This hall explores the colorful images painted on the coverings of the two, Ptolemaic Period mummies. The images illustrate a complex belief system the existed for more than 3,000 years. Enter Ancient Egypt through a magnificent 18-foot-high pylon -- an architectural element used by ancient Egyptians as gateways. Within the hall, the mummies reside in a state-of-the-art environment-controlled display case, which aids in prohibiting deterioration.
The two mummies have been a part of the museum's collection since it arrived in the city of Anniston in 1930. Intended for exhibit at the Sesquicentennial Exhibition, the mummies were purchased by a private collector in 1926. They eventually made their way, along with hundreds of North American mammals and birds, to the city of Anniston, where they were exhibited in a wing of the Carnegie Library.
Exhibit areas surrounding the mummies will examine animal symbolism in Egyptian burial and explore plants used in the mummification process. Mounted animal specimens include the infamous Egyptian cobra or asp and the golden jackal, which Egyptians observed lurking around cemeteries. Egyptians believed the jackals were protecting the deceased, and they deified them as Anubis, guardian of the dead.
The exhibit of plants allows visitors to see as well as smell the aromatic leaves used in mummification. On exhibit is the exotic blue lotus -- frequently portrayed in ancient Egyptian art and known for its narcotic qualities. Because this water lily closed at night and retreated underwater to rise and open again at dawn, it was a natural symbol of the sun and creation, rebirth and renewal.
A bronze bust created by a forensic scientist and X-rays of the mummies allow visitors to look beyond the exterior wrappings of the mummies. The history of the Museum's mummies is also explored.
