Volume 58 / Number 2

2016

Spotlight On: Mummies Beyond the Grave

On The Cover: Archaeologist Johan Reinhard examines a mummy found on the summit of Llullaillaco.

Vol. 58 / No. 2

Museum News – Spring 2016

New Acquisitions The American Section gratefully received 15 Pre-Columbian ceramic objects from the North Coast and Sierra of Peru, which […]

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Photo of the Coyles

Vol. 58 / No. 2

Member News: Meet Our Members: Ed and Pay Coyle GED05

New Galleries of the Ancient Middle East Previewed On June 2, members of the Expedition Circle and Loren Eiseley Society […]

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Photo of Orr

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Moritz Jansen

In the Labs – Spring 2016: Archaeometallurgy at the Penn Museum: Then and Now

Archaeometallurgy is the scientific investigation of the technology and provenance of ancient metals. The study of the production, processing, and […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Paul Mitchell

Tangled Afterlives: How an Egyptian Papyrus Became the Mormon Book of Abraham

After 2,000 years of repose, 11 mummified human corpses and a few scrolls of papyrus entombed at Thebes became entangled […]

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Illustration of Leidy

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Anna N. Dhody

The Curious Case of Mrs. Ellenbogen: Saponification and Deceit in 19th-Century Philadelphia

Old and probably ugly, with a nut-cracker profile. That is how Joseph McFarland, M.D., referred to the Soap Lady, one […]

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Photo of "The Thinker"

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Page Selinsky

The Marvels of Body Worlds: Modern Mummies and the Exhibition of Human Anatomy

The Body Worlds exhibitions of plastinated human bodies and anatomical specimens by German anatomist Gunther von Hagens are in many […]

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Photo of Ron and Friend

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Page Selinsky and Paul Mitchell

Journeys of the Mummy Scientist: An Exclusive Interview with Dr. Ronald G. Beckett

Doctor Ronald Beckett is a pioneer in using minimally invasive imaging techniques, particularly endoscopy (examining the inside of the body […]

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Photo of mummy

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Frank W. Clements and with captions and photography by Shayne Dahl

The Buddhas of Mount Yudono: Sacred Self-Mummification in Northern Japan

A skeletal figure draped in brightly colored robes is not what one usually pictures when asked to describe a Buddha, […]

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Photo of mummy

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Victor H. Mair

Ancient Mummies of the Tarim Basin: Discovering Early Inhabitants of Eastern Central Asia

The mummies of Eastern Central Asia (hereafter ECA) first entered my consciousness in the summer of 1988. I had heard […]

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Photo of part of the body found

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Sabine Eisenbeiss

Preserved in Peat: Decoding Bog Bodies from Lower Saxony, Germany

Bog bodies—human corpses naturally mummified in the cool, acidic, and low-oxygen environments of peat bogs—have been found in Lower Saxony, […]

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Otzi

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: M. Vidale, L. Bondioli, D.W. Frayer, M. Gallinaro and A. Vanzetti

Ötzi the Iceman: Examining New Evidence from the Famous Copper Age Mummy

The Iceman mummy, nicknamed Ötzi, was discovered in 1991 amidst sheets of melting ice on the Tisenjoch pass of the […]

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Photo of author with mummies

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Johan Reinhard

Frozen Mummies of the Andes: Human Sacrifices in the Sacred Landscape of the Inca

The Incas are renowned for massive carved stone structures, the construction of thousands of miles of roads, and the establishment […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Janet Monge

Mummies Beyond the Grave: An Introduction to Mummy Studies around the World

Over 20 years ago, I got hooked on mummies. It began when we first x-rayed the many South and North […]

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Julian standing by wheelchair ramp

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Julian Siggers

Accessible to All: From the Director

We want the Penn Museum to be accessible to all visitors. This is a priority of our mission—after all, the […]

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Photo of Jane, Page, and Janet with mummy

Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Jane Hickman and Page Selinsky

Mummies: Unraveling History’s Mysteries: From the Editor

To many school children and their families, the Penn Museum is known as the “Mummy Museum.” Although visitors are fascinated […]

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