Through Feb. 5, 2017, Denver’s Museum of Nature & Science presents Mummies: New Secrets from the Tombs, an in-depth exhibition showcasing mummies and funerary practices from ancient Egypt and Peru.
Peruvian and Chilean cultures are responsible for some of the world’s oldest preserved human remains, with some specimens dating back as far as 7,000 years. These cultures left behind rich records of ritual, material culture and DNA that offer important clues about daily life, health and belief systems in the distant past. Modern techniques such as CT scanning, 3D computer reconstruction and advanced DNA analysis have allowed researchers to develop a fuller, more detailed picture of these ancient peoples.
Notable elements of the exhibition include a replica walk-in tomb that recreates burial architecture and atmosphere, and an interactive exploration station that explains scientific methods used to study mummies. One marquee artifact is the Gilded Lady, a mummy from Egypt’s Roman period that had not been on public display since the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Visitors can also see mummification tools, preserved animals including birds, cats and crocodiles that were sometimes offered as votive burials, and a selection of elaborately decorated coffins and sarcophagi that demonstrate artistic and religious expression.
The show also highlights cultural practices from ancient Peru, including examples of intentional cranial modification—skulls that illustrate how head shaping was performed for social, aesthetic or status-related reasons. Together, the artifacts and interpretive displays reveal both the technical processes of mummification and the wider cultural meanings that surrounded death and the afterlife in these disparate regions.
By combining compelling artifacts with scientific interpretation, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to appreciate the intersection of archaeology, history and modern research. It presents both the human stories preserved in the remains and the technological advances that let us explore them, making the distant past more accessible and understandable for museumgoers of all ages.