A year ago to the day that I rode a camel in front of the Great Pyramids, I found myself once again face to face with Ancient Egyptians. This time it was in the familiar confines of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science at their new exhibit Mummies: New Secrets from the Tombs. I was attending a special Member’s Only dinner, and I was very excited as they were serving Koshari, my favorite Egyptian dish!
After a delicious dinner, I headed up to the new exhibit. Because DMNS is also exhibiting their Extreme Mammals exhibit in the same upstairs area, Mummies had a smaller footprint compared to some of the blockbuster exhibits of the past. But the smaller exhibit space packs a lot of information. The exhibit features mummies from the Field Museum in Chicago’s collection from both Peru and Egypt. And a key aspect of the exhibit is to show how the study of mummies has changed from invasive and damaging handling to modern medical scanning.
When you first enter, you’ll see a lifesize CT scanner with a model mummy. Throughout the exhibit touchscreen tables allow you to view the different layers of CT scans to see from the outer mummy all the way to the organs and bones still inside. You can even “cut through” the mummy to see cross sections, rotate it and zoom in.
The first section is the Peru Mummies, I didn’t take may photos here as most of the exhibits disallowed photography out of the respect for the dead. But you’ll see mummy bundles, a replica burial pit, bone shaped skulls as well as false mask heads. Then you move into the Egyptian section.
After having been to the chaotic and stuffed to the brim Egyptian Museum, this exhibit seemed sparse by comparison. But what mummies and objects are great examples to see. For example this mummy (who’s name has been lost to time) has amazingly detailed paintings on its wrappings.
This wooden sarcophagus (late 25th Dynasty / early 26th Dynasty) also is just stunning. I like the Anubis mortuary table depicted in the middle center panel of the body.
This bottom piece shows you how they made the sarcophagus, by using slats in the wood to bind it together.
And life size forensically reconstructed faces stare out at you. This is a teenage, who was mysteriously buried in a re-used sarcophagus that was created 200 years before he died.
There is also a section of mummified animals, like this baby crocodile. (Reminded me of the large crocodile mummies I saw at Kom Ombo.) But also displayed are mummified cats, baboon, bird, and a gazelle.
Limestone canopic jars from the third intermediate period.
It was also interesting to see these large limestone sarcophagus heads. It reminded me of the large granite sarcophagus that I saw in the Valley of the Kings.
Overall I think it is a wonderful exhibit especially since we rarely see such great Egyptian artifacts here in Denver.
If You Go:
The exhibit at Denver Museum of Nature & Science runs through February 4th. It does require an extra paid ticket on top of normal museum admission, but is well worth it.
Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
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