About the exhibition

16 September 2018 – 31 March 2019

A Global Phenomenon

Mummies are more than Ancient Egypt! The exhibition clearly demonstrates with spectacular objects that mummies and mummification are a global natural and cultural phenomenon. The timeframe spans the age of the dinosaurs through the Ice Age and ancient advanced civilizations up to the present day. Over fifty animal and human mummies from the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen and other prestigious European museums in conjunction with significant findings from high-tech research spellbind visitors. Come face to face with world famous bog bodies, see the mummy that was the first ever x-rayed in 1896, and learn astonishing things about a murder in Ancient Egypt.

The Exhibition’s Scope

The special exhibition “MUMMIES: Secrets of Life” presents mummies from all over the world and astounding research findings on 1,000 square meters. More than fifty human and animal mummies are on display. The finds come from various natural regions and cultures. One of the show’s special focuses is mummy research. Visitors are introduced to a variety of methods, e.g. radiocarbon dating, 3D scanning, traumatology, molecular genetics and forensic facial reconstruction, in eight laboratory installations and at a virtual reality station. Immerse yourself in millennia-old secrets and gain fascinating insights into the world of mummies.