The mummy of Rosalia Lombardo at the end of 2022: an update on the status quaestionis and a reflection on the level of evidence

In this communication we present key new evidence on the story of the famous Salafia embalming manuscript that further clarifies the genesis of a series of studies on this topic and corroborates our assumptions published in previous articles on this matter. In the second part of the paper, we provide a concise ethical analysis of Rosalia Lombardo’s case and try to establish a level of evidence in the assessment of her preservation by comparing facts and interpretations. Finally, we call for an independent assessment of the mummy’s state of preservation and the disclosure of the full content of the Salafia manuscript. Rosali

Acta Palaeomedica. International Journal of Palaeomedicine

The first issue of this journal aims to offer its new readership with a very interesting set of topics, ranging from the Black Death to family interrelations of Egyptian pharaohs, from the discovery of skeletons dated to the 4th century BC in Syracuse to the study of cranial trepanation in mummies in Cuba, and much more, including some book reviews. [Editor-in-Chief: Francesco M. Galassi; Managing Editor: Varotto Elena

Bioarchaeological and Paleopathological Analysis of a Burial from the Late Roman Necropolis of Pianotta di Calatabiano (CT, Sicily)

This contribution focuses on the human osteological remains recovered from a tomb in the necropolis of Contrada Pianotta di Calatabiano (Catania, eastern Sicily). In antiquity, this fertile, water-rich land along the Via Pompeia connecting Messina to Syracuse was ideal for intensive agricultural exploitation. In the 1990s this site was subjected to an early archaeological investigation that brought to light the ruins of the baths of a mid-imperial era-built villa, whose stratigraphy dated the ultimate abandonment of the site to the end of the 5th century AD. Between 2014 and 2015 the excavation of the necropolis was carried out in an area that extends immediately north of the mouth of the river Fiumefreddo

THE LAST ITALIAN PETRIFIER, FRANCESCO SPIRITO (1885-1962), AND HIS METHOD OF PRESERVATION OF ANATOMICAL SPECIMENS

This paper offers to the international community of students of the anatomical sciences a brief biographical and historical sketch of the Italian embalmer Francesco Spirito (1885-1962) and his preservative petrnfication technique. After describing the formula and method he used, the paper examines the educational role played by his preparations and the research potential they offer

Cyclopes and giants: ancient mythological figures through an anatomical and palæopathological lens

This paper examines the origin of the myths about giants and cyclopes from the palæontological and palæopathological perspectives, highlighting how much more attention should be devoted to the possibility that a pituitary condition may have indeed played a role in the mythopoietic process