How did the Inuit women die?

In 1972, eight perfectly preserved bodies – six women, a child and a very young baby – were found in a cave in Qilakitsoq, Greenland, site of an abandoned Inuit settlement dating from 500 years ago. Did they starve to death? Were they victims of an epidemic? Why were there no men in the group?

The bitter cold and icy winds meant that these bodies had effectively been freeze-dried after death. As a result, their tissues and clothes had hardly deteriorated.

A forensic archaeologist examined the remains using a CAT scan, which gives a three dimensional picture of the inside of the body. Food was found in the women's stomachs, so they did not starve to death. Nor did they die of cold. They were well-dressed for extreme temperatures – the baby's clothes were made from the skin of baby seals, with the soft fur turned inwards. How they died remains an open question but the bodies provided valuable information about how the Inuit lived.

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Mummified Inuit baby found in Greenland

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