Important people from history left behind art, innovative ideas, political change – and, on occasion, body parts. Placed for all to see in museums and mausoleums, historical figures’ remains provide strange yet intriguing forms of remembrance.
Body preservation isn’t a new concept; ancient Egyptians and Peruvian natives, for example, practiced mummification. During the Crusades from the 11th-13th centuries, people carefully preserved the bones of late members of the nobility. Embalming practices even allowed several world leaders to have open-casket funerals.
Body parts displayed in museums might seem creepy, but they also offer a glimpse into the past.
