This life-like reconstruction of the Lord of Sipan forms part of an exhibit at the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, Peru. Researchers believe the man was 35-45 years of age when he died, and was not just a common man. It makes sense with all the treasure he was buried with! But it wasn’t just the treasure – this man was wearing incredibly ornate jewelry, imbued with precious stones and set in rare metal.
He was also buried with two warriors. Bodyguards for the afterlife? The creepier part is the fact that their feet were amputated… please let’s hope they weren’t buried alive with their feet cut off so they couldn’t leave!! Gruesome stuff.
Behold… The Face of a Saint!
Tales surrounding Anthony of Padua’s death are quite peculiar, and perhaps a little larger than life. He died in 1231, and it’s rumored that bells rang of their own accord, and children began crying spontaneously in the street. If that’s true, well, cool story bro, but if it isn’t, we’re not too shocked about that either! In a creepy twist, his body was exhumed three decades later. The exhumers found that all that was remaining of the saint was his bottom jawbone and tongue.
If you’re already feeling a little queasy, you probably don’t want to know that you can visit them because they’re on display! You can take a trip to Mission Dolores, one of the oldest churches in San Francisco, California to lay your eyes on a life-size depiction of Saint Anthony that dates all the way back to the 18th century.
El Señor de Sipán
The Lord of Sipán was the first of several Moche mummies discovered at Huaca Rajada in Peru. A fairly recent discovery, the mummies were found in 1987! Archaeologists deem this site one of the most significant in the twentieth century, particularly because the Lord of Sipán’s tomb was found intact and left untouched by thieves! After careful excavation, fourteen tombs had been located and identified in the area.
It seems that the ancient Peruvians also believed in the afterlife and burial procedures – as such, Sipán was found buried with a treasure trove! Now this was a delicate procedure for the forensic team as the pressure from the sediment that had been lying dormant for over 2,000 years dropped, and consequently shattered the skull into 96 pieces! Thankfully the team was able to put it all back together.
King Henry IV
At the age of 19, Henry IV became the King of Navarre, before being swiftly married just two months later! At the time, there was a religious war between the Catholics and the Protestants. Henry IV was the only French king to ever follow the Protestant faith! But the fighting was absurd – for the event of Henry IV’s wedding, thousands of Protestants came to Paris to enjoy the celebrations and spectacle, but this was to end catastrophically.
What is remembered as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, took place on the very day of his wedding, with the same Protestants being killed by Catholic fanatics. Henry barely escaped with his life. After five years he escaped, and raised an army to fight in the “Wars of Religion.” In 1589, he marched right into Paris. His counterpart Henry III was assassinated, and he became the King of France.
The Good King Henry
After waging his religious war, he followed through with his promises to the Protestant French, persecuting Catholic French people across the nation. He was made a popular target for assassination attempts, allegedly dodging twelve attempts on his life! “Le Bon Roi Henri” was remembered for his concern for the welfare of his people, and for being a King who worked to protect the interests of the state, promote agriculture, eliminate corruption and encouraging education.
Due to his tolerance, he was an unpopular king among his contemporaries, though did gain more status after his death. For this reason, researchers chose to recreate his face using modern technology. The same team which worked on bringing Robespierre back to life, including forensic pathologist Philippe Charlier and facial reconstruction specialist Philippe Froesch, also worked on showing the modern world the face of the “Good King.”