Italy’s ‘Green Mummy’ mystery finally solved after 38 years

Italy’s “green mummy” mystery, which has baffled scientists since its discovery in 1987, has finally been solved.

A teenager’s body, buried hundreds of years ago, was discovered inside a copper box from an ancient villa in Bologna, northern Italy. 

Over time, it developed a distinctive emerald sheen - a coloration rarely seen on human remains..

At the time of discovery, the 12-14 year old kid’s body was entirely green from skin to bone except the left leg, which really intrigued scientists.

The mystery has finally been solved as scientists discovered that it got green due to its preservation in a copper box. 

Researchers say that the new insights have completely changed how humans understood the role of certain materials in the preservation process.

Copper has anti-microbial properties that allow the body to preserve its hard and soft tissues. 

It also reacted with acids released by the body forming a corrosion product that interacted with chemical compounds on the bone, thus giving it an emerald sheen.

The chemical and physical analysis of the mummy showed no signs of trauma, keeping the cause of death a mystery.

Annamaria Alabiso, a conservation scientist at University of Rome, said radiocarbon dating suggests the boy died sometime between 1617 and 1814.