1,500-year-old mummified newborn uncovered in Siberia could provide insight into ancient Siberian life

The remains were mummified by mere luck.

The remains of a newborn that was accidentally mummified 1500 years ago has been discovered in an ancient grave in Siberia. This discovery could lead to the unraveling of several mysteries concerning ancient Siberians.

MUNTINLUPA CITY, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - The recent discovery at an excavation site of an ancient grave near Kurai Village, in the Kosh-Agach district of the Altai Rupublic of southern Siberia, revealed the mummy of a newborn child.

The child -whose gender remains undiscolosed- is believed to have been mummified by mistake. The stone coffin was sealed and became airtight, effectively preserving the infant's remains for more than 1500 years.

Near the infant's burial mound sat two mounds for adults who are presumed to be the parents of the child. The two adults, however, were not mummified.

Gorno-Altaisk State University archaeologist Dr. Nikita Konstantinov, part of the team that discovered the remains, believes, "This was a baby, maybe one month old, possibly even newborn. The gender is unknown yet. The child was buried in a separate small burial mound located between the mounds of two adults, probably the parents."

"[Its stone coffin] partially preserved the soft body tissue and fragments of a leather shroud, in which the baby was wrapped," Konstantinov says. "Sadly, the head was not preserved at all."

Experts believe DNA from the infant might provide clues to the mysterious Bulan-Kobinskaya culture, which is linked to the ancient Hun warriors and forbearers of Attila the Hun. The Hun are believed to have originated from the early bronze age Pazyryk cultures that once lived in the Gorny Altai.

Dr. Konstantinov explains, "We know very little about this culture, but we see that it differs from the other cultures of this period. We hope that DNA analysis will help us to understand who these people were - and which migration patterns were underway in Altai at that time."

The discovery will hopefully find answers to the many question Konstantinov and his team possess, given the remains are really related to the ancient Hun.

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