June 2011
71 posts
9 tags
Great article on Der Spiegel Online about the grave wax crisis in many German cemeteries.  Soil conditions there apparently inhibit decomposition and encourage saponification. I’ve posted about saponification before; it’s the process where fat in the human body is converted (usually by cold and moist burial conditions) into a soapy substance called adipocere, or grave wax. Germany...
Jun 1st
37 notes
May 2011
134 posts
2 tags
May 31st
25 notes
14 tags
Dressed for Eternity is a short slideshow of images of the mummies in the Capuchin catacombs of Palermo by photographer Paolo Ventura. Here’s one: Most of the images focus on the mummies’ outfits. Check it out.
May 31st
10 notes
1 tag
May 31st
306 notes
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May 31st
44 notes
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May 30th
290 notes
6 tags
May 30th
6 notes
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May 30th
13 notes
6 tags
May 30th
8 notes
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May 30th
274 notes
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May 29th
3 notes
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May 29th
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May 29th
32 notes
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May 29th
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May 29th
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May 28th
28 notes
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May 28th
15 notes
1 tag
May 28th
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May 28th
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May 27th
27 notes
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May 27th
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May 27th
8 notes
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lingonveckan asked: Do you work in the funeral industry? I am studying to work doing funeral cosmetology.
May 27th
8 tags
Archaeological News: Update: Wanderer from 1800s... →
Third Connecticut-related post of the day: an update about our friend, the Leather Man. Click on through to get to the article. archaeologicalnews: OSSINING, N.Y. (AP) - A mysterious man who wandered New York and Connecticut in a 60-pound leather suit during the 19th century became a little more mysterious Wednesday. Historians announced that all they found when they dug up the 1889 grave of...
May 27th
8 notes
9 tags
May 27th
9 notes
8 tags
May 26th
17 notes
1 tag
tuesday-johnson asked: My home state is Connecticut, as well! What part are you from?
May 26th
3 tags
theholyprepuce asked: The head of St Vitalis of Assisi is going on auction in Ireland this weekend. I'm not sure if you are aware of it, but I thought you might want to bid.
The guide price is 800 pounds.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/severed-head-of-genital-disease-saint-for-sale-in-ireland-16003082.html
May 26th
21 notes
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May 26th
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May 26th
8 notes
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May 26th
35 notes
1 tag
sorryimsosorry asked: Could I request some stuff from the Capuchin Catacombs? Rosalia Lombardo, perhaps?
May 25th
3 notes
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May 25th
43 notes
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May 25th
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May 25th
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May 25th
57 notes
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May 25th
49 notes
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May 24th
21 notes
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May 24th
34 notes
5 tags
From Heather Pringle: "The Travels of a Mummy... →
May 24th
11 notes
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May 24th
5 notes
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May 23rd
78 notes
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May 23rd
434 notes
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May 23rd
20 notes
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May 23rd
46 notes
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May 22nd
66 notes
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May 22nd
6 notes
What happens when you're buried at sea? →
xmorbidcuriosityx: Getting tipped overboard is just the beginning. The gory—and fascinating—science of sleeping with the fishes.
May 22nd
24 notes
2 tags
135-Year-Old Piece of Skin Triggers Smallpox Scare... →
Delightful! xmorbidcuriosityx: An outbreak of smallpox was the furthest thing from historian Dr. Paul Levengood’s mind when his staff at the Virginia Historical Society put together an exhibit of “bizarre bits” that were added to the society’s collection since its founding in 1831, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. There was Confederate president Jefferson Davis’s cigar, confiscated...
May 22nd
29 notes
May 22nd
75 notes