“Egyptian Mummies & Eternal Life” at the Museum of Natural History

There’s many things that one might expect to see in Nova Scotian museums. Models of old schooners, cookbooks from generations ago, furnishings of the rich and poor or weaponry that predates confederation. Typical maritimer artifacts and histories. I can ensure you that I never expected to see a mummy in Nova Scotia. No, I’m not referring to the one that insists you call once a week or will always make your favourite meal when you visit, but the thousands of years old one that died halfway across the world. Yes, I’m talking about Egyptian mummies.

You may wonder “What could mummies possibly be doing in Nova Scotia?”. Well, the Museum of Natural History has been fortunate enough to be the first North American museum to host a traveling exhibition called “Egyptian Mummies & Eternal Life”. They call home the Museo Egizio in Florence, Italy.

Besides the expected mummies, much of the exhibition is focused on exploring cultural practices and religious beliefs surrounding death in ancient Egypt. Included in this exhibition are sacred items and expectations about the Afterlife.

As you may have expected, this exhibition does include gruesome items that may be stomach turning to some readers. Here is your warning to turn back if photos of the dead, concepts of death and the process of preparing for the Afterlife are not your cup of tea. If that’s the case, I’ll meet you at my next not-so-grim post. If you enjoy getting the spooks, then let’s continue.

About the Museum

Included with the price of admission at the Museum of Natural History, this popular exhibition is in town until November 8th, 2020. The museum is currently open everyday from 10am to 4pm. Admission is $7.25 for students, $7.70 for seniors, $8.30 for adults and $6.05 for youth (kids under 5 get in for free). Passes and group rates are available.

COVID-19 measures have slightly changed how visitors experience the museum. The whole museum is one way, meaning that there’s no turning around once you have walked past a certain room. All visitors can go through the space again once they have made it back to the ticket counter. The main entrance has been changed to “enter only” doors. Guests must exit the building from the doors that go out to the parking lot downstairs. The museum’s parking lot is paid, but there is both free and meter street parking within walking distance. Masks and social distancing are required in all indoor spaces.

The Exhibition

Made up of multiple rooms, plaques and display cases are lined up along the walls. A few bigger displays are featured in the middle of the room.

What is Eternal Life?

The exhibition introduces the visitor to the concept of an eternal life. Death was not considered the end of life, but simply a transition of the soul to the everlasting Afterlife.

How was the Body prepared for the Afterlife?

To be able to pass into the Afterlife, a body was subject to multiple different cultural and religious practices. Bodies were preserved by embalming, or otherwise known as mummification. Afterwards, they are wrapped in shrouds. This process ensured that the body would be available in the Afterlife. Mummification took about 70 days. In the early dynasties of ancient Egyptians, mummification was popularized. Mummies are now one of the most well-known aspects of ancient Egyptian culture.

To further preserve organs, they were placed in jars. Organs had a spiritual connotation to the ancient Egyptians. Parts such as the liver, lungs and intestines were either stored in jars or went through their own specialized rituals to prepare the soul. The heart was left inside the body.

The body was not the only thing that the soul needed in the Afterlife. Tombs were created to store objects that were believed to supply the soul with everything they needed. Food or items demonstrating wealth were left in tombs to be used by the soul in the Afterlife.

What was the Afterlife?

Ancient Egyptians called the Afterlife the “Fields of Aaru”. Said to be fertile growing lands with plenty of water supply, the fields also housed the King of the Dead. His name is “Osiris”.

The Journey to the Fields of Aaru

Getting into the Fields of Aaru was not an easy task. As if dying and your soul leaving your body was not tough enough, a soul would next need to travel to the Fields of Aaru. On the way they would fight monsters or other terrifying dangers.

Osiris’s Judgement

When the soul finally reached the Fields of Aaru, they would be judged by Osiris. He would determine if the soul was eligible to enter. To do this, Osiris would put a feather on one side of the scale and the soul’s heart from their body on the other side. In order to be admitted, their heart had to be as light as a feather. This feather was a symbol of justice. If the heart weighed the same or less, the soul was just. If the heart was heavier, soul would be left to become the victim of monsters.

The Heart Scarab

The Heart Scarab was placed on the heart to help it weigh as light as a feather. This was done in preparation for the soul’s judgement. The Scarab is a symbol of rebirth, and was frequently used in funeral rituals. This is just one example of amulets placed on or in the body to prepare it for success in the Afterlife.

The Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus housed the mummy. It’s function was similar to the casket. These boxes were beautifully decorated on the outside. Some were also detailed on the inside. They were painted with hieroglyphics and array of patterns. The head was usually painted with a face as well as hair or nemes.

Decorating the Deceased

Depending on the deceased person and their social standing, they would be decorated differently. Some were quite lavish, including detailed eyes or masks to be placed on the body.

Book of the Dead

Another essential part of funeral practices was the Book of the Dead. This book, filled with about 190 chapters, included prayers and directions on what to expect in the Afterlife. Within these chapters is advice on how to enter the Fields of Aaru. Funeral papers were added to the body to aid the dead in the Afterlife.

The Myth of Osiris

The myth behind Osiris’s role as Lord of the Dead is quite interesting. Osiris was said to be a well respected king. He married Isis. Osiris’s brother, Seth, was jealous of the king. Due to this jealousy, he murdered his brother and scattered his body parts across Egypt. Obviously this was upsetting to Isis, so she searched for all the pieces of her husband with plans to recompose his corps. Once she had found all the pieces, she “reunited” with her husband. From this encounter Isis became pregnant with their son. While Osiris was resurrected as the Lord of the Dead and protected entry to the Afterlife, his brother Seth ruled as king. Isis hid her baby Horus in the marshlands off of the Nile. Once Horus grew up, he avenged his father by killing Seth and taking back the throne his father once held.

The Soul

As we moved further into the exhibition, I learnt more about the ancient Egyptian concept of a soul. The soul was divided into two concepts, the “Ka” and the “Ba”. The Ka was considered to be the human aspect, whereas the Ba was the vital essence. The Ba was symbolized as a bird with a human head. It was able to fly out of the tomb whenever it wanted. False doors were often created in tombs for the Ba to travel in and out.

Fake Mummies

Not every mummy seen in this exhibition is human. A mummy which appears to be a newborn can be seen in the photo below. Though this mummy may look real enough, it’s actually a pseudo-mummy. Made out of a reshaped falcon, this mummy was most likely produced to be given to the parents of a child who had recently passed away. Pseudo or fake mummies were also made in the 18th and 19th century as tourist souvenirs.

For comparison purposes, below is the mummy of a real child. It is estimated that the baby passed away at about 1 year old.

Bodies Unwrapped

Some of the bodies seen in the exhibition are not currently mummified. The first of these is the head of a male twenty-something-year-old. Leftover resin and disfiguration of the nose points to the likihood that the brains were pulled out during embalment through the nostrals.

An old hand is also featured in the exhibition.

Homes for the Soul

Another item that frequents the exhibition are statues. The cravings of royalty or important figures were typically the biggest. Statues served as a way to ensure that the soul had a home, even after the mummy had deteriorated.

Blue Jewelry was all the Rage!

As ancient Egyptian culture changed over time, jewelry became an important part of burial practices. Turquoise or blue became very popular. Scarabs, netting, beads and amulets are just some examples. These items were kept with the body. The netting was put over the body to protect it in the Afterlife.

Amulets were wrapped in the mummy. Their purpose was to help preserve the health and beauty of the soul. The eye of Horus was one of the most popular amulets. Horus, the falcon god, was wounded while avenging the murder of his father. The eye was healed by another god, named Thoth. Horus’s eye therefore was associated with avoiding evil.

The Pectoral seen below likely would have been attached to a necklace, laying on the chest.

The exhibition finishes off with a look at beauty and fashion. Tools such as cosmetic bowls and handheld mirrors demonstrate the amount of effort that ancient Egyptians put into their appearance.

Simple linens were very popular in early Egypt, however fashions became more sophisticated over time. Women’s linens tended to be more fitting than men’s. One constant were the use of “thongs” or “flip flops” for footwear. The sandals were typically made out of vegetable fibers or leather.

Final Thoughts

I quite enjoyed learning more about the process and culture surrounding death in ancient Egypt. Though interactive exhibitions and historic sites typically top my list, that would be very difficult to do with an artifact based experience.

One thing that surprised me was the lack of cats. Yes, I’m a bit of a cat lady so maybe no one else noticed. Perhaps modern internet culture has hyped the importance of cats as some type of god to the ancient Egyptians, but I had been curious to see the death process for animals and pets. I had thought that pets were often mummified and buried with wealthy owners. After doing some further research and reading an article by Smithsonian about pet cemeteries, it seems as though while cats and other animals were often mummified, that the topic is still being investigated. Some animal mummies only had animal parts or were fake mummies. It would be fascinating to see a sister traveling exhibition about pets in ancient Egypt.

The Museum of Natural History provides a rare and affordable way to learn about ancient Egyptian culture. I highly encourage you all to visit the museum before this exhibition is packed up for its next destination!

A special thanks to the staff of both museums for the hard work and preparation that went into organizing and displaying this exhibition.

A thank you to my partner Seth Jenks for often becoming my photographer.

Have you ever met a mummy? Did the experience give you the creeps?

You may also be interested in:

Exploring McNab’s Island, Nova Scotia

The Mills Brothers Holiday Village at the Museum of Natural History

Mills Brothers Building Meets Wrecking Ball

Definitions:

Exhibition vs Exhibit:

https://grammarist.com/usage/exhibit-exhibition/

Nemes:

https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-africa-news-general-opinion/crowns-pharaohs-00579

Sources:

A visit to the Museum of Natural History

https://naturalhistory.novascotia.ca/

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/sarcophagi/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archeologists-discover-ancient-pet-cemetery-egypt-180961292/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/50076/why-did-egyptian-pharaohs-wear-false-beards

https://www.history.com/news/scientists-reveal-inside-story-of-ancient-egyptian-animal-mummies