Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy of 15th Century Mummies from Qilakitsoq, Greenland

To investigate molecular changes in mummified skin, near-infrared Raman spectroscopy was applied to the skin obtained from four mummies found in Qilakitsoq in Greenland. The mummies date from AD 1475 (±50 years) and are the oldest preserved bodies in the Arctic region. The spectra of the skin obtained from the different mummies were very similar, but they were distinctly different from those of fresh and freeze-dried contemporary skin. Especially in the spectra of the ancient skin the amide I (1640–1680 cm-1) and amide III (1220–1300 cm-1) bands had very low intensity, indicating loss of protein and/or changes in the secondary protein structure. Similar spectral changes have previously been found in the 5200-year-old skin of the Iceman. This may suggest that most changes in molecular structure take place in a relatively short time after mummification.