Senior Learning Presents: I Want My Mummy offered by: Penn Museum
Travel with us virtually on Zoom Tuesday, November 10th 1:45p.m.-3:00p.m.
For Zoom ID please contact the front desk at 860-441-6785
Mummies, intentionally or naturally preserved human (or animal) remains, hold a special fascination in popular culture. The very word, “mummy” typically brings to mind a mysterious ageless land, ancient Egypt, where mummification of the dead in preparation for a successful afterlife persisted for millennia. However, when we think of ancient Egypt’s mummies, we commonly associate them with books and movies that portray them as reanimated, vengeful monsters returning from death to wreak havoc upon the living. Where did such notions come from, and why? This workshop addresses that question by engaging participants in a close examination into the at least 500-year history that led to why ancient Egypt’s mummies hold such a special fascination in our own culture. Unpublished images of actual ancient Egyptian mummies, including royal mummies such as Ramses II as well as human remains recovered as part of Dr. Phillips’ own excavations in Egypt, are used to illustrate how and why the Egyptians mummified their dead (including their pets!). Please note: This program includes photography of human remains.