[jrapdx3]

The value of exploring tombs for the purpose of illuminating ancient cultures is inestimable. It seems humans have always been happy desecrating burial sites if not for treasure then to prove dominance over another tribe or nation.

Of course some exploitation is beyond permissible. Back in the 18th and 19th centuries there was an artist's pigment called Mummy Brown. It was sold for many decades, a rich, transparent brown unlike other brown pigments. It was made from actual mummies scrounged from unknown sources in Egypt. These were not the remains of royalty, rather these mummies were those of common people. Apparently until the early 20th century there was an ample supply of these remains to satisfy demand. Eventually the availability of mummies diminished and by 1915 the pigment quality became erratic and subsequently disappeared from the marketplace.

Comparatively, respectful exploration of ancient tombs is a whole different program than things our species has demonstrated a willingness to do.

[jsiepkes]

Don't forget about the soldiers who died at Waterloo who were turned in to fertilizer [1].

[1] https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/were-the-bones-of-soldiers...

[vidarh]

And dentures:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33085031

[inigyou]

The other reason there are few mummies left is that we ate them.

[jrapdx3]

If you doubt that it's true, do a bit of research and find out if it's so.

Here's one source[0], there are others.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummy_brown

[fragmede]

There's a difference between eating and using them as paint, though.

[warumdarum]

Everything on earth is made of the dead severaal times over.

[vidarh]

The article links to a source describing medicinal use.

[kakacik]

... or used as firewood

[octocop]

Made me think of Ozymandias, king of kings.

[acheron]

It’s not actually a rule that every HN thread has to start out with negative bullshit. You can just think it’s cool they found a new tomb!

[Loughla]

HN is really good at contrary takes, regardless of the topic. I'm sure I've done some. I guess there's value in seeing the other side of most issues, but sometimes it does feel pretty knee-jerky.

[warumdarum]

Colonial horror stories with subtile racist undertones. Only white people could do such evils and become acteurs in history. Exceptionally evil, superior you could even say and the only ones locked into a story of repentantce in topdown anti colonial revolution.

Everyone is heartily sick of this, no explanation power and thus not helping anyone to overcome anything. The Rosamunde Pilcher, of looking at history.