Egyptology: Not Only About Mummy Unwrappings

The spectacle of Mummy unwrapping in public, performed by both scientists and showmen, has led to a heightened interest and fascination about the growing science of Egyptology, according to a Missouri University of Science and Technology historian.

According to Dr. Kathleen Sheppard, an expert in archaeology and Egyptology, and an assistant professor of history and political science at Missouri S&T, while mummy unwrappings served as public spectacles that objectified foreign artifacts, they were also scientific investigations that revealed medical and historical information about ancient life.

She argues in an article,  Between Spectacle and Science: Margaret Murray and the Tomb of the Two Brothers in the journal Science in Context, that the 20^th century Egyptologist Margaret Murray, the first woman to publicly unwrap a mummy, tried to untie several existing mysteries of ancient Egypt by exposing mummified human remains.

Sheppard feels Murray's work is significant because, "It is poised between spectacle and science, drawing morbid public interest while also producing ground-breaking scientific work that continues to this day."

Focusing on the public displays that showed mummified remains as objects of curiosity during the 16th century, Sheppard said, "These types of spectacles were highly engaging shows in which people were, to a certain degree, educated about different aspects of science both by showmen and scientists."

Many Egyptologists drew a distinction between "Egyptomania" and "Egyptology", where Egyptomania refers to the fascination with all things Egypt, and Egyptology means the scientific study of Egyptian life. "In other words, rather than trying to separate the 'mania' from the 'ology,' she wanted to bring reason and understanding to the mania," she added.

(It will be published in the December issue of the journal Science in Context.)