Testimonies of ancient Egypt
An exhibition reveals all the details of six people who were mummified more than 2,000 years ago.
Until 26 March at CaixaForum you can visit Egyptian mummies: redescovering their lives, an exhibition that allows us to get to know the identity, customs and some aspects of the lives of half a dozen people who lived on the banks of the river Nil between 800 and 150 BC..
In ancient Egypt they believed that the body had to survive death in order to reach the beyond. After embalming, the body served as a physical base for the components of a person's spirit, such as the ka and the ba -the vital force and the soul force- to travel from the world of the living to the realm of the dead.
In addition to the sarcophagi and the bodies, the experts have been able to analyse aspects such as what the role of women and children was in Egyptian society and what cultural exchanges took place at that time using pioneering technology based on advanced non-invasive techniques and studies, without the need to unwrap the corpses. The research has made it possible to create a personal profile to find out who they were, how old they were, what their beliefs were and what illnesses they suffered from.
Each mummy has a story to tell that is accompanied by a collection of archaeological objects from the British Museum. The secrets of Tamut, for example, is a space within the exhibition specially designed for families to explore in a free and creative way some of the research methods to discover what it was like, how it lived and how it died.
A number of complementary activities have been organised around the exhibition, such as a series of film screenings and a series of lectures and debates that will begin on 1 December with Mummies of Egypt, by the event's curator, Marie Vandenbeusch, and the curator-in-chief of the Department of Egypt and the Sudan at the British Museum, Daniel Antoine. Family visits and guided tours are also on offer. You can consult the programme and the list of prices by clicking here.
If you are not a Caixabank customer, the ticket costs 6 euros and can be purchased in advance by clicking this link.