NEWS

A life spent preparing for death

A dehumidification system is in place to help preserve delicate exhibits. Some 400 objects that have never been previously displayed have come out of storage to give a full picture. The exhibition has sections on authority, worship, rituals, funerary customs and beliefs, everyday life and magic. Separate units are devoted to music, scarabs, writing and the gods. The idea is to present the complete picture of a civilization where people spent their lives preparing for death. When the time came, they were placed in their coffins with objects that were to accompany them into the next life, such as vases, jewelry, beauty products, wooden figurines and tools. The Egyptians had mastered the art of mummification. Among the items they placed inside the bodies of the dead were onions, sawdust and spices, while the body was wrapped in strips of fabric. There are four wooden caskets and two made of cartonnage, a mixture of linen and glue which has then been painted. There is also a clay sarcophagus, a type used only for foreigners.

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