A Woodland “Mummy” from Salts Cave, Kentucky

Abstract

AbstractA mummy, or rather, a dessicated body, from Salts Cave, Kentucky, has been subjected to a comprehensive analysis. Radiocarbon analysis of internal body tissue placed the individual in the Woodland cultural period. A careful dissection of the body cavity revealed the presence of all internal organs but, due to dehydration, in a collapsed form. The diet of the individual, and indirectly of the population, was determined from the contents of the fecal material in the lower intestine and colon. Examination of the external side of the body revealed the individual to be a male, and radiographic and dental evidence indicated that he was around nine years of age. Blood group studies are still somewhat inconclusive, but tests are being conducted to clarify that problem. This paper was originally presented at the 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico, D.F.