A Secret Is Uncovered

In 2004, German researchers happened upon one of the most astonishing mummy finds in history—not in a secret tomb, but in a forgotten corner of an underground vault.

What started as a routine inventory turned into a remarkable journey into the ancient human past. Peering into a pile of boxes, staff members found a treasure trove they were not expecting—20 human mummies and many precious artifacts.

Where had the mummies come from? And why had they been forgotten?

Long-Lost Mummies

Researchers sleuthed in the records of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums in Mannheim. They discovered that the collection of mummies found in the vault had been purchased by the museum in 1917 by the heirs of the artist Gabriel von Max (1840-1915).

The collection had not been forgotten but had been assumed lost during the chaos and destruction of World War II.

The mummies had never been researched, and little was known about them. The collection’s rediscovery launched a scientific detective story like no other.