Review Detail

The sixth grade curriculum in my state covers Ancient Egypt, and my students study mummies, and even delve a little into Otzi the Iceman from the Austria-Italy border, but this book takes a look at a much broader range of, as the title states, human remains from around the world that were preserved in a variety of ways.

Broken into continents starting in Africa, the book does start with the famous Tutankhamun, but also discusses Ramses and the the Gebelein man. In addition, there is lots of information about how Egyptian mummies were preserved (canopic jars are fascinating!) as well as about pyramids and the Egyptian philosophy of life and death.

I had never herad of the Maiden of Llullaillaco or the mummies of Chinchorro, so reading about these finds was enlightening. The descriptions are accurate without being sensationalistic, and there are discussions about the background and culture of the people who were found. I'd heard of Sir John Franklin's lost expedition, which always made sailing through cold waters seem very unappealing! Details of the reasons the men perished show that there are a lot of challenges that can kill humans, including the cold that also preserves the bodies!

Various finds in Europe and Asia are also fully explored. The Salt Men of Iran and the Self-Mummifying Monks entries were rather terrifying! All of the entries do a good job of covering the various ways that natural elements can preserve bodies, and also give a lot of information about the cultures from which the people came.