Amazing discovery of a mummy. #history #archaeology

[HistorybyMae]

The body was preserved in a liquid that was initially clear but turned brown once exposed to air (scientists aren’t sure what it is). I also read somewhere that embalmers used a special trick to remove oxygen from the coffin. Before the last block was placed in the inner burial box, pieces of wood were shoved inside and lit on fire. The fire would burn until the oxygen was gone inside the sealed coffin.

[miaironstone]

I heard she was even more well preserved, too, before she was exposed to the air, and very quickly deteriorated a bit to the state she is in now

[savannahtolliver]

Ive heard about her. People were baffled at how well she was preserved, considering other burials around this time were so deteriorated. They were buried the same way too. However the other Chinese people were apparently buried differently enough that ground water or river water seeped into their coffins and caused rapid deterioration, unlike this lady.

[TaLeng]

The part where the body deteriorated after exposure to air reminded me of a story about Renaissance folks finding a body of a young woman, initially thinking it was a contemporary murder victim. The items on her suggested she was from an earlier period and when they started removing the waxy substance on her skin she started turning dark. They eventually threw the body into the Tiber.

Ancient folks took the afterlife seriously so I'm not surprised if they have preservation methods better than what we have now.

[TheMerkilan]

From Wikipedia:
The fluid present in the coffin allowed Xin Zhui's body to remain in such well-preserved condition. The mysterious liquid she was soaked in was acidic, which may have worked to preserve the body by preventing bacteria from growing.[12] Tests revealed it to also contain salt and magnesium.[13] Many scientists believe that the fluid stemmed from the body, rather than liquid poured into the coffin.[12] When the autopsy on Xin Zhui's remains was done, contact with the fluid caused a rash on the hands of the scientists conducting it. The rash persisted on their skin for three months.

[mysteriumxarxes]

She was way more preserved when they opened her tomb. She then began to decompose and became this dried fruit in a matter of hours

[jellybeanboy]

If that's one of the most well preserved, i do not want to see any mummies ever

[MajimeTV]

She didnt die from eating a melon, scientists performed an autopsy on her and determined it was her diet that ultimately led her to her death, but she was not young for that time period, she would have been considered very elderly.

[schuylerl]

Saw this in person in 2020. The museum doesn’t allow pictures taken and she was isolated in a glass tomb couple feets below the ground so we were basically overlooking her. Her hair was still soft.

[Thewildmicah]

She looks so pretty..
Rest in peace

(Edit: thank you for the likes and why are yall being rude in the comments I’m just stating facts 😭

[humanmonsters]

She looked so much better when they first discovered her more like the recreation, but when they exposed her to the air, she quickly deteriorated to what she looks like now.

[jennis.strickpodcast]

Her mummy face is giving "i touched the wet food in the sink" vibes 😂

[supremacy]

She was also obese. Being overweight in China in those days was a sign of extreme wealth. Same with many other nations with extreme poverty.

[SuthrnBlueEyes]

I watched a documentary that said while she was alive she also had major parasites and worms living in her from things she ate.

[Bibbledibblewibble]

The clear liquid that she was preserved in was discovered to be rice water mixed with mashed special flowers and poured it over the body, although when it was exposed to the air it turned brown.❤

[Isaidwhatisaiddear]

Why do I always get these things on my algorithm at 3am 😭🤦🏽‍♀️

[snowecaddel]

It’s so incredible to see something so well preserved even after thousands of years

[Corinabs]

So nice to know they took her from her burial left her naked and on display like a figurine and not an actual human who died and was honoured

[rebeccaewen-rome]

I've seen the autopsy of Xin Zhui ( commonly known asLady Dia)and its astounding all her internal organs look like she just died and she doesn't look quite as bad as she does now, also they are still unable to work out fully the embalming proceedings or supposedly all of the elements that made the liquid contained in her sarcophagus, although that may not be so now

[WigglyTuffStuff]

Why do they have to display her half dressed? I think that's smacks of a lack of respect for her sense of dignity.