THE PALERMO CAPUCHIN CATACOMBS PROJECT: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF A MODERN MUMMY COLLECTION (CA 1600-1900THE PALERMO CAPUCHIN CATAC

Luca Sineo, Barbara Manachini, Giuseppe Carotenuto
Dipartimento di Biologia Animale “G. Reverberi”
Università degli Studi di Palermo
Dario Piombino-Mascali, Albert Zink
EURAC – Istituto per le Mummie e l’Iceman, Bolzano
Franco Palla
Dipartimento di Scienze Botaniche, Laboratorio di Biologia Molecolare
Università degli Studi di Palermo
THE PALERMO CAPUCHIN CATACOMBS PROJECT:
A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE STUDY
OF A MODERN MUMMY COLLECTION (CA 1600-1900)
1. Introduction
In recent years, modern biomedical technologies have led to a great increase of
knowledge concerning the study of human remain collections and their associated materials.
These collections provide a substantial amount of information on the biological features,
health status, nutrition and lifestyle of once-living populations, as well as on the
reconstruction of the environment in which they lived. Additionally, this understanding
enables the development of effective restoration and conservation programmes. In this
paper we present a multidisciplinary project uniting the study of the present conditions,
history, bio-anthropological features and conservation of a large collection of modern
human mummies (XVI-XX centuries), which are located in the subterranean corridors
(“Catacombs”) of the Capuchin Convent of Palermo (Sicily, Italy). Due to the large
amount of spontaneously and anthropogenically mummified human bodies, and an abundant
presence of associated artefacts, this collection provides a unique opportunity to
carry out a large multidisciplinary survey useful for a thorough biocultural study of these
remains, a conservation plan, and the testing of new restoration protocols.
2. The Palermo Capuchin Catacombs
The Capuchin Convent of Palermo was built at some point after 1534 on one of the
western hills surrounding the city, and soon became the seat of a large ecclesiastic community
[1]. At the end of the XVI century the community created a hypogeum for their own
use. Over time, this site was incorrectly called “Catacombs”, a term that has remaine


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