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Famous Body Parts That Weren't Buried With Their Owners

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It was standard practice to conserve a bit of a loved one's body as a souvenir or a treasure to worship.

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It was standard practice to conserve a bit of a loved one's body as a souvenir or a treasure to worship.

Mata Hari's head

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In 1917, she was sentenced and hanged. Because no one arrived to collect her ashes, they were entrusted to the Museum of Anatomy.

Execution

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Throughout history, it was standard practice to preserve the bones or other parts of the body of saints and store them as antiques.

Santa Claus’ bones

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Once St. Nicholas, the patron saint of Santa Claus, died, several of his bones were kept and exhibited in the province of Myra.

The bone theft

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When France's King Louis XIV died in 1715, his heart was interred and exhibited in a casket alongside his dad's at a chapel in Paris.

King Louis XIV's heart

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Buddha Gautama was burned, although it is reported that a disciple named Khema preserved a single tooth from the cremation pyre.

Buddha’s tooth

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Khema took the tooth to the Hindu kingdom, which was revered for generations.

The traveling tooth

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The tooth was transported to the Sri Lankan province of Kandy in the 1200s, where it has remained.

Temple of the Tooth