Unravel the secrets of ancient Egyptian animal mummies at Kelvingrove

A fascinating, myth-busting new exhibition looking at ancient Egyptian animal mummies is set to open at Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery!

Article Source: Glasgow Museums
Last Updated: 12 May 2016 14:52

Gifts for the Gods: Animal Mummies Revealed will feature over 60 animal mummies and run from Saturday 14 May until Sunday 4 September 2016.

From bound crocodiles, entombed cats, mummified jackals and completely uncovered birds the exhibition will explore how imaging technology, such as CT scans and x-rays, reveals the contents of animal mummies and enhances our understanding of this period. Gifts for the Gods will appeal to those fascinated by Egypt, while challenging many commonly held beliefs by investigating the background behind the religious practice and probing the finds of British explorers.

The show, based on research carried out by the University of Manchester, will bring together key objects from Glasgow’s archaeological collection, displayed alongside rarely seen animal mummies from Manchester Museum, cultural artefacts such as stone sculpture and bronze statuettes, alongside 19th century works of art.

Children from Anderston Primary School were given a sneak preview of the exhibition by Manchester Museum curator Dr Campbell Price, before dressing up in Ancient Egyptian outfits to explore the exhibition’s interactive discovery zone, designed specifically for little explorers.

Chair of Glasgow Life, Councillor Archie Graham, said: “Ancient Egypt is one of the most visited galleries and one of the most popular schools workshops we offer, so we are delighted to host this incredible touring exhibition at Kelvingrove across the summer.

“Our experience shows that Egyptian exhibitions are very popular. This promises to be as captivating, exploring how images of animals could be used to communicate with the gods. The experts liken the symbolic offerings to paying for and lighting a candle in church today, something many of us can relate to. The treasures on display at this new show will shine a fascinating new light on an ancient and enduringly popular period of history.”

Dr Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan, Manchester Museum, said: “This exhibition is an exciting opportunity to share cutting-edge research by scientists at the University of Manchester. We want to show that the vast majority of mummified animals were not pets but sacred gifts given by the ancient Egyptians to their many gods. Science has helped Egyptologists understand the scale and complexity of animal mummification – and why the mummies were as popular with pilgrims in ancient times as they are with museum visitors today”

Visitors begin their journey by stepping back in time to ancient Egypt, when it was a country of lush grassland and not the sandy wilderness we often conceive, to consider what the animals would have looked like and lived like at that time. The next gallery introduces an animal catacomb. The atmospheric, narrow room will be lined with pots containing votive animal mummies, centred on a shrine for worship. The public are invited to reflect on why animals were so important to the ancient Egyptians. The answer lies in the close association all animal species had with the gods, their role was seen as a communication tool in personal religion. Although the part the animal mummies played in religious rituals is still not fully understood, it is believed they would have been symbolic offerings that could take a person’s prayers to the gods.

Moving through the exhibition visitors will discover how work by the University of Manchester revealed that as many as a third of the animal mummies studied contain no animal material, a third have parts of animals and the remaining third do have an animal inside. The accompanying interpretation explores why there was a huge demand for animal mummies and details some of the animal graveyards where millions of examples of different species have been found. The call for votive offerings was so strong it is believed to have created a trade in mass-produced animals, specially bred for the practice. Although Manchester Museum’s findings confirm that many embalmers did not always include real animals in their mummies, or take the same care when preserving them as they did when embalming humans.

Using wrapped, partially wrapped and completely unwrapped animal mummies from several UK collections Gifts for the Gods will show how imaging technology has enhanced our understanding of the subject, by allowing us to look inside. The early preconception was that many of these mummies were fake. However, detailed research has enhanced experts understanding and they now believe that many of the wealthy Egyptians who commissioned mummies may have known they would be empty. What is more likely to have mattered is that the outside of the mummy looked recognisable to the god to which it was being offered. Ibis birds, for example, were linked to Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing, while cats were sacred to Bastet, who was the goddess of motherhood.

The latter part of the exhibition looks at prominent British archaeologists in Egypt. Photographs, journal excerpts and objects explain how animal mummies were discovered, excavated and chosen by archaeologists and museum experts and how they were collected and brought back to the UK for display and research. The final section examines how we can protect animal mummies in the future.

A specially created interactive Discovery Zone will bring the subject to life for little ones, who can dig for their own mummy, learn about the process of mummification, experience life as an explorer and learn more about these gifts for the gods. A full programme of workshops and events for adults and children will accompany the exhibition.

An enlightening and richly illustrated book on animal mummies from ancient Egypt accompanies the exhibition; it is called Gifts for the Gods. Introducing readers to the wealth of animal mummies in British museums and private collections, this fascinating collection focuses on the prevalent type of animal mummy to be found in Britain: the votive offering. In a series of chapters written by experts in their field, Gifts for the Gods details the role of animals in ancient Egypt and in museum collections. It concentrates on the unique relationship of British explorers, travellers, archaeologists, curators and scientists with this material. One chapter entitled ‘Dealers, donors and doctors: Exploring Glasgow’s Egyptian collection’ was written by Brian Weightman, who is based at the Glasgow Museum Resource Centre.

Gifts for the Gods: Animal Mummies Revealed is supported by a Wellcome Trust People Award and a Research Grant from the Leverhulme Trust. It opens at Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow on 14 May and runs until 4 September 2016. Tickets cost £5 per adult and £3 per concession, children under 16 are free. For more information visit www.glasgowmuseums.com