TEEN MUMMY LIKELY SACRIFICED : INCA FEMALE WAS PICTURE OF HEALTH 5 CENTURIES AGO.Byline: John Noble Wilford The New York Times Five centuries ago, in the waning years of the Inca empire in Peru, a girl with long black hair and a graceful neck, dressed in fine alpaca alpaca (ălpăk`ə), partially domesticated South American mammal, Lama pacos, of the camel family. Genetic studies show that it is a descendant of the vicuña. wool, knelt on a cold, windswept summit in the Andes. She was in the presence of Inca priests and surrounded by offerings of pottery, coca leaves and golden figurines. As she bent her head, a powerful blow was delivered, cracking her skull above the right eye and causing death by intercranial bleeding - one more ritual sacrifice of a virgin to the mountain god of Nevada Ampato. That is the conclusion of scientists at Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University, mainly at Baltimore, Md. Johns Hopkins in 1867 had a group of his associates incorporated as the trustees of a university and a hospital, endowing each with $3.5 million. Daniel C. in Baltimore after their post-mortem examination of a mummy discovered in September in the ice on 20,700-foot Mount Ampato, near Arequipa, Peru. The well-preserved remains of the girl were naturally mummified mum·mi·fy v. mum·mi·fied, mum·mi·fy·ing, mum·mi·fies v.tr. 1. To make into a mummy by embalming and drying. 2. To cause to shrivel and dry up. v.intr. in the arid, freezing environment and had been entombed Entombed, or entomb, may refer to:
The scientists described their findings in telephone interviews Tuesday and at a news conference in Washington, where the still-frozen mummy went on display at the National Geographic Society National Geographic Society U.S. scientific society founded in 1888 in Washington, D.C., by a small group of eminent explorers and scientists “for the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge. . The mummy, enclosed in a refrigeration refrigeration, process for drawing heat from substances to lower their temperature, often for purposes of preservation. Refrigeration in its modern, portable form also depends on insulating materials that are thin yet effective. unit, will remain on exhibit through June 19 and then will be returned to Peru for further scientific study. Earlier this month, scientists at Johns Hopkins conducted a computerized tomagraphy (C.T.) examination of the mummy, producing 670 images of the bones, organs and other internal structures of the body. This revealed the crack in the skull and a leftward displacement of the brain, which the examiners said was clear evidence that the girl had died from a blow to the head. ``The cause of death was intercranial bleeding,'' said Dr. Elliot Fishman, a radiologist at Johns Hopkins. Fishman said the girl probably never regained consciousness from the blow, but might have lived several hours before dying in the burial pit. Observations of the position of the feet indicate that the girl probably was kneeling when struck, he said, and the posture suggested that her head was bent forward at the time. The examiners found that otherwise the girl seemed to be in excellent health. She was probably 12 to 14 years old. Her bones showed no obvious signs of malnutrition. ``She had the best set of teeth that I've seen in some time,'' Fishman said. Biopsies of bone, muscle and other tissue specimens confirmed that the girl had enjoyed good nutrition and had healthy, mature bones, said Dr. Edward McCarthy, a paleopathologist at Johns Hopkins. Specialists in textiles were especially impressed with the fine alpaca wool of the girl's garments. She wore a boldly striped dress, encircled en·cir·cle tr.v. en·cir·cled, en·cir·cling, en·cir·cles 1. To form a circle around; surround. See Synonyms at surround. 2. To move or go around completely; make a circuit of. by a belt, and her shawl was fastened with a silver pin. Her attire was similar to that of the female statuettes buried with her. ``When we uncovered the girl's right hand, and saw that she was clutching her aksu, or body wrap, in a death grip, her humanity really hit us,'' Reinhard wrote in the June issue of the National Geographic magazine The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded. . CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Doctors at Johns Hopkins University in Baltim ore prepare to X-ray the mummy from Peruvian slopes. (2) Hillary Rodham Rodham is an English surname which may refer to a number of persons or places. People Family of Hillary Rodham Clinton
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