BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Museum of Natural History -- Exhibit: Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt (Mummies)

DC -- Natl Museum of Natural History -- Exhibit: Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt (Mummies):

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Accessing as Spider: The system has identified your IP as being a spider.
IP Address: 3.139.82.23 -- Domain: Amazon Technologies
I love well-behaved spiders! They are, in fact, how most people find my site. Unfortunately, my network has a limited bandwidth and pictures take up bandwidth. Spiders ask for lots and lots of pages and chew up lots and lots of bandwidth which slows things down considerably for regular folk. To counter this, you'll see all the text on the page but the images are being suppressed. Also, some system options like merges are being blocked for you.
Note: Permission is NOT granted for spiders, robots, etc to use the site for AI-generation purposes. I'm sure you're thrilled by your ability to make revenue from my work but there's nothing in that for my human users or for me.
If you are in fact human, please email me at guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can check if your designation was made in error. Given your number of hits, that's unlikely but what the hell.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

Share: Facebook Twitter Digg
[1] SINHMU_111127_005.JPG	[2] SINHMU_111127_007.JPG	[3] SINHMU_111127_011.JPG
[4] SINHMU_111127_015.JPG	[5] SINHMU_111127_020.JPG	[6] SINHMU_111127_026.JPG
[7] SINHMU_111127_029.JPG	[8] SINHMU_111127_033.JPG	[9] SINHMU_111127_038.JPG
[10] SINHMU_111127_042.JPG	[11] SINHMU_111127_046.JPG	[12] SINHMU_111127_051.JPG
[13] SINHMU_111127_054.JPG	[14] SINHMU_111127_058.JPG	[15] SINHMU_111127_064.JPG
[16] SINHMU_111127_067.JPG	[17] SINHMU_111127_080.JPG	[18] SINHMU_111127_089.JPG
[19] SINHMU_111127_107.JPG	[20] SINHMU_111127_114.JPG	[21] SINHMU_111127_128.JPG
[22] SINHMU_111127_134.JPG	[23] SINHMU_111127_138.JPG	[24] SINHMU_111127_144.JPG
[25] SINHMU_111127_150.JPG	[26] SINHMU_111127_158.JPG	[27] SINHMU_111127_160.JPG
[28] SINHMU_111127_163.JPG	[29] SINHMU_111127_179.JPG	[30] SINHMU_111127_185.JPG
[31] SINHMU_111127_190.JPG	[32] SINHMU_111127_196.JPG	[33] SINHMU_111127_201.JPG
[34] SINHMU_111127_208.JPG	[35] SINHMU_111127_211.JPG	[36] SINHMU_111127_220.JPG
[37] SINHMU_111127_229.JPG	[38] SINHMU_111127_234.JPG	[39] SINHMU_111127_241.JPG
[40] SINHMU_111127_246.JPG	[41] SINHMU_111127_251.JPG	[42] SINHMU_111127_256.JPG
[43] SINHMU_111127_260.JPG	[44] SINHMU_111127_265.JPG	[45] SINHMU_111127_274.JPG
[46] SINHMU_111127_277.JPG	[47] SINHMU_111127_282.JPG	[48] SINHMU_111127_287.JPG
[49] SINHMU_111127_295.JPG	[50] SINHMU_111127_298.JPG	[51] SINHMU_111127_302.JPG
[52] SINHMU_111127_312.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SINHMU_111127_046.JPG: Woman's mummy board fragment (200BC - 100AD)
2. SINHMU_111127_051.JPG: How Did Embalmers Develop Their Art? Step 1: Remove the Brain and Organs: Insert a long hook up the nose and pull out brain tissue, and add oi of cedar to liquefy what is left. Cut the body open and remove the organs -- except for the heart. Dry the organs separately, and store them in canopic jars. Step 2: Dry the Body: Fill the body with packets of natron, and sprinkle loose natron on top. When dried, wash the skin and rub it with perfumes and oils to keep it supple. Step 3: Wrap the Body: Wrap the body in as many as 20 layers of ... [???] Step 4: Add Magic Charms: Tuck amulets into the mummy's wraps -- they are believed to ward off evil and bring good luck. Position each type according to instructions in the Book of the Dead. Step 5: Lay the Mummy in a Coffin: At the end of the 70-day ritual, place the mummy in a coffin for burial.
3. SINHMU_111127_067.JPG: Hair Extensions (1994-1781 BC): Both men and women commonly shaved their heads and wore wigs, and, with hair extensions, they could vary the style of a wig or the own hair. In the tomb, they stored hair in a basket or box.
4. SINHMU_111127_107.JPG: This is a Real Mummy! The body belonged to a man who died about 2,200 years ago. Yet we know something about his life, thanks to tissue and hair analysis and CAT scanning by Museum scientists. Our studies show the deceased ate little meat, and his lungs contain soot, probably inhaled while tending fires. Also, some internal organs remain intact, so the mummy did not receive the deluxe embalming given elite Egyptians.
5. SINHMU_111127_128.JPG: Egyptian mummy, 300BC-AD150
6. SINHMU_111127_138.JPG: Egyptian mummy, 300BC-AD150 Who's Under Wraps? When this mummy came to this Museum, it was partially unwrapped, and very little was known about its history or the individual inside. Using 2D and 3D CT scans, Museum scientists found that the brain and major organs were removed and rolls of linen filled out the abdominal cavity. This evidence of superior mummification indicates that the deceased belonged to the upper class. The crossed arms were consistent with mummification practices beginning about 500BC.
7. SINHMU_111127_150.JPG: Canopic jar lids 1550-1398BC (left) 380-342BC (right)
8. SINHMU_111127_163.JPG: Animals Under Wraps: Egyptians revered the natural world, and they mummified many different animal species to present as everlasting gifts to the gods. The most common animal mummies served as offerings, or votives, to gods associated with specific animals. Egyptians also dried and wrapped choice cuts of meat and fowl to ritually feed the dead in eternity. A few animals, like the bull on your right, were worshipped as living embodiments of a god and mummified to preserve their remains. Some Egyptians even mummified beloved pets as company for the next life. Divine Bull: This bull lived like a god in a special stable within the temple walls. Priests massaged the bull's body, decorated his horns with ornaments of silver, and even sang to him. Egyptians saw him as a living manifestation of a god, and worshippers filled the temple daily to honor him. When the bull died, Egyptians believed he went on to eternal life, and a young bull with the same distinctive markings took his place. Many temples honored other sacred animals -- for example, crocodiles that embodied the god Sobek in the temple at Kom Ombo, and cats of Bastet at Bubastis.
9. SINHMU_111127_179.JPG: Mummified head of a cat, 332-30BC: The elaborately painted and modeled ears on the squished face of this cat mummy give it the look of a real cat. The head contains a cat skull, and it was originally part of a full mummy.
10. SINHMU_111127_185.JPG: Mummified cat, 332-30BC: The six blue strips of linen decorating this mummy stand out against more common brown and beige wrappings, and it has carefully shaped false ears. The kitten inside may be less than four weeks old.
11. SINHMU_111127_196.JPG: Mummified cat, 332-30BC: The CT scan above reveals the fate of this elaborately wrapped cat mummy. About 10 months old, it lies in a fetal position, and the neck vertebrae are out of alignment. It died of strangulation.
12. SINHMU_111127_201.JPG: Ibises of Thoth: Once found in vast numbers along the Nile, ibises were associated with Thoth, god of wisdom, writing, and the moon. Thoth also recorded the results of final judgement, called the Weighing of the Heart. Ibis coffin, 332-30BC: This bronze and wood coffin probably sat on a base that held an ibis mummy. Mummified to Extinction? Excavations uncovered many millions of ibis mummies in the Saqquara catacombs alone. While mummification probably decreased populations of sacred and glossy ibises, the birds did not disappear in Egypt until the 1800s, most likely because of habitat loss.
13. SINHMU_111127_208.JPG: Mummified ibis, 525BC - AD200 Through the broken top, you can see bones and part of a wing from a mature and an immature ibis. Embalmers dried the birds, then applied molten resin and oil that burnt through part of the feathers and skin and adhered to the bone.
14. SINHMU_111127_211.JPG: Ceramic vessel with mummified ibis, 310-30BC Archaeologists excavated hundreds of ibises sealed in egg-shaped ceramic jars like this at Abydos, a pilgrimage site dedicated to Osiris. Pilgrims wishing to send a request to the divine world jay have appealed to Thoth, who was known as an excellent messenger.
15. SINHMU_111127_220.JPG: The Price of a Mummy: Over the centuries, millions of Egyptian pilgrims bought votive mummies to offer to the gods, and built a thriving animal mummy industry. To keep pace with the demand for votive mummies, temples employed legions of workers, bred their own animals, managed catacombs, and stockpiled oils, resins, linen wrappings, and natron, a special salt for drying remains. The quality of mummification and wrapping varied perhaps to give patrons different price options. Sometimes priests even sold intricately wrapped votive mummies with no animal inside. Over time, the huge number of animals sacrificed for votive offerings may have endangered wild populations of some species, especially ibises and raptors. Wrapped to Last: Notice the varied wrappings on the animal mummies. The spiral strips on most of them come from sheets of linen knotted to keep them in place. More recent mummies from about 30BC to AD200 feature elaborate diamond and square patterns with different colors and widths of linen. Mummified ibis, 332-30BC: Molten resin and oil burned through the feathers to the bone when embalmers prepared this ibis. The sand and gravel stuck to the narrow end may mean that they stood the mummy up on the ground to dry.
16. SINHMU_111127_229.JPG: Cartonnage (papier mache) coffin fragment, 940-525BC See the Abubis figure? Originally, another image of the god appeared on the opposite side to protect the words guaranteeing the mummy eternal food and drink. The fragment comes from the foot of the coffin, and it is painted upside down so the mummy can read it.
17. SINHMU_111127_234.JPG: Baboon-shaped mummy, 332-30BC: This mummy looks like a baboon, but the CT scan below shows only linen scraps and a wooden stick inside. Baboons went extinct in Egypt well before the fifth century BC and Egyptians imported them from Nubia and other southern countries -- something only the wealthy could afford. Baboon offerings honored Thoth.
18. SINHMU_111127_241.JPG: Anubis statue, 664-30BC: Known as "He who is on his mountain," Anubis figures like this sat atop a special chest holding the deceased's organs -- like the one in the tomb display. The god's black skin color represents soil and fertility, as well as the darkness the dead passed through before rebirth.
19. SINHMU_111127_246.JPG: Preparing for Eternity: Valuing life above all else, ancient Egyptians sought ways to continue life even after death. Egyptians constructed their tombs as eternal homes and devoted considerable time and resources to equipping them with everything they might need. If they led moral lives -- celebrating the gods, caring for family and the needy, and maintaining the cult of the blessed dead -- they hoped the gods would judge them favorably. As added insurance, their burials included objects such as a heart scarab to protect the body and a Book of the Dead to guide them on the dangerous passage to the afterlife.
20. SINHMU_111127_265.JPG: Starving man statue, 1298-1064BC: No one is sure what this statue of a starving man stands for, but perhaps it was meant to ward off hunger in the tomb. Egyptians viewed hunger as a source of cosmic and societal imbalance.
21. SINHMU_111127_282.JPG: Gifts for the Gods: Ancient Egyptians used animal mummies like votive candles in a church today to ask for blessings and help from the gods. At the temples, pilgrims bought animal mummies to offer to the gods with their prayers, then left the bundles in the sanctuary for priests to bury in nearby catacombs. The mummies, they believed, would forever remind the gods of their requests. Most animals were mummified just like humans -- by removing the internal organs, drying the bodies, and wrapping them in strips of linen. However, embalmers dipped some animals, particularly hawks and other birds, in boiling resin or pitch to seal the feathers. Offerings by the Millions: Wildly popular among Egyptians from all walks of life, votive mummies were produced in staggering numbers. In the nineteenth century, archaeologists uncovered burial chambers with hundreds of thousands of animal mummies still inside. They discovered so many votive offerings, in fact, that many ended up as fuel, fertilizer, or even ballast for ships sailing to Europe. Gradually, however, scientists recognized that animal offering provided valuable insights into ancient Egypt's environment and culture. Many of the mummies left today reside in museum collections.
22. SINHMU_111127_298.JPG: Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt: Ancient Egyptians believed death marked the beginning of a journey to eternal life. A smooth passage to the afterlife -- the hope of every Egyptian -- required a mummified body and a tomb or coffin decorated with prayers and images to protect against the dangers ahead. If all went well, the deceased would become a spirit in the green fields of eternity, while the soul joined the gods as a star in the sky and the mummy lived on in the tomb forever. Thanks to the remarkable technology of ancient Egypt, many mummies still exist. Modern science unlocks their secrets and tells us more about how ancient Egyptians lived and died.
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Description of Subject Matter: Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt
November 17, 2011 – Permanent
Learn about Egyptian burial ritual; its place with ancient Egyptian cosmology; and the insights that mummies, burial rites, and cosmology provide about life in ancient Egypt. The exhibition focuses on Smithsonian science and what museum experts have learned about burial practices, health, disease, and demographics from studying mummies.
The following cases are on view:

* In the Mummy's Tomb is a re-creation of a tomb with a mummy and its coffin (ca. 150 BC to AD 50 ) and a variety of grave goods from various periods (ca. 3500 BC to AD 50). Such grave goods were intended to provide the deceased with the spiritual and physical support needed for smooth passage to eternity.
* Making a Mummy reveals the step-by-step process of mummification. Scientific studies indicate that the 2,200-year-old mummy on view ate little meat and that his lungs contain soot, which he probably inhaled while tending fires.
* What’s in a Face displays 6 mummy masks dating from ca. 1388 BC to AD 200 to trace the changing style of coffin decoration and to bring visitors face-to-face with the living people behind the mummies.
* Mummy Science reveals insights into burial practices, health, disease, and demography that can be gained from the study of mummies.
* Animal Mummies explains the link between animal mummification and the Egyptian belief system and features the museum’s two Apis bull mummies and mummies of cats, ibises, hawks, crocodiles, dogs, and a baboon.
* Tentkhonsu’s Coffin showcases the richly decorated inner coffin of Tentkhonsu, a member of a group of noble women who participated in temple services and festivals.
* Preparing for Eternal Life explores how living Egyptians tried to assure they and their families would have eternal life after death.
* The Gods and Eternal Life explores the roles of two prominent gods, Osiris and Re, in helping the dead achieve eternal life and in keeping the natural order of the world of the living.
* Insects in Ancient Egypt reveals that insects were an important part of preparing for the afterlife and became symbolic of the transition.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].