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MUMMIES. The dream of everlasting life
Exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Bolzano in cooperation with the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums/Mannheim
From March 10th to October 25th 2009 the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano hosts a comprehensive exhibition of cultural and natural history dedicated to mummies. The exhibition entitled MUMMIES. The dream of everlasting life was conceived by the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums in Mannheim; its original content has been re-adapted for the show in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. In his quality of one of the most important mummies worldwide, Ötzi is at the core of this special exhibition.
Displaying over 60 mummies, numerous accompanying findings and precious burial offerings, this exhibition provides fascinating insight into mummification, a phenomenon encompassing different periods in time and places in the world. The exhibition takes the visitors to different natural environments and cultures that unwind from the dinosaurs to Ötzi and Ancient Egypt to the modern day.
The mummies exhibition was initiated owing to a sensational discovery: During restructuring of the old deposits in the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums in Mannheim in 2004, 20 mummies of different origins came back to light. They had never been exhibited before. Inventory registers contained only little information about the findings; some of them even carried the notation “war loss”. The origin of the mummies was ascertained thanks to investigations carried out under an extensive mummy research project.
On occasion of this exhibition that takes up over 1000 m², the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology has been completely rearranged. With the exception of the floor hosting the Iceman, the extant permanent exhibition of the museum has been innovatively reutilized along the theme of mummies. The placing of Ötzi in the core of the Bolzano mummies exhibition makes it a unique event worldwide.
This special exhibition hosts mummies of animal and human bodies from all over the world and from ages in time. Artificially embalmed mummies are juxtaposed to bodies that were naturally preserved in bogs, ice and deserts. Among the mummies on show there are valuable loans from important museums, such as unique bog bodies, wrapped Egyptian mummies in ornate sarcophagi, mummies from the Dominican Crypt in the Hungarian town of Vàc and others from Asia and South America collections of several museums.
The mummies are showcased in their cultural context, with a view to state-of-the-art scientific methods. Indeed, investigation results in anthropology, biochemistry, genetics, pathology, medicine and other disciplines offer valuable clues about their origins, living conditions, dietary habits and diseases. Research findings are illustrated in form of multi-media presentations.
Visitors are preliminarily invited to confront themselves with the issue of musealization/presentation of mummies. They have the possibility to interact with mummy experts with whom they can shed light on the meaning of death and the relation with the dead in our society. Besides this active confrontation, the Museum of Archaeology bestows an attentive and respectful tribute to this grave issue also in form of discrete presentations, accompanying papers for families and special guided tours.
The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology offers a rich program – not only for schools but also for families and single visitors. Offers include museum educational events, guided theme tours and workshops with researchers. Furthermore, in the framework of the exhibition cultural program contributors will discuss relevant issues and experts will accompany along the museum itinerary. This special exhibition provides visitors with the opportunity to engage on mummies and mummification from a scientific and cultural viewpoint.
The exhibition program Mummies. The dream of everlasting life presented by the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in cooperation with the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums in Mannheim, is generously supported by the Stiftung Südtiroler Sparkasse.
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
via Museo 43, I-39100 Bolzano, Italy
phone +39 0471 320100, fax +39 0471 320122
web www.iceman.it, email museum@iceman.it
authorized for publication, please quote the source
please send a deposit copy to patrick.gasser@iceman.it
MUMMIES. The dream of everlasting life
exhibition of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Bolzano in cooperation with the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums/Mannheim
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, March 10th – Oct. 25th 2009
General scientific management Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums/Mannheim
Alfried Wieczorek
Scientific committee Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums/Mannheim
Wilfried Rosendahl
Project managemente Bolzano
Angelika Fleckinger
Bolzano curators
Angelika Fleckinger, Andreas Putzer, Wilfried Rosendahl
Press preview, March 9th 2009, 10 am – 1 pm
Opening of the exhibition, 6 pm
Scientific projects related to the exhibition
- EURAC, Institute for Mummies and the Iceman
- EURAC, Mummies and life sciences. 1st Bolzano Mummy Congress 2009
- Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums, rem-Mummy Research Project
Note
The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology will be closed from October 26th till November 8th 2009 due to the removal of the exhibition.
| Opening hours Tue-Sun, entry 10 am – 5.30 pm closed on Mondays in July and August open also on Mondays open on public holidays except May 1st |
Tickets admission 9 € reduced 7 € school groups 1,5 € per person families 18 € guided tours 2,5 € per person tour booking required, tel. +39 0471 320100 |
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