We know that mummies are well preserved. But what about other people? Do they also have great embalming techniques among the community they were in to help preserve bodies properly upon death? Well, here's a case of a bishop in Sweden that was so preserved after death that the body and the face still look younger than 400 years old. Even the clothes are still there, and the face seems to still match the portrait.
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#1 Meet Bishop Peder Winstrup
Well, he actually won't be able to greet you, but his 400-year-old body is incredibly preserved.
#2 Life in the 1600's
Researchers are hoping that his wonderful, preserved body would give some much-needed insights about life 400 years ago.
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#3 In Sweden
Bishop Winstrup's body is currently in Sweden since that is the country he lived from 1605 until he met his maker in 1679. Specifically, his body was first put at the Lund Cathedral's crypt about 336 years ago.
#4 Opening the Coffin
As much as the bishop doesn't probably like to be disturbed, the coffin was opened to allow scientists to study him further and to understand how such a body could be preserved so well for hundreds of years.
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#5 Previous Photos
Even before scientists opened the coffin there were already black and white photos taken almost 100 years ago that showed the greatly preserved face and clothing of the former bishop of Lund.
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#6 Surprising Find
When scientists checked his coffin in June, there was a small baby located just under the bishop's feet! Wow. Researchers believe that the small, dead corpse could have been an illegitimate child that was put inside the bishop's coffin so that the baby could still remain on holy ground.
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#7 Founder of Lund University
Bishop Winstrup is actually also a scientist, theologian, and cofounder of the Lund University that was created back in 1666. Today, it is noted as one of the 100 best universities in the world. Talk about a legacy!
