A team of bioarchaeologists from the Austrian Archaeological Institute at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Université de Bordeaux, and Aix-Marseille Université has found evidence of an aristocratic family in France embalming their loved ones after death for nearly two centuries. In their paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, the group describes the find as the first of its kind.
Prior research has shown that people in Ancient Egypt and parts of South America practiced the art of embalming their dead. In this new effort, the research team has found evidence of similar efforts for people born to an aristocratic family in France during the early parts of the 16th to the latter parts of the 17th century.
In studying the techniques used by the embalmers, the researchers have found that the goal was not to preserve the bodies for as long as possible but just long enough for a burial ceremony to be undertaken.
The work by the researchers involved the study of the skeletal remains of 12 people buried in a shared crypt used by the Caumont family at Château des Milandes for nearly two centuries. The researchers found approximately 2,000 bone fragments, all from seven adults and five children, and embalmed similarly.
The process, the researchers found, involved removing all the deceased person’s internal organs, including the brain—the skulls were sliced open cleanly to allow for replacement afterward. The body was thoroughly washed and filled with an embalming substance made of balsam and other aromatic materials.
The research team notes that the embalming process was identical to that described by French surgeon Pierre Dionis in a 1708 autopsy instruction manual. They also noted that the embalming process was the same for the children as it was for the adults—and that it had been handed down over generations.
The researchers note that their find is the first of its kind, pointing out that multiple embalmings of people from the same family are quite rare in any part of the world. They suggest that such long-term practice of the rite shows that the Caumont family was very wealthy and likely held high prestige.
More information:
Caroline Partiot et al, First bioarchaeological evidence of the familial practice of embalming of infant and adult relatives in Early Modern France, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-78258-w
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Evidence found of only known familial practice of long-term embalming in Early Modern France (2024, November 28)
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