Abstract
In 1989, eight naturally mummified human bodies (three adults and five subadults) have been discovered in the Assi el-Hadath cave (Quadisha Valley, Lebanon), and then stored in the archive of the National Museum of Beirut. The mummies were archaeologically dated to the Middle Ages and later confirmed by radiocarbon dating (14C) to the end of the 13th century CE.
In the framework of an international cooperation project, financed by the Italian government and in collaboration with Eurac Research, Institute for Mummy Studies, the conservation conditions were evaluated and the mummies underwent a restoration work, in order to be exhibited in 2016 in the museum. The microbiological survey performed on the mummies revealed the presence of significant microbial activity. To prevent further microbial growth and to maintain appropriate conservation conditions (temperature and relative humidity) for the mummies, a protocol of ordinary and preventive maintenance was established.
Moreover, the genetic investigations (shotgun sequencing and mitochondrial DNA enrichment, mtDNA) allowed us: (1) to establish a good preservation of the aDNA samples (average human endogenous content: 7.43%); (2) to determine the biological sex of the mummies which resulted in four male and four female individuals, that differs from the archaeological data suggesting the prevalence of females in the cave; and (3) to suggest a maternal genetic relationship between four of the analyzed mummies based on the presence of identical mtDNA haplotypes.