Mummy forgeries

Fake archaeological finds

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Throughout history there have been several mummy forgeries.

By the 18th century fake mummies were made in Europe for the production of Mummia.[1] These were made by drying any available human corpses in ovens before grinding or cutting them up in preparation for sale.[1]

## Hackensack forgery

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In 1928, The Washington Post reported an event in Hackensack, New Jersey when an "Egyptian Princess" was found to be a forgery. A local minister who said he acquired it in Europe had given it to the Bergen Country Historical Society in 1902. It gained great notoriety on display in the Johnson Public Library until the curator, Mrs. Frances Westervelt, found it to be a rag-stuffed fake. The "mummy" was removed and incinerated.[2]

## Mississippi State Capitol forgery

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In the 1920s, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History purchased a large collection of Native American artifacts from the nephew of Colonel Brevoort Butler after Butler's death. Included in these artifacts was one item that was clearly not of Native origin, an Egyptian mummy. For decades this item was on display in the State Capitol Building, becoming a much-loved attraction and source of local pride.

In 1969, Gentry Yeatman, a medical student with an interest in archeology, asked the museum for human remains to study for evidence of disease. Permission was granted to remove the mummy and for it to be sent to the University of Mississippi Medical Center for an autopsy. Radiological examination showed a few animal ribs and several square nails holding together a wooden frame.

Upon closer examination it was found to be primarily composed of papier-mâché. German newsprint was found as well as an 1898 issue of the Milwaukee Journal. The fake mummy has now become more famous than ever and transformed into a prized possession linked deeply to the folk history of Mississippi.[3]

## Persian Princess

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Further information: Persian Princess

The Persian Princess or Persian Mummy is a mummy of an alleged Persian princess that surfaced in Pakistani Baluchistan in October 2000. After huge publicity and further investigation, the mummy proved to be an archaeological forgery and possibly a murder victim.[4]

## See also

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* Archaeological forgery
* List of hoaxes
* Mummy
* Persian Princess

## Notes

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1. ^ a b Perkins, Sid (30 March 2004). "Medieval cure-all may actually have spread disease". Science News. Society for Science & the Public. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
2. ^ "Egyptian Princess Mummy Mere Rag-Stuffed Dummy". Washington Post. October 26, 1928. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. "The prize exhibit of the Bergen County Historical Society for the last 26 years has been the mummy of an Egyptian princess reposing in the museum occupying the top floor of the Johnson Public Library here."
3. ^ Capers, Charlotte. "Dummy Mummy," The Delta Review, Vol.6, No.9, pp. 78-80, 1969.
4. ^ Romey, Kristin M.; Rose, Mark (January–February 2001). "Special Report: Saga of the Persian Princess". Archaeology. 54 (1). Archaeological Institute of America.

## External links

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* Mississippi Department of Archives and History
* "X-ray Wraps It Up:Mummy Fake". Washington Post. 20 June 1969. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. "The "Egyptian Mummy" was a popular tourist attraction in the Mississippi Capital. The state was justifiably proud of the relic of the ancient land of the pyramids. Then came Gentry Yeatman, 22, a medical student whose school project was to x-ray the mummy and make a report to the Department of Archives and History."

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Mummification

Mummies|

| Deliberate|

* Ancient Egypt
* Royals
* Officials, nobles, and commoners
* Chinchorro mummies (Chile)
* Inca Mummies (Peru and Chile)
* Guanche mummies (Canary Islands)
* Italy
* Muisca mummies (Colombia)
* Philippines
* Communist

|

Natural|

| Asia|

* Tarim mummies (China)
* Siberia
* Iran
* Fire Mummies (Philippines)
* Maronite mummies (Lebanon)

|

Europe|

* Italy
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Bog bodies
* list

North America|

* Greenland
* Aztec mummies (Mexico)
* Mummies of Guanajuato (Mexico)

Self-|

* Buddhist mummy
* Sokushinbutsu

Other|

* Modern mummies
* Animal mummy

Articles|

* List of mummies
* DNA-tested
* fictional
* Archeological sites
* Qilakitsoq
* Saltmen
* Mummification Museum
* Excerebration
* Forgeries
* Mummy paper

See also
Embalming
Incorruptibility
Plastination
Prosection
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