Mummies of the World Exhibition at the Franklin Institute

Today I will talk about the current “Mummies of the World Exhibition” in the Franklin Institute.  Aside from what the institute permanently houses, this exhibit is just one more reason to visit the institute.  It is there now until October the 23^rd.  So if you’re in the area and have a chance to do so then “get thee to the Mummies exhibition”!

It is the largest exhibition of mummies ever put together and it is visiting several cities in the United States.  The mummies are organized in the exhibit based on the region of the world that they were found in.  There are mummies of animals and humans alike: monkeys, hares, rats, babies, children, women, men and even fetuses.  The experience had many dimensions to it.  It was educational, entertaining and a bit eerie at its moments.  I will first explain the eerie aspect of it.  This feeling was promoted by the exhibit’s background music, the hiked up air conditioner, and the dark mantles covering the walls (aside from the actual dead beings on display). 

Aside from the usual informative paragraph next to each mummy on display this exhibition had different stations that explained “How bodies decompose?” “If a body was naturally mummified how would it have occurred depending on the region of the world?” “How does a mummy’s skin and hair feel depending on how it was mummified?”  One of the most interesting facts that I learned from the exhibit was that a mummy’s race could be determined by the shape of their teeth.

Several mummies caught my attention.  One was a mother who was mummified in an almost fetal position.  The captivating detail of this mummy was that she had a baby against her chest and another child resting by her stomach.  The researchers’ ability to create the story behind this woman was limited to her diet, her settings and her possible age.   No one knows what happened to this woman and her children.  How did each die?  Why did they die together?  It’s a mystery.  The mummies of fetuses also grabbed my attention.  I was amazed to see how small and fragile they looked.  It was a bit moving to see how quiet and inert they looked when compared to live children.    

In all I was very impressed with the level of dignity that the exhibit let the mummies have.  I feel that a lot more could have been learned from them if the mummies would have been furthered examined but this could possibly have meant damaging their bones, clothes or skin.  I think that by “restricting” themselves from touching the mummies, beyond scanning, the researchers acknowledge them as beings, whose remains must be respected kept intact.

I highly recommend this exhibition :D!

http://www2.fi.edu/