Nothing sticks in the mind quite like an unanswered question, such as a historic murder mystery, an unsettled death, an impenetrable enigma or even an ancient cold case just waiting to be resolved. A good detective eliminates the impossible, and whatever remains, however improbable, could just be the answer. Archaeologists are pathological problem solvers, obsessed with mysteries of the past.

And nothing whets their appetite quite as much as the chance to put to use archaeological investigative techniques and tools from forensic archaeology in order to unravel the riddles of history. Join in the investigation as we solve some of our favorite cold case files.

Thanks to advances in technology, scientists have now uncovered new evidence in the cold case of Takabuti, the Egyptian mummy housed in Northern Ireland. (Ulster Museum)

1. Solving the Murder Mystery of Takabuti

Thought to be the first Egyptian mummy to reach Northern Ireland, according to The University of Manchester “there is a rich history of testing Takabuti since she was first unwrapped in Belfast in 1835,” as part of the mummy trade that followed the Napoleonic Wars.

The hieroglyphs on her painted coffin provided experts with several clues as to her identity, namely that she was called Takabuti, lived in Thebes and was the wife or mistress of a noble. Takabuti is now housed at Ulster Museum in Belfast. 2,600 years after her death, advances in technology are allowing scientists to delve into her identity in new and unprecedented ways.

In January 2020, using CT-scans, carbon-dating, and DNA analysis, archaeologists made a breakthrough when they discovered that Takabuti had in fact suffered a violent death. In one fell swoop, research into the ancient mummy suddenly turned into an unsolved murder mystery.

Reanalysis in April 2021 revealed that not only had she had been stabbed in the back, but the fatal wound was inflicted by an axe, of a type commonly used by Egyptian and Assyrian soldiers. DNA analysis also uncovered her surprising genetic footprint, finding her DNA to be more similar to modern Europeans than to Egyptians. The plethora of information collected about this well-researched mummy has been included in a new book entitled The Life and Times of Takabuti in Ancient Egypt: Investigating the Belfast Mummy.

The discovery of remarkably well-preserved remains in Scotland allowed archaeologists to recreate the face of a Pictish man, brutally

2. Bringing Murdered Pictish Male Back to Life

A group of archaeologists excavating a cave in the Black Isle, Ross-shire in Scotland, couldn’t believe their eyes when they discovered the ancient skeleton buried in a recess of the cave. A bone sample sent for radiocarbon dating showed that the man died between 430 and 630 AD during the Pictish period. His body had been positioned in an uncommon cross-legged position, with large stones holding down his legs and arms

While the excavation provided no clues as to why the man was killed, the ritualistic placement of the remains did allow the archaeologists to learn more about the Pictish culture that buried him and inhabited parts of Scotland during the Late Iron Age and Early Medieval periods.

In order to unravel the murder mystery, the bones were sent to one of the most decorated forensic anthropologists in the world, Professor Dame Sue Black of Dundee University’s Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID). Black verified that the “fascinating” skeleton was in a remarkable state of preservation and was able to describe in detail the horrific injuries the man had suffered.

The analysis concluded that he sustained at least five blows that resulted in fractures to his face and skull, allowing her team to understand how the man’s short life was brought to a violent and brutal end. Thanks to digital technology, scientists managed to successfully reconstruct the face of the Pictish man who suffered at least five severe injuries to his head, according to the BBC.