The ‘Real Mummy’s Curse’ Is a Modern Biohazard Risk
The legend of the mummy’s curse has always been treated as superstition, a story built around the mysterious deaths that followed the opening of ancient tombs. A new study suggests there may be a genuine, entirely explainable danger lurking behind the myth, and it’s showing up today in ordinary online marketplaces.
A Study of the Online Mummy Trade
A new study led by the University of Staffordshire has found evidence of potentially hazardous microbial growth on mummified human and animal remains advertised for sale online, posing risks to both sellers and buyers. The research was carried out by lead author Dr. Kirsty Squires, Professor of Human Bioarchaeology at the University of Staffordshire, together with international colleagues from Vilnius University, the University of Salento, the University of Messina, and Adelaide University. The findings were published in the International Journal of Cultural Property.
The team analyzed 128 online posts and auction listings for mummified remains. Isolated human body parts, including hands and feet, were the most frequently listed items, while more than half of the entire sample involved heads in varying states of completeness and preservation.
Handled Without Gloves, Shipped Without Warnings
Beyond the biological risks themselves, the study also documented widespread non-compliance with postal regulations, potentially putting delivery workers, customs officials, and other members of the public at risk without their knowledge. Sellers were found to provide little to no information about how to safely handle the remains they were selling, and some posts even showed people handling mummified human remains with their bare hands, no gloves in sight.
Not every item examined in the study showed obvious signs of fungal growth or visible deterioration. That absence of visible damage, the researchers caution, is not necessarily reassuring. Microbial colonization is not always visible to the naked eye, meaning remains that appear well preserved can still carry real risk.
“Limited Awareness or Deliberate Disregard”
“The rise of the internet, especially social media, has amplified international trafficking and driven demand for unique cultural heritage, including mummified humans and animals,” Dr. Squires explained. “However, these preserved remains pose health and biosecurity risks, due to the toxicity of embalming methods and/or suboptimal storage that can promote microbial growth. Our research revealed that mummified remains sold online exhibit signs of biodeterioration, yet sellers provide no safety guidance, suggesting limited awareness or deliberate disregard of hazards.”
“There is also evidence to show that mummified remains are being mailed to buyers, both nationally and internationally, with little, if any, consideration of the health and safety implications of these actions,” she added. “Clearer, more prominent guidelines are needed to ensure buyers and sellers are unable to misinterpret or find loopholes in shipping policies.”
A Danger With a Documented History
The risks the researchers describe are not hypothetical. Exposure to and inhalation of Aspergillus spores, a genus of mold, has been linked to the deaths of 10 out of 12 conservation scientists who opened the tomb of King Casimir IV Jagiellon in Kraków during the 1970s. It is also believed that a severe form of aspergillosis may have contributed to the death of Lord Carnarvon, financial backer of the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb, possibly the result of inhaling Aspergillus spores disturbed inside the tomb itself.
In cases like these, fungal spores had lain dormant for hundreds of years inside sealed tombs. Once disturbed, those spores became airborne and posed a genuine danger to human health. Inadequate packaging and storage conditions for mummified remains can accelerate biodeterioration and fungal growth even further, and simply disturbing the remains, whether through handling, shipping, or repackaging, can release fungal spores directly into the air.
Beyond biological hazards, mummified remains can also contain substances historically used in preservation and embalming, including arsenic, mercury, and lead, adding a chemical dimension to the risk that has nothing to do with microbes at all.
An Unregulated Global Market
The researchers argue that stronger oversight and clearer guidance are needed across several sectors at once: online marketplaces, the postal and courier industries, customs services, and other relevant regulatory authorities. Right now, the trade largely operates in a gap between cultural heritage law, biosecurity regulation, and ordinary e-commerce policy, none of which appear fully equipped to address it.
“Despite the notable health and safety risks associated with handling mummified remains, they are typically overlooked by sellers in this unregulated market,” Professor Squires said. “This may stem from limited awareness of biohazards posed by preserved soft tissues and/or from profit-driven motives that disregard human health and safety.”
What the Researchers Are Asking For
Until stronger regulatory measures are actually put in place, the research team is urging ordinary vigilance from the public. “Until more effective measures are implemented, the public should remain vigilant and report sales of mummified remains to relevant authorities and professional bodies,” Squires said. “Improved oversight and education are therefore essential to safeguard public health and preserve archaeological remains.”
That last point cuts both ways. The unregulated trade in mummified remains isn’t only a biosecurity concern, it’s also an ongoing loss for archaeology and cultural heritage more broadly, as human and animal remains with genuine scientific and historical value are bought, sold, and shipped through channels with essentially no oversight, no documentation, and, as this study makes clear, no meaningful safety standards either.
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