M.J. Rose

Each one of them could be a character in their own tragic novel…

A mummified lover with her husband’s heart placed with her in the grave…This is the stuff of novels.

Mummified noblewoman kept her husband’s heart in a lead locket

(New Scientist)

“It’s rare to find a mummy wearing an outfit. But this exceptionally preserved body spent more than 350 years fully clothed in a lead coffin before being undressed during an autopsy (see video above).

The mummy was discovered a few years ago by the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research while investigating the burial grounds of a convent in Rennes, France.

They were able to identify her as noblewoman Louise de Quengo, thanks to the inscription on a lead heart, pictured below, found with her body, which contains the real heart of her husband, and historical records of her burial…”

For the rest, a video, and more photos, click here.

From the Denisova Cave, the oldest piece of jewelry ever discovered…

Possibly. It’s certainly food for thought…

40,000-Year-Old Bracelet Made With Advanced Technology — the Evidence

(Humans Are Free)

“Dating back to the Denisovan species of early humans, scientists have confirmed that a bracelet found in Siberia is 40,000 years old. This makes it the oldest piece of jewelry ever discovered.

The bracelet is discovered in a site called the Denisova Cave in the Altai region of Siberia in 2008 and after detailed analysis Russian experts now accept that the bracelet’s age as correct.

Scientists conclude it was made by our prehistoric human ancestors, the Denisovans, an extinct species of humans genetically distinct from Neanderthals and modern humans, and shows them to have been far more advanced than ever realized.

But what made the discovery especially striking was that the manufacturing technology is more common to a much later period, such as the Neolithic era. Indeed, it is not clear yet how the Denisovans could have made the bracelet…”

For the rest, click here.