Dewi Sriwahyuto
(All images credits to Kunsthistorisches Museum)
This is about as close as you can ever get to a mummy.
Flown from Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) in Vienna, Sydney, all the way to the National Museum of Singapore, 5 mummies – all of which still very much preserved and securely wrapped by linen bandages, will be the main attraction of the exhibition.
230 ancient Egypt artifacts, including the mummified bodies, spanning from 4000 BCE to 950 CE, are currently being exhibited at the Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt, which is an exhibition that elucidates the ancient Egyptians’ attitude towards life and the afterlife.
The artifacts include ancient Egyptians statues, pieces of writings, jewellery, and burial relics such as the canopic jars that were used to keep the internal organs of the mummies.
Ms Haraini Hassan, curator of the National Museum of Singapore says, “Ancient Egypt is a glorious civilization and through this exhibition we hope to change people’s perception that the ancient Egyptians are obsessed with death. On the contrary, it is their obsession with life that caused them to pursue all means to ensure the attainment of immortality.”
This joint collaboration by National Museum of Singapore and Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, took 2 years to plan as they faced various challenges – the main being the transportation of the fragile mummies, which are easily susceptible to damage due to climate change.
Ms Michaela Huettner, curator of KHM joked, “We have to keep in mind that these are bodies that doesn’t want to be displayed. They want to stay in their tombs and depart to the other world. Although they are here in Singapore, which is not too bad, still, who would like their bodies to be moved around?”
Being known as a culture that consists of countless taboos, alongside stories of objects from Egypt being inscribed with curses, the team felt that it would be fitting to pay their respects before they started shifting the artifacts from its original home.
They had a simple prayer session before they carried the coffins and objects out of the crates and into the display cases at the museum. According to Ms Hassan, a poll was also conducted to excuse those who weren’t comfortable with touching the bodies.
Apart from the mummies, some of the other highlights of the exhibition include the massive statues of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddess, scripts containing passages from The Book of the Dead, and the figurines that date back thousands of years – the oldest being the female ivory figurine that’s believed to be over 6,000 years old.
The first artifact that will greet you as you enter the exhibition would be the Statue of goddess Sekhmet from the 18th Dynasty. Its origin is Karnak, Thebes from the Upper Egypt.
Weighing 1, 400kg, this statue is the biggest and heaviest artifact in the exhibition, which required 6 men and 2 forklifts to transport it to its display area.
If you’ve watched the 1999 movie – The Mummy, it would’ve come across to you that The Book of the Dead was just an ingenious prop to make the movie more horrifying.
However, Egyptologists and researchers have found many pieces of writings that link to The Book, proving that it does exist.
In this exhibition, you’ll get to see a long piece of papyrus from the 21st Dynasty, which contains essential passages from The Book of the Dead.
This is the longest piece of artifact from the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection of KHM that’s here for Singaporeans to view.
Taken out of its intricately designed coffin, is the Mummy of Nekhet-iset-aru, from the 25th Dynasty, around 747 – 656 BCE.
This mummy’s layers of pink linen bandaging have been almost fully preserved. As you look at it through the glass pane of the display case, the feeling is overwhelming as you realise you’re looking at the body of a person who lived thousands of years ago.
X-rays and CT scans have revealed that 2 other bodies are contained within the cartonnage cover (painted plastered papyrus or linen) of the Mummy of Nes-Khons, who is from the 25th Dynasty, about 760 – 656 BCE.
The scans showed that these 2 bodies, which were placed in between the woman’s legs, were infants who died just before or after birth. They could’ve been twins too.
Quest for Immortality – The World of Ancient Egypt will take place from Dec 22, 2009 to Apr 4, 2010 at the Exhibition Galleries of National Museum of Singapore. It is opened from 10am to 6pm daily. Tickets are available at all SISTIC outlets for $15 (excluding SISTIC fee).