Evening star., 1898-06-04
MUMMIEs OF BRITISH MUSEUM.
The Large and Interesting Collection
IL. the Egyptian Rooms.

From the London Tines.
The visitor to the exhibition galleries on
the upper floor of the British Museum dur
ing the last few weeks cannot have failed
to notice that comprehensive arrangement
of the mummies and collins in the first and
second Egyptian rooms was in progress. for
confusion and disorder were visible every
where In these parts OF the northern gall
lery, which seemed to have been abandoned
to a little army of workmen of all kinds
The old cases which lined the walls were
being repainted and polished, new cases to
stand on each side Of the gangway were be-
ing constructed. and the floor was literally
strewn with the mummified bodies of Egyp-
nan priests and officials Of every kind and
with the collins In which they were buried.
But the disorder has become order by de-
srees, and little by little the dead occu-
pants of the wall and standard cases have
oeen restored to their allotted places. and
we are now able TO get an idea OF the ex-
tent anu importance of the fine collection
Of mummies and collins which now MI the
greater part of two large rooms.
The first fact which strikes the observer
who has known the Egyptian collection of
the British NJ fseum for about twenty years
IS that the sepulchre section of II has just
about trebled Itself since 1873, in which
year ii was possible to put the whole Of IL.
without much crowding. in the room which
is now called the first vase room About
1850 the late DIR. Birch was able to expand
it somewhat, and the mummies and collins
were removed to the room now known as
the third Egyptian room; little later some
very important acquisitions of sepulchral
objects We're m ade by the trustees. and as
a result a portion of the room now called
the second Egyptian was occupied by cof-
fins and funeral furniture. After the re-
moval Of the Natural history collections to
South kensington, DIR. Birch had more
space allotted to him, and the large. hand
M h. /,
tian room WAS almost filled by the old and
more recently acquired collections. Some
years later. under the rule of Sir Edward
Maunde Thompson, X. c. b.. 1t was de-
Cided to rearrarge the whole of the Egyp-
uan collection, and two rooms We're set
apart for the exhibition Of the growing
section OF II. which included mummies and
collins. 1t soon became evident that more
space was urgently needed ii the best OBJ
Iects were to be flttingly exhibited for the
inspection of the public. which is always
keerly interested in mummified human re-
mains, and the trustees. therefore. have,
within the last few years cut skylights
in the rooms and bricked up the windows
in them on the north wall of the museum.
This having been done. new. handsome
mahogany and plate-glass cases were built
along the whole SPACE gained on the north
wall. and the accommodation available for
The sepulchral section was thereby more
.han doubled. The advantage of a top light
for the examination of n ummies and other
objects which are exhibited I'm horizontal
position is evident, and now that in the
new cases the tops are made of glass in
stead of wood, the visitor gains the fun
advantage of the skyliehts. With a few
exceptions, the old pylon-shaped cases
which stood each side of the gangway
nave been superseded by light but strong
rectangular cases, and, owing to the large
size of the squares of glass used and the
light iron standards which support the eX-
hihited specimens. the visitor can examine
hem with ease on every SIDE. We may
notice, too. that the collins. which were
formerly placed at the back of the wall
cases, have been brought forward close to
The glass, and the painted scenes and in
scripuons. with which most of them are
profusely decorated. may be easily and
thoroughly examined. The general view of
both rooms is distinctly fine, and 1t is to
be wished that other collections of num-
mics and collins both in Europe and in
Egypt, Were as well housed.
An examination of the contents of the
cases of the first and second Egyptian
rooms as now exhibited shows that the
British Museum possesses about forty-four
and about eighty collins not in
Guiding covers of collins and various frag-
mentS Taken together, these represent a
period of about 1000 years. The oldest
human remains in the museum
are those of Mycerinus tCase Al, the builder
of the pyramid of GiZeh. about b. G at40
and the most modern those of lady whose
name Is unknown, who, together with her
three children. was mummified about A D.
100 Cease EE). The cover of the coffin of
Mycerinus, which is exhibited below the
fragments of his mummy, is inscribed with
a text that in his time already some
thousands of years old, and it is note
worthy that at this remote period the king
Is inscribed as living forever" by the words
on ii. No further proof that the Egyptians
in the earliest times, believed in the resur-
rection and in a future life is needed.