Toxic pigment in Chilean mummies' clothes
7/31/2018 07:00:00 PM
In the grave of the Cerro Esmeralda mummies in Chile the bright red powder found in one of the textiles (mantos) was a highly toxic mineral that comes from mercury ore.
“Cinnabar is a toxic mineral, which becomes more toxic when subjected to thermal processes above 300 °Câ€, according to the paper of B. Arriaza et al., published in Archaeometry this spring, where the new analysis of the pigment detected on the grave textiles is being described.
Read more at
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2018/07/toxic-pigment-in-chilean-mummies-clothes.html#m7X5qrXhaieKOU28.99
