A novel protocol was developed to extract proteins adsorbed to archaeological ceramic vessels. Peptides were analyzed by LC-MS/MS and matched to proteins by NCBI's Protein Database with MASCOT. The results reveal the death of a politically-significant person due to hemorrhagic fever virus. The results also suggest the deceased's organs were placed in pottery and interred in a tumulus. Proteomic analysis allows for an enormous amount of new information to be extracted from pottery.