mummy Studies Field School this summer.

Hey, Sam! How did you hear about our program?

I heard about this program while I was taking Dr. Reinhard's Taphonomy class last fall. As soon as he went through the tentative plans for the field school, I knew it was something that I had to attend!! 

What made you interested in our program?
What doesn't sound interesting about traveling to another country to learn and look at mummies?! The whole idea of this field school is something that really grasped my interest. The process and cultural reasons behind mummification have always interested me and this was a way to learn more about it hands on and actually see first hand some of these things! This trip is giving me and all the other students an extremely rare opportunity to truly learn from some of the best in this field while getting up close and personal with some Italian mummies! 

What are you most looking forward to about our program?
I think I'm most excited about getting to see the mummies, crypts, and catacombs! I'm also excited to travel to another country because I haven't had the opportunity to travel outside of the United States yet. I'm also looking forward to being immersed in another culture. Not only will we get to see different parts of Sicily but we will be staying in a small village that isn't the biggest "touristy" spot, so it will be fun to see how the culture is different on its own but also from the other more common touristy parts of the country! And of course with a new culture comes new food which I'm excited to try! :)

What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
I would have to say I'm most worried or anxious about the travel over there. First off, I've never been on a flight much longer than 2.5-3 hours and I've only flown once alone, so it will be an experience with the long flights and navigating the crazy airports alone! I'm also a little nervous about going through customs in each country since that will be a totally new experience to me as well! 

What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
With a degree such as Forensic Science there are a TON of directions I can go with it and I'm not exactly sure what will be my first step! There are a few career paths I've been leaning towards such as finding a career in a Crime Laboratory or going to graduate school, but I still haven't fully decided on what exactly. Maybe this trip will give me some insight into something I'd like to pursue a little more! 

Is this your first time out of the country?
Yes, it is!

Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
I wish I did but I don't. That'll be something I will have to work on between now and the time we leave!:)

Who is your favorite mummy?
I don't have a favorite mummy at the moment...but that will probably change by the end of the summer! 

Student Spotlight: Enter Emily!

Emily Andera is a Biology major at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska. She enjoys coffee, not eating mushrooms (which leaves more for the rest of us), and forensic science. She is looking forward to learning more about mummy studies during her time in Sicily this summer. We tracked Emily down to ask her about taking part in the UNL Mummy Studies Field School this summer.

Hey, Emily! How did you hear about our program?
I heard about the program through Dr. Benham at NWU and his mentee, Johnica, who was visiting one of our classes.

What made you interested in our program?
Meeting Dr. Reinhard for coffee after staying in contact with Johnica got me interested in the program. I am most interested in the hands on experience dealing with mummies that the school has to offer.

What are you most looking forward to about our program?
I am most looking forward to getting hands-on experience dealing with decomposition/mummies and also to understanding how examining the dead can be different in other cultures.

What are you most worried/anxious about your upcoming adventure in Sicily?
I am unsure about how I will react to mass graves. I'm also worried about money, but what college kid doesn't worry about money?

What are your goals after you finish your undergraduate degree?
My goal is to obtain a job in Arizona as a CSI technician or to be accepted and attend George Washington University for their Masters in Crime Scene Investigation program.

Is this your first time out of the country?
No, I have been to Italy before. I visited about 7 cities on the mainland. I have also been to Mexico.

Do you know any Italian words or phrases yet?
I am currently learning Italian on Duolingo. I know general phrases that a child would know!

Who is your favorite mummy?
My favorite mummy is King Tut due to the mystery that surrounds his death. Mummies have always interested me though since I studied Egyptian history as a child.