Mummies, preserved bodies, eternal bodies

Whether natural or artificial, the mummies are settling in the Toulouse Museum for an exceptional exhibition!

The year 2022 marks both the bicentenary of the deciphering of hieroglyphs by J.F. Champollion and the centenary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

However, this is not an Egyptology exhibition offered by the Museum of Toulouse. The theme of mummies chosen for its new temporary exhibition goes far beyond that. Whether artificial mummies, witnesses of ancient funeral rites, or natural mummies formed by the action of frost, salt, peat or even amber, this exhibition focuses on the conservation of body, whether human or animal. She also looks at contemporary conservation techniques and raises ethical and deontological questions related to the conservation of human remains. The choice of the Museum is therefore far from trivial. Programming an exhibition on mummies means questioning humanity about its relationship to time, the search for eternity and death.

This is the first time that such an exhibition has been presented in Toulouse. Through the diversity of the themes addressed, Mummies, preserved bodies, eternal bodies therefore opens up to many disciplines: archaeology, anthropology, embalming, forensic medicine, ethnology, biology, genetics, sociology…

It also gives the opportunity to highlight the heritage collections of the Toulouse Museum, including three admirable mummies specially restored and studied for the occasion. Exceptional loans from public or private collections complete an innovative, aesthetic and interactive scenography.

This exhibition is recognized as being of national interest by the Ministry of Culture, which provides it with exceptional financial support.

It is also one of the 20 exhibitions supported by Inrap under the label “Inrap is 20 years old!” » presented in France in 2022.

An exhibition that questions our desire for eternity

We asked three questions to Fabien Laty, in charge of the exhibition