Contribution
The mummy of Ritter Kahlbutz – an unsolved mystery?
Winkelmann, Andreas; Voß, Maximilian; Heeb, Bernhard; Maixner, Frank; Paladin, Alice; Parsche, Reimund; Samadelli, Marco; Teßmann, Barbara; Zink, Albert
publication en ligne: Sep 29, 2025
manuscrit accepté: Jul 21, 2025
revision du manuscrit reçu: Jun 21, 2025
révision du manuscrit demandée: Jun 16, 2025
manuscrit reçu: Apr 4, 2025
DOI: 10.1127/homo/1948
Open Access (article peut être télechargé gratuitement)
Abstract
In Kampehl, a village northwest of Berlin, a mummified body is preserved and exhibited in a church annexe. It is said to represent the remains of Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz (1651–1702), a local nobleman. According to local legend, he swore before a court that his body would not decay if he were the culprit in an alleged case of murder. We offer the first comprehensive investigation of the mummy using anthropological and historical methods. A CT scan of the mummy revealed an intact skeleton without signs of injury or major disease, minimal remnants of inner organs, a pencil inside the thoracic cavity, likely introduced as a hoax, and a coin-shaped metallic object inside the oral cavity. Sex and age of the body match the historical individual, as does radiocarbon dating. Results of palaeogenetic investigations are limited due to poor endogenous DNA quality. Historical research could establish the place of birth of Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz as likely being near Lüneburg, i.e., outside Brandenburg. He had military training before living the life of a feudal lord in Kampehl, where he married and had twelve children. Even without a name on the coffin, the identification of the mummy with this historical individual seems plausible. There is only indirect evidence for a historical trial for murder against him. All findings speak for natural mummification, which is not unheard of in the region, as is the placing of a coin into the mouth of a deceased individual as burial object.
Mots-clefs
mummification • CT scan • burial objects