The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-19
MuMMies OF BRITISH MUSEUM.
The Large and Interesting Collection In
the Egyptian Rooms.

the Egyptian Rooms.
The visitor to the exhibition galleries
on the upper floor of the British mus
cum during the last few weeks cannot
have failed to notice that a comprehen-
sive OF the mummies and
collins in the first and second Egyptian
rooms was in progress, for confusion
and disorder were visible everywhere
in these parts of the northern gallery
which seemed to have been abandoned
to a little army of workmen of all
kinds. The old cases which lined the
walls were being reprinted and polish
ed, new cases to stand on each size o1
the were being constructed l,
and the floor was literally strewn with
the mummiied bodies OF Egyptian
priests and officials OF every kind and
with the collins in which they were
buried. But the disorder has become
order by degrees, and little by little
the dead occupants OF the wall
standard cases have been restored to
their allotted places. and we are now
able TO get an idea of the extent and
Importance of the fine collection of
mummies and collins which now NIL
the greater part of the W. rooms.
The first fact which strikes the OBJ
tl II nus klo"h NV ~
collection of the British museum for
about 20 years is that the sepulchre
section of IL has Just about trebled it
self since 1873, in which year Ii was
possible to put the whole of II, without
much crowding, in the room which is
now called the first vase room. About
1880 the late DIR. Birch was able to ex-
pand il somewhat. and the mummies
and collins were removed TO the room
nnVN knntNn a. the third ERVntl4n
room; a little later some very import
ant acquisitions of sepulchral objects
were made by the trustees. n as a
| result a portion of the room now called
the second Egyptian was occupied by
collins and funeral furniture. After
the removal of the natural history col
l~ections to South Kensington, DR.. Birch
had more space allotted to him, and
the large, handsome room now known
as the fourth Egyptian room was al
most filled by the old and more re-
Gently acquired collection. Some years
later, under the rule of Sir Edward
Maude Thompson, X. G. b., il was de-
cided to rearrange the whole of the
Egyptian collection, and two rooms
were set apart for the exhibition of the
growing section OF il, which included
mummies and collins. 1t soon became
evident that more space was urgently
needed IL the best objects were to be
fttingly exhibited for the inspection Of
the public, which is always keenly in
Ierested In mummiied human remains,
aand the trustees. therefore. have,
within the last few years, cut sky
lights in the rooms and bricked up the
windows in them on the north wall Of
the museum.
This having been done, new, hand
some mahogany and plate-glass cases
were built along the whole space
gained on the north wall, and the ac-
c~ommodation available for the sepul-
chral section was thereby more han
doubled. The advantage of a top light
for the examination of the mummIes
and other objects which are exhibited
in "A horizontal position is evident, and
now that in the new cases the tops are
made of glass instead of wood. the
visitor gains the full advantage of the
skylights. With a few exceptions. the
old pylon-shaped cases which stood
IN each side of the gangway have been
superseded by light but strong rectan-
gular cases. and. owing to the large
size OF the squares OF glass used and
the light iron standards which supper,
the exhibited specimens. the visito,
can examine them with ease on every
side. We may notice, too, that the
collins, which were formerly placed al
the back of the wall cases, nave beer
brought forward close to the glass. and
the painted scenes and Inscriptions
with which most of them are profusely
decorated. may be easily and thor.
oughly examined. The general view oi
both rooms Is distinctly fine, and it i.
to be wished that other collections oil
mummies and collins. both in Europ,
and in Egypt, were as well housed.
An examinat ton of the contents ~
the cases of the first and second Egyp
tian rooms as now exhibited show,
that the British museum POSSESSED
about "A mummies and about so conins
not including covers of collins and va
rious fragments. Taken together
these represent a period of about 400
years. The oldest mummifed human
remains in the museum are those >
Mycerinus lease Al, the builder of tn,
pyramid of Gizeh, about Il. G.. 364O
n the most modern those of a lad,
whose name is unknown, who, togethe
with her three children. was mummi
fed about A. ID. 400 cease ED. TIL
cover of the coffin of Mycerinus. whic
is exhibited below the fragments of hi
mummy, is inscribed with a text tina
in his time was already some thous
ands of years bid. and IL is noteworth
that at this remote period the king
inscribed as living forever by tn
words on IL. No further proof that TN
Egyptians. in the earliest times. be
lieved in the resurrection and in a fu