Secrets of Egyptian mummies - or from here to eternity
4 February – 30 March 2006
Without having to travel in time and space, everyone can breathe in the atmosphere of ancient Egypt, experience its magic and mystery, and learn about the life and customs of its ancient inhabitants if they visit the exhibition at the Regional Museum, which features exhibits from the ancient art collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.
An important part of the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians were those concerning the afterlife. In order to experience a happy fate in the other world, an Egyptian had to fulfil a number of conditions; among others, his body and also his memory among posterity had to be preserved, he had to receive food, be able to contact the world of the living and be protected from unfriendly powers. To this end, there was a need for strict observance of burial rituals, sacrificial formulas, magical safeguards and embalming of the body and appropriate furnishing of graves.
Historical artefacts related to these customs can be seen in an exhibition at the Stalowa Wola Museum. Among them are box and anthropoid sarcophagi (in the shape of a human figure), masks and cartonas covering the bodies of the deceased, as well as animal mummies and fragments of human mummies, in addition to canopic vessels (used to store entrails removed during embalming), burial stelae, uszebti figurines (believed to replace the deceased during embalming), and other objects. The oldest exhibits on show include the Canopic vessels (used to store the entrails removed during embalming), tomb stelae, uszebti figurines (believed to have replaced the deceased in the fields of Osiris), statuettes of Egyptian deities, ornaments and magical amulets, vessels and sacrificial tables (made of faience, clay or stone). The age of the oldest exhibits on display is about 5,000 years, the youngest over 1,500 years.
A visit to a room furnished in the style of an Egyptian tomb may be an amazing experience, while it should be remembered that in ancient Egypt the decoration of tombs was not gloomy and sad, but colourful, rich and joyful, presenting the life and achievements of their owner and referring to the wish to create appropriate conditions for his/her rank for life in the hereafter.
When visiting the exhibition, in addition to the opportunity to see the ancient monuments, one can broaden one’s knowledge of the mysterious and fascinating Egyptian culture by using the thematic charts and illustrated folders accompanying the exhibition.
