Anthropological, Pathological, and Historical Analyses of a Mummified Cranium From Bolivia Hosted in the Museum of Cantonal Archaeology and History of Lausanne, Switzerland

ABSTRACT The past decade has seen a worldwide tendency to re‐examine human remains found in old museum collections. These studies look at the provenance of the remains, the way they ended up in specific collections, the context from which they are likely issued, and all the parameters implicated in their current presence in museum custody. Whenever human remains are involved, to obtain a full picture of the life history of the individuals under consideration, an anthropological study might be mandated, although this approach is not yet systematic. This was the case for individual I Y‐001 from the Museum of Cantonal Archaeology and History of Lausanne, Switzerland. During the provenance analyses conducted, this individual, represented by a naturally mummified cranium and neck, underwent a taphonomical and anthropological assessment, supported by a CT scan. Our findings show that I Y‐001, an adult man, underwent an attempted trepanation before his death. He suffered from an abscess in his maxilla, and his remains were naturally mummified due to exposure to a dry and cold climate. These findings are in line with the alleged origin of the remains, which were reportedly taken from an archaeological ruin by a Swiss entrepreneur, Louis Kuffré (1840–1912), in the late 1800s –early 1900s, in present‐day Bolivia. At the time, sending human remains back to European museums was common practice, as attested by written exchanges between collectors and anthropologists. By investigating the collection's archives, through anthropological and historical analysis, and reconstituting both the biography of the collector and the life history of individual I Y‐001, we are able to contextualize the remains, give them back their rightful history, and envisage their future preservation with a sound understanding of the known and unknowns of them.