Basel's Natural History Museum has revealed the results of recent DNA tests conducted on Switzerland's most famous mystery mummy, known as "the Lady from Barfüsser Church."
The body has now been identified as Anna Catharina Bischoff, a member of a prominent Basel family who died in 1787 at the age of 68.
Bischoff's identity was established with 99.8 percent certainty. From Bischoff's seven children, only two daughters survived — and one of them did not have children of her own. According to historical records, the other daughter, Anna Katharina Gernler, turned out to be a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother of British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
On Thursday, the politician reacted to the news on Twitter, writing that he was "very excited to hear about my late great grand 'mummy'."
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Where heaven and earth meet
Between the seventh and second century BC, the Etruscans used to decorate the interior of their tombs with wall paintings. They contain references to the afterworld while reflecting daily life realities expressing well-being and the joy of living. The picture above shows the reproduction of a burial chamber.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Fine arts in terracotta
In the southern part of the Etruscan empire, most tombs housed sarcophagi, while urns were usually used in the northern part. Over the course of time, the forms of the tombs varied following regional traditions, all while reflecting the personal wealth and social standing of the dead. Pictured here is the beautifully embellished lid of a terracotta urn.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
An older couple
This terracotta urn lid dated to the late third century BC has been shaped in the form of an older couple. The belief in a life after death was highly important to the Etruscans. That's why they honored their dead with religious ceremonies, and made offerings to their tombs.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
The egg of the Etruscans
This elaborately painted ostrich egg of Phoenician-Punic origin was produced in the eastern Mediterranean region in the middle of the seventh century BC. The Mediterranean played a significant role in the development of Etruscan culture in that it was an important trade route enabling the Etruscans to establish extensive trade contacts.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Black, exquisite and noble
In approximately 675/650 BC, the Etruscans developed a new kind of pottery called "bucchero." Items made in the bucchero style had a shiny black surface. This bucchero aryballos, a small flask with a narrow neck, is dated to the seventh century BC. It originated in Montalto di Castro, in the province of Latium.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Imported from Greece
The Etruscans did not produce all their ceramics themselves. Pictured here on the left is a Nikosthenic amphora. This type of ceramic was invented by an Athens-based potter called Nikosthenes in the late sixth century BC. It was produced specifically for export to Etruria. Pictured in the middle is a Caeretan hydria, a particularly colorful version of Greek vase painting.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Life-sized statues depicting speakers
The life-sized bronze statue of Etruscan Aule Metele can usually be admired in Florence. The so-called "Aringatore" (speaker) is clad in a Roman toga. The statue was created in the second to first century BC, giving proof of the amazing artistic achievements of this ancient people living on the Italian peninsula.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Practical and beautiful at once
People who were capable of creating intricate statues could obviously also produce their own bronze banquet ware. Their production has been praised by archaeologists for its outstanding design.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Pure gold
Another highlight of the exhibition are these golden earrings in the form of grapes. The techniques applied by Etruscan goldsmiths were even more elaborate than those used by the Phoenicians and ancient Greeks. The earrings originated from an ancient cemetery, the Banditaccia necropolis. Numerous such burial places once existed in Etruria, and were usually located outside of residential areas.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Feminine beauty
As the Etruscans developed their distinct cult of the dead, they also had a wide variety of burial objects. This female bust dating back to the period between the fourth and third century BC was also found in the Banditaccia necropolis.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
What has remained of Hermes
Of the Hermes statue that once embellished the Temple of Veji, only this head remains. The origins of the Etruscan religion remain shrouded in mystery. In later periods, it came to be strongly influenced by the mythology of Ancient Greece in which Hermes was venerated as a God of protection, who would serve as the messenger of Zeus and lead the souls of the dead into the underworld.
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The art treasures of the Etruscans
Etruscan deities
Although the Etruscan religion came to be influenced by Greek mythology, its basis had absolutely nothing to do with Greece. According to the Etruscan faith, people were totally subdued by the will of the gods. What kind of deities were populating the Etruscan heaven? The Karlsruhe exhibition reconstructs the civilization's interpretation of heaven through a projection.
Author: Klaus Krämer (ad)
'So much luck'
An international team of over 40 people had been working to identify the mysterious body, including experts who had worked on the famous Ötzi mummy, Europe's oldest known natural human mummy, found in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps.
"It was a risky project," Gerhard Hotz, an anthropologist with the Natural History Museum said. "We didn't know where we were going and whether we would gain anything. We had so much luck. And then entered Boris Johnson — what more do you want?"
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25 years of Ötzi discovery - the Iceman's secrets
Border fight
Today, Ötzi's final place of rest is the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. But for a while it wasn't clear which country the mummy would go to. After it was discovered on September 19, 1991, both Austria and Italy laid claim to Ötzi. Official measurements finally revealed that he was found 92.56 meters (303.67 feet) behind the border - on Italy's side.
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25 years of Ötzi discovery - the Iceman's secrets
Unknown identity
At first, however, no one realized what a sensational discovery a couple from Bavaria had made on their hike. It was assumed the body belonged to a tourist who had recently frozen to death. One man claimed the dead John Doe was his uncle, others thought he was a victim of the biblical Deluge. When researchers discovered the truth, the archaeology world was beyond excited.
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25 years of Ötzi discovery - the Iceman's secrets
Tattooed murder victim
Ötzi had 61 tattoos - no mermaids or kids' names, but lines and crosses. The Stone Age tattoo artist cut Ötzi's skin and filled the wounds with coal. Sounds painful? Not as bad as this: Ötzi was killed by an arrow shot through his shoulder from behind, as researchers at the archaeology museum in Bozen discovered.
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25 years of Ötzi discovery - the Iceman's secrets
Generous last supper
Researchers could also find out what Ötzi ate shortly before his death by analyzing the contents of his stomach. His last meal was rich and fatty. It consisted, among other foods, of a Stone Age grain and goat meat.
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25 years of Ötzi discovery - the Iceman's secrets
Modern ailments
Ötzi had many health issues that today's patients are still familiar with. He had cavities, Lyme disease, fleas and a smokers' lung from inhaling camp fire smoke. On top of that, Ötzi was lactose-intolerant and suffered from a helicobacter stomach infection as well as circulation problems. If the arrow hadn't killed him, he would have dropped dead sooner rather than later.
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25 years of Ötzi discovery - the Iceman's secrets
Material mix
In 2015, the "Ötzi Walkers" hiked through western Germany promoting a Stone Age exhibition. For their clothes, they tried to stay as true as possible to Ötzi's outfits. He wore a brown bear fur hat, goat leather pants and a coat made of a goat-sheep skin mix.
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25 years of Ötzi discovery - the Iceman's secrets
Ötzi times two
The glacier mummy was a unique discovery. To give more people access to Ötzi, however, his body was copied in April 2016. Using a 3d-printer, researchers in Bozen created a second Ötzi made of resin, which was then painted with all the details of the original by US paleo-artist Gary Staab. The copy went to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's DNA Learning Center in New York state.
Author: Carla Bleiker
eg/cmk (AP, dpa)
