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Many mummies, such as this one from Savoca in Sicily, are on the verge of disappearing because there are inadequate resources to protect them. Photo courtesy of Dario Piombino-Mascali.
One of National Geographic's iconic topics is mummies. Whether it’s
King Tut or frozen Inca children, National Geographic brings you their
stories. In poll after poll, readers demonstrate a fascination with
mummies. Yes they can be macabre, and I suppose that’s part of their
lure, but there is something noble about them as well. Nothing
connects us with the past so much as these people of the past, these
mummies.
Despite our fascination with mummies, remarkably little thought is
given to what happens to mummies after the media buzz is over. The
answer is, unfortunately, that the majority are not receiving the care
they deserve.
Thousands of mummies all around the world are decaying because of poor
storage conditions. The basement of the Cairo museum has hundreds of
mummies in need of attention. In Siberia and in the Andes, mummies are
defrosting because of warming temperatures at high latitudes and
altitudes.
I'm pleased we presented the story of mummy scientists Dario
Piombino-Mascali, Albert Zink, and Arthur Aufderhide in the February
issue. Scholars like these are highly trained in anatomy, forensics,
pathology, radiology and related specializations. To them, mummies are
a unique opportunity—there is simply no better way to study a
society’s diet, health, and life span. The story also illustrates the
critical condition of these Sicilian mummies. Some have been
vandalized and all are at risk of disappearing if left in their
current conditions.
I met Piombino-Mascali, Zink, and Aufderhide at a conference in the
Canary Islands in 2007. The February article on the Sicilian mummies
came out of that conference. The mummy scientists will be meeting
again soon. This time we will talk about raising awareness about the
future of mummies world-wide. It seems to me that if scientists can
dig mummies up and the media can run stories about them, then together
we can find ways to raise awareness about mummy conservation. Mummies
might have a lot more secrets to reveal in the future and it’s the
least we can do for our ancestors.
Do mummies deserve a better deal? What cultural dimensions should
scientists and the media should consider ? What do you think about the
future of mummy studies?
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Comments
Feb 24, 2009 5AM #
I am commenting on the 5105 year old mummy found in The Oetztal Mountains and name Otzi due to where he was found. His name is Urk and was the cheif of his Sib of the Suren in Switzerland. He was in that area to explore and he and 13 of his sib were following him. While they were on the mountain where he was found, they witnessed a fight between 2 groups and when the fight was over came forward the help the dead and dying whereby getting their blood on their clothing. They took what they could from the dead men and were on there way to moving on when, Urk had an epileptic seizure, and fell upon the arrow that was found in his back, he then rolled down the hill to the spot where he was found. He was not murdered or in a fight. Many of his other Sib members where also lost due to the needles of the ice storm which began just as Urk had fallen duie to an epileptic fit.
Feb 24, 2009 5AM #
I am commenting on the 5105 year old mummy found in The Oetztal Mountains and name Otzi due to where he was found. His name is Urk and was the cheif of his Sib of the Suren in Switzerland. He was in that area to explore and he and 13 of his sib were following him. While they were on the mountain where he was found, they witnessed a fight between 2 groups and when the fight was over came forward the help the dead and dying whereby getting their blood on their clothing. They took what they could from the dead men and were on there way to moving on when, Urk had an epileptic seizure, and fell upon the arrow that was found in his back, he then rolled down the hill to the spot where he was found. He was not murdered or in a fight. Many of his other Sib members where also lost due to the needles of the ice storm which began just as Urk had fallen due to an epileptic fit.
Feb 24, 2009 5AM #
I am commenting on the 5105 year old mummy found in The Oetztal Mountains and name Otzi due to where he was found. His name is Urk and was the cheif of his Sib of the Suren in Switzerland. He was in that area to explore and he and 13 of his sib were following him. While they were on the mountain where he was found, they witnessed a fight between 2 groups and when the fight was over came forward the help the dead and dying whereby getting their blood on their clothing. They took what they could from the dead men and were on there way to moving on when, Urk had an epileptic seizure, and fell upon the arrow that was found in his back, he then rolled down the hill to the spot where he was found. He was not murdered or in a fight. Many of his other Sib members where also lost due to the needles of the ice storm which began just as Urk had fallen due to an epileptic fit.
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