The Weirdest Mummies of the World

These are thought to predate Egyptian practices by approx. 2,000 years. The black came from the manganese (metal) paint used as a final coat after the body had been prepared. Mummification was elaborate and macabre, with the deceased turned into a kind of jar. Head and limbs were removed and the insides taken out, with a hole made in the skull to get at the brain.