Squires et al. searched the Internet for public posts associated with the sale or collection of mummified remains, both human and animal: public and company pages on Facebook, public Instagram pages, sites of brick-and-mortar shops, a Dutch e-commerce platform, and online auctioneers. Just 24 of the 128 posts consisted of in the research study originated from non-Meta platforms. All the posts were anonymized to secure any individual details, although unchanged variations were kept on an external hard disk drive not linked to the cloud.

The majority of the products for sale were mummified human remains, normally body parts such as hands and feet, or heads (like Peruvian shrunken heads); 6 were animals, particularly a feline, a falcon, an ibis, a perch, and a primate skull. Just one seller was using a total mummified body. The authors keep in mind that such products are very unusual and for this reason extremely pricey; such deals would not generally be managed through public social networks posts.

The resulting analysis revealed that sellers were quite knowledgeable about any legal concerns connected with the sale and delivery of mummified human remains, typically defining geographical places where laws prohibited such transfers. Normally, such sellers would not honestly state delivery contents to prevent seizure by authorities. There was likewise typically no provenance provided for such products.

The authors were especially alarmed to keep in mind 13 Facebook posts using mummified remains with noticeable fungal colonization in the images, likely due to inappropriate storage conditions: yellow areas, white areas, white areas on a black patina, white and gray areas, black and pink patinas, etc. Due to the fact that such development is not constantly right away noticeable to the naked eye, the issue might be extensive.

“There is proof to reveal that mummified remains are being sent by mail to purchasers, both nationally and globally, with little (if any) factor to consider of the health and wellness ramifications of these actions,” stated Squires. “Clearer, more popular standards are required to make sure purchasers and sellers are not able to misinterpret or discover loopholes in shipping policies.”

International Journal of Cultural Property, 2026. DOI: 10.1017/ S0940739126100393 (About DOIs).