Claudine Abegg and others write:
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.
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.
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.
