It has long been believed that the ancient Egyptians used mummification as a way to preserve the body after death. However, an upcoming museum exhibit shows that such elaborate burial techniques are actually a way to bring the deceased to the gods.
The golden mummy of a woman named Isaious, daughter of Demetrius on display at the Manchester Museum, England
Researchers from the University of Manchester’s Manchester Museum in the UK are clearing up common misconceptions as part of preparations for an exhibition titled “The Golden Mummy of Egypt” that opens next week. early next year.
This new understanding of the intended purpose of the mummification process fundamentally changes much of what is taught to students about mummies.
So how did this misconception grow for so long? Campbell Price, the museum’s curator, says the Western-led idea began with Victorian researchers who wrongly determined that the ancient Egyptians were preserving their corpses in a similar way. the same way people preserve fish. Because, they reasoned, both processes contain the same ingredient: salt.
However, the salt that the ancient Egyptians used was different from the salt used to preserve the catch of the day. Called natron, this naturally occurring mineral (a mixture of sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate) is abundant around lake beds near the Nile and was used as a key ingredient in the mummification process.
Misconceptions about mummies
“We also know that natron was used in temple ceremonies and applied to statues of the gods. It was used for cleansing,” Campbell said.
Another material commonly used with mummies , Campbell adds, is incense, which is also used as a gift to the gods like the Christian story of Jesus and as a gift from God. three wise men, suitable gifts for a god.
When you burn incense in a temple, it is appropriate because it is the house of a god and makes the space sacred. But then when you use agarwood resin on your body, you are making the body divine and becoming a divine being. You don’t have to preserve it.
Like the Egyptians, Victorian Egyptologists also believed that the dead would need their bodies in the afterlife, which further lends credence to the mummification misunderstanding.
As part of the exhibition, the museum will display a number of burial masks and coffins related to ancient Egyptian burials, providing further evidence of the original intentions of mummification.
The exhibition “Golden mummies of Egypt” will be on display at the Manchester Museum starting February 18, 2023. The museum has also published a book with a similar title written by Campbell Price to accompany the exhibition.
Source: tienphong.vn
