| Copper Man | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Copper Man |
| Age | Young |
| Sex | Male |
| Status | Melted Corpse |
| Height | Unknown |
| Source | |
| Culture | Chilean |
| Date(s) | 550 A.D. ± 40 years |
| Site | Chuquicamata |
| Current Location | |
| Location | American Museum of Natural History |
| Catalog # | |
Copper Man also known as the Chuquicamata Mummy, was a miner who was initially discovered at a depth of two meters inside an ancient mining tunnel. The young man had been trapped by a cave-in and he was identified as a miner because of the discovery of the tools and instruments he had with him that were used to collect copper minerals.
Mummification[]
The mummified human body was found saturated with copper salts leading it to be well preserved but with a green tint.
Studies[]
The miner's hair was braided. The body is missing one little finger and a toe. An x-ray, made by Joseph H. Kraus, revealed that there is minimal breakage of the bones. The x-ray also shows the artificial occipital flattening deformation of the skull.
Copper Man was found in 1899 and dated at about AD 550.
Pathology[]
The effect of copper salts on the mummy
Additional[]
Copper has been mined for centuries at Chuquicamata and still is.
External Links[]
References[]
Fuller, D. R. (2004). The production of copper in 6th century Chile’s chuquicamata mine. Jom, 56(11), 62-66. doi:10.1007/s11837-004-0256-6
Bird, Junius B, 1979: The "Copper Man": A Prehistoric Miner and His Tools from Northern Chile. In Pre-Columbian Metallurgy of South America, ed. Elizabeth P. Benson, pp. 105-132. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.