Mummy mystery solved: 'air-dried' priest was embalmed via rectum

a year ago

The mummy from an Austrian village was embalmed in an unexpected way—through the rectum.
Researchers found the body was packed with wood chips, twigs, fabrics, and zinc chloride to absorb fluids.
The mummy, known as the 'air-dried chaplain,' was previously thought to be naturally preserved.
CT scans and partial autopsy revealed the mummy was a man aged 35-45, likely Franz Xaver Sidler von Rosenegg.
The 'poisonous capsule' rumor was debunked—it was a glass bead, possibly from rosary decoration.
Sidler likely died from tuberculosis, causing severe lung bleeding.
The embalming method was unique, possibly for infection control or transport to his home monastery.
This may not be an isolated case; similar embalming methods might have been more common than thought.

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