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American History

19th Century Woman Mummified Inside the Airtight Metallic Case

Martha Peterson - Coffin

A 19th Century European coffin. Flickr.

25. Old Iron

The age of the iron itself gave Warnasch his first clue. It was quite old. Having studied iron coffins, he knew the age of the metal made it very likely that this woman was buried during the heydey of high society iron coffins. However, how did a black woman come to be laid to rest in such a device? The forensic scientists, historians, and archaeologists also soon made a grisly discovery: her remains seemed to harbor a terrifying ancient disease.

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