The Mummy of Rosalia Lombardo at the end of 2022: an update on the status quaestionis and a reflection on the level of evidence

Abstract

In this communication we present key new evidence on the story of the famous Salafia embalming manuscript that further clarifies the genesis of a series of studies on this topic and corroborates our assumptions published in previous articles on this matter. In the second part of the paper, we provide a concise ethical analysis of Rosalia Lombardo’s case and try to establish a level of evi- dence in the assessment of her preservation by comparing facts and interpretations. Finally, we call for an independent assess- ment of the mummy’s state of preservation and the disclosure of the full content of the Salafia manuscript.