The lives and deaths of 41 mummified children in the Capuchin catacombs: a mystery that researchers are trying to solve

Researchers are making efforts to unravel the mystery behind the lives and deaths of the mummified dead in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo in the rest of Sicily.

Researchers from Staffordshire University in Eglad will examine the 41 rhino mummies in the “Children’s Room of the Catacombs”, but there are approximately 163 rhinos spread across the sacred site.

A mummified body of a monk on display at the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, southern Italy, June 31, 2011.

Lead researcher Dr. Kirsty Sqυires told Insider that researchers will use invasive X-ray technology starting next week to examine juvenile mummies in the catacombs.

The bodies of the adults in the catacombs had been the main focus of research in previous studies, the researchers said in a video posted on YouTube in July. The new study of the Capuchin mummies aims to uncover the lives and identities of the Capuchins in the catacombs and find out why they were placed there.

Investigators are working closely with the Capuchin friars who oversee the catacombs to conduct ethical and respectful research, Squares said.

“There are many ethical considerations when investigating human remains for cancer,” Sqυires said.

One of those considerations is using X-ray technology instead of invasive and controversial techniques like autopsies. Photographs of the catacombs will be reserved for academic papers rather than posted on social media, and researchers will not publish identifying information about the find, Sqυires said.

Artist Eduardo Hernandez will draw and paint images from inside the catacombs for public distribution, Squares added.

“These materials will be used for dissemination,” he said. “This medium was selected because some may find photographs of deceased persons in the collection of information.”

The Capuchin Catacombs were created in 1599 as a place to house previously buried and physically mummified dolls, but wealthy and promising figures were later mummified and placed on site as a status symbol, according to the Capuchin Catacombs website.

According to National Geographic, the catacombs are home to some of the best-preserved mummies in the world. Today, the site is a tourist attraction housing approximately 1,284 bodies with limited death records. Some of the bodies are mummified and some are partially skeletonized, while some are on display and others are in coffins.