That afternoon, Busaya managed to recover a few more body parts from the passengers who had died in the accident. Among the finds were a wrist, an arm, and a right ankle. These parts were almost intact, if not for the fact that they were completely separated from the original bodies and belonged to different people. She, Phinya, and the forensic officers from the police department had to face the arduous task of reassembling these disconnected parts to their respective bodies.
The dilemma was to join a leg to a torso, only to discover that they belonged to different individuals. The complexity of identification in disasters and accidents lies precisely in this point. The discovery of the mummified skull the previous morning still disturbed her, to the point that she could barely concentrate on her work all afternoon. It was intriguing that something like that was there, probably brought by someone who had no idea that this would be his last flight.
However, when she looked through the passenger files, she noticed that some seemed to have some connection to the antiques trade, which explained a little of the strangeness of the situation. Despite her desire to delve deeper into the victims’ stories, the most urgent task at that moment was to recover as many fragments as possible as quickly as possible.
Bua remembered a rumor that circulates in the archaeological community about how some mummified bodies or sarcophagi have curses that affect those who disturb the eternal sleep of the deceased. Although it was not scientifically proven, she never underestimated the forces that cannot be seen. There are phenomena that science cannot explain. As a physical anthropologist, who studies the history of humanity from prehistoric times to the behavior of certain animals, she knew that there are many things that science cannot answer or that cannot be seen and explained through the eyes of science, especially when it comes to ancient times, before the emergence of science.
Nature and humanity have existed for much longer than the first scientific theories, which were only developed and recorded later. For this reason, Bua has never closed herself off to stories that seem to have no concrete explanation. There are so many things in the world that are still unknown, and the curse of the mummies is one of them. It’s a good thing Phinya was there when it was discovered. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known what to do.
Another question that arose was: how did that skull get there? Busaya had heard teachers talk about the antiques trade, where the older the piece, the more valuable it would be. The process of mummification has long intrigued and fascinated archaeologists. In addition to the method itself, which preserved the bodies in an era without chemicals, this knowledge was developed through the wisdom of the time and the resources available. Naturally, ancient relics like these would be highly valuable.
In this world, there are many strange people who want to own these relics, instead of leaving them as cultural heritage and a source of educational value. Over time, these items end up being lost, without ever bringing any significant benefit. Busaya was well aware of this reality, as evidenced by a case that had recently made the news. A skull of Homo erectus, a distant relative of modern humanity, had been stolen while being transported to another country for an exhibition on evolution.
The search was still ongoing, and it was almost certain that it would be lost over time, representing a great loss to anthropology. But that is precisely why they are important. Because specimens like these are extremely rare. Finding an extinct human fossil is like looking for a needle that has been dropped into the ocean. Homo erectus is one of the human species most closely related to Homo sapiens, modern humans. The name "erectus" refers to the upright posture, perpendicular to the ground.
But why did they become extinct? This is a fascinating question for anthropologists, and these fossils could help understand, explain, or even answer that question. But unfortunately some people prefer to display these relics in their homes, like trophies.
