Special exhibition to offer rare glimpse at ancient Egyptian mummies

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- From a pair of cat mummies to a limestone statue of an elite family, a special exhibition co-hosted by Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's key newswire service, is set to offer a rare glimpse into the wonders of ancient Egyptian civilization.

The exhibition, titled "Unraveling the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt," will bring together some 150 artifacts from the Brooklyn Museum's ancient Egyptian art collection, including mummies, sculptures and jewelry.

The event, co-hosted by Yonhap, the Brooklyn Museum, local newspaper Donga Ilbo and broadcaster Channel A, will be the first exhibition in four years to display Egyptian mummies in South Korea.

The total insured value of the artifacts to be on display is said to reach nearly US$120 million.

The exhibition will begin with artifacts that show the everyday lives of the Egyptian people from thousands of years ago.

They include a tomb painting of woman kneeling on a green mat, a piece of an artifact that shows the sophisticated fashion style of the Egyptian elite from 3,000 years ago, as well as a statue of Nykara, Scribe of the Granary, his wife and son.

Considering that death was not seen as an end but a transition to eternal life in ancient Egypt, the various funeral-related artifacts and mummies are a major highlight of the exhibition.

The artifacts, such as the mummy and cartonnage of an ancient Egyptian priest named Hor, dating from around 760 to 558 B.C., show the faith the ancient Egyptian people had about life after death and the way they made mummies for this belief.

The facade of the cartonnage is densely covered with images of religious symbols and various gods in hope they will protect the deceased from danger and help their rebirth.

Mummified cats associated with the Egyptian goddess Bastet of love, fertility and home are also pieces not to miss. The internal structures of the cat mummies have been confirmed through computed tomography (CT) scanners.

To help visitors navigate the world of ancient Egypt, the exhibition features visual and audio tools that show hieroglyphics and reenact sounds of the ancient Egyptian language. An animated film on the process of making a mummy is also available.

"The exhibition will be an opportunity to see in person, mummies, pharaohs and hieroglyphics usually seen in picture books and textbooks, which have traveled 4,000 years across time," ENA Partners, which is organizing the event, said.

The exhibition runs at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul from Dec. 11 to April 11. Early bird tickets that offer a discount from the original price of 22,000 won (US$16) for adults are available on platforms such as Ticket Link, Interpark and Naver.

mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)