American Museum of National History Presents MUMMIES Exhibit

Mummies offers an up-close look at one of the largest collections of mummies housed in North America. From ancient Egypt to pre-Columbian Peru, the exhibition explores the intersection between societies, their environment, and the preparations they made for their dead.

In Mummies, ancient remains from the Nile Valley of Africa and the Andes Mountains of South America allow visitors to connect with cultures from the distant past. Mummification, a more widespread practice than most think, was used not only for royal Egyptians but also for common people and even animals. The process was employed by cultures around the world. In the Chancay culture of Peru, mummifying deceased family members meant relatives could keep connected with their loved ones; some families even brought mummy bundles to festivals. Egyptians, on the other hand, created mummies to help individuals enter the afterlife, often encasing the mummies in elaborately painted sarcophagi.

With the aid of modern technologies, scientists are now uncovering new information about the lives, health, and beliefs of peoples and cultures of the past by analyzing mummies. Through high-resolution CT scans and forensically reconstructed sculptures, visitors to Mummies will glimpse people from centuries ago and learn how contemporary scientists have gleaned stunning details about their ages, practices, and even their causes of death. Interactive touch tables let visitors virtually "unravel" or see inside mummies as they delve deep into the unique stories of the people or animals who lie within. Other parts of the exhibition showcase the latest isotopic and DNA testing being performed on mummies, and explain how these sophisticated analytical techniques are helping scientists discover important clues about long-vanished practices.

Mummies is co-curated at the American Museum of Natural History by David Hurst Thomas, curator of North American archaeology in the Division of Anthropology and John J. Flynn, Frick Curator of Fossil Mammals in the Division of Paleontology. The exhibition will be open to the public from Monday, March 20, to January 7, 2018. Members will be able to preview the exhibition on Friday, March 17, through Sunday, March 19.

Mummies was developed by The Field Museum, Chicago.

The American Museum of Natural History gratefully acknowledges the
Richard and Karen LeFrak Exhibition and Education Fund.

Mummies is proudly supported by Chase Private Client.

American Museum of Natural History (amnh.org)
The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the world's preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses 45 permanent exhibition halls, including the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions. It is home to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, New York State's official memorial to its 33rd governor and the nation's 26th president, and a tribute to Roosevelt's enduring legacy of conservation. The Museum's five active research divisions and three cross-disciplinary centers support approximately 200 scientists, whose work draws on a world-class Permanent Collection of more than 33 million specimens and artifacts, as well as specialized collections for frozen tissue and genomic and astrophysical data, and one of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, it is the only American museum authorized to grant the Ph.D. degree and the Master of Arts in Teaching degree. Annual attendance has grown to approximately 5 million, and the Museum's exhibitions and Space Shows can be seen in venues on five continents. The Museum's website and apps for mobile devices extend its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions more beyond its walls. Visit amnh.org for more information.