Andean Mummified Head

Dated 6'000 Years Old

Léo DUBAL & Monique LARREY

Virtual Laboratory for Archaeometry

dubal (at) archaeometry.org



Introduction



A well preserved naturally mummified human head has been found in 1936

with two other mummies at La Cueva de las Momias, level 1A,

(misleadingly named Inca Cueva IV due to its proximity to the Camino de los Incas)

at 3680 m.o.s.l., in the Quebrada of Chulin (Prov.of Jujuy, Argentina)

by Justiniano TORRES APARICIO, MD and folkmusic composer.

His "Clavelito blanco" is interpreted by Thomas LIPAN

at url http://www.archaeometry.org/lipan.mp3 (188ko) .

A sample of temporal skin from the head of Chulina

has been radiocarbon dated at the AMS Radiocarbon Laboratory

of the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zürich. The resulting calibrated

age of Chulina is 6'080 ± 100 years (within 82% probability).

Compared with Ötzi (the paleoalpine mummy found in Ötztal),

the age of this paleoandean head is 5'260 ± 50 years BP,

i.e., older by 724 ± 53 years BP.

The Cave of the Mummies has been decorated prior to sheltering the mummies.

Those results have been presented at the XVth World Congress

UISPP 2006, Lisbon, see Proceed. Session C04, Vol 37, pp.111-114







The sample studied:

The three mummies found by J. TORRES APARICIO

were desiccated naturally, and therefore suitable for radiocarbon dating.

(let us remind here that radiocarbon dating of embalmed

Egyptians mummies is meaningless).

For this study, was available a piece of temporal

skin of about 3 cm 2 area and of a weight of 120 mg.



The sample of left temporal skin on millimetric paper (Photo: L. Dubal)



This sample was been carefully collected at the Museo J. TORRES APARICIO

in Humahuaca (Prov. Jujuy, Argentina), on the "Cabeza J.T.A.-240"

The naturally mummified human head labelled J.T.A.-240

in the Museum TORRES APARICIO (Photo: L. Dubal)



The Results:

Thanks to the highly appreciated support of

George BONANI & Irka HAJDAS

from the AMS Radiocarbon Laboratory of the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Zürich,

the skin sample of JTA-240,

after having been thoroughly degreased and washed from contaminants,

has been submitted to the standard ETH 14 C-AMS dating method,

(which by the way has been applied for Ötzi )

and results released on July, 8th, 2005 as E TH-30630.





Discussion of the results



The δ13C = -19.5 ± 1.1 °/ °° which is what one could expect for human skin.

The 14C-AMS Age is 5'260 ± 50 y BP

The calibrated age is BCE 4170 - 3972 with 82.5% probability

(while the age range BCE 4224 - 4180 has 17.5% probability).

Let us note that earlier, in 1986, Alicia FERNANDEZ DISTEL let perform

the radiodating of a sample of a wood container

found at level 1A, just next to the three mummies

gave 5'200 ± 110 y BP.

In 1995, a nother radiodating (by Beta Analytic in Miami) of a piece of wood ,

gave 5'340 ± 70 y BP.



MORE...

La Cueva de las Momias : a decorated shelter

The initial name of the site: Inca Cueva # 4,

is inappropriate as it has only been occupied by palaeoamericans

between 10 and 4 thousands years Before Common Era.

We renamed it "La Cueva de las Momias"



The authors, March 22nd 2005, at la Cueva de los Momias,

on the spot where, in 1936, J. Torres Aparicio exhumed

the mummies (Chulina, Chulinita & Rosalia) . (Photo: P. Carentini)





Look at La Cueva de las Momias Looking out from La Cueva de las Momias

The GPS coordinates of La Cueva de las Momias is :

S23°00’22.6” / W65°28’05.1” 3680 mosl,

in the Quebrada de Chulin, 2 h walk off Rio Grande.



La Cueva de las Momias is decorated with painted patterns

with dots and strokes.











Two complete mummies

At Humahuaca (Prov. Jujuy, Argentina), the collection of late

Justiniano TORRES APARICIO,

was transformed into the Museo J. TORRES APARICIO

In addition to the mummified head of Chulina ,

the Museum present two complete mummies,

in particular the one the inventor named Rosalia:





This mummy is the naturally dessicated remains

of a woman, 17 to 20 years old.



The fez of Rosalia is of a remarkable finishing.

as well as her manta (105cm x 63 cm) in net.



As no logbook of the excavations has been found so far,

radiodating of samples of the fez and manta,

would provide helpful data....

The last mummy is the one of a child, we named Chulinita.







Conclusion

The radiodating of the skin of Chulina in 2005

comforts the wood samples radiodatings of 1986 and 1995,

to promote Rosalia & Chulinita

for the title of the world oldest natural mummies.

Ötzi died 5'235 ± 120 calibrated-years,

while Rosalia & Chulinita

lived in all likelihood 6'000 calibrated-years ago.

The undisturbed state of the paintings of the Cave of the Mummies

implies that this RockArt is at least 6000 years old.

Acknowledgment:



We would like to thank here Mrs. Alicia TORRES,

the owner and director of the Museo TORRES,

in Humahuaca (Jujuy, Argentina)

who authorized this study, and

Ms. Candelaria TORRES APARICIO, the grand daughter of Dr. J. TORRES APARICIO

to have lately express her interest in our results.

See also the two communications :

XVth UISPP Congress 2006

Global RockArt 2009

Click here for the Spanish version Chulina

Click here for the French version http://www.archaeometry.org/momie.htm

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