Face-to-Face With Mummies

The largest collection of real mummies and related artifacts ever assembled is coming to Arizona Science Center. Premiering the evening of Feb. 9, with the Center’s Galaxy Gala, the exhibition will be open to the public Feb. 10 through Sept. 2.

“Mummies of the World: The Exhibition” features 40 real human and animal mummies and 85 rare artifacts from across the globe. This blockbuster exhibition, viewed by more than 1.8 million visitors across the world, is arriving in Phoenix straight from Budapest, Hungary. It provides a window into the lives of ancient people from every region of the world including Europe, South America and ancient Egypt, offering insights into past cultures and civilizations.

Egyptian Sarcophagus

The show will captivate guests with dramatic displays of the mummies and their personal stories, as well as multimedia stations that will take visitors on a 4,500-year journey to explore the mummies’ history, origins and how they were created.

“’Mummies of the World: The Exhibition’ has everything we look for in an exhibition of this scale – science, history, culture and intrigue,” says Chevy Humphrey, the Arizona Science Center Hazel A. Hare president and CEO. “I don’t know anyone who isn’t fascinated by mummies, and Phoenix will now have an opportunity to get face-to-face with these people from the past. I cannot wait to open the doors for visitors to experience the magic of mummies.”

Through modern science, “Mummies of the World: The Exhibition” demonstrates how mummification can take place through both natural and intentional practices. Included in the collection are the Vac Mummies, a mummified family from Hungary believed to have died from tuberculosis, preserved in a small church until the remains of 265 mummies were discovered by a bricklayer during repair work in 1994; Baron Von Holz, a German nobleman found tucked away in the family crypt of a 14th century castle wearing his best leather boots after perishing in the castle while seeking refuge from the Thirty Years’ War; Egyptian animal mummies including a cat, falcon, fish, dog and baby crocodile, many of which were deliberately preserved to accompany royals for eternity.

Also on display is MUMAB, the first authentic replication of the 2800 year old Egyptian mummification process, performed on a deceased Maryland man in 1994 using the same tools and methods as described on ancient Egyptian papyrus.

“Most people think mummies come from Egypt and are wrapped, but mummification has happened culturally throughout history as well as naturally, in various climates and circumstances across the globe,” says John Norman, IMG Exhibitions’ president. “This exhibition changes centuries-old perceptions about what the general public thinks about mummies, providing insight into lives and cultures of these ancient people. Inside every mummy is a story waiting to be told, and ‘Mummies of the World: The Exhibition’ is here to tell those stories.”

Arizona Science Center hosts this exclusive exhibition on the heels of the record-breaking attendance generated from “Pompeii: The Exhibition,” which drew more than 150,000 visitors before concluding its run at the Center in May 2018.

In addition to regular business hours, the Science Center will offer Mummies of the World: The Exhibition After Hours events giving guests evening opportunities to explore the exhibition.


Mummies of the World: The Exhibition 

Feb. 10 – Sept. 2 | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Arizona Science Center, 600 E. Washington St., Phoenix

For more information, visit azscience.org/mummies.

About Perrine Adams

Perrine Adams is the Managing Editor of The Red Book and Lifestyle Editor for Frontdoors Magazine.

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