All the exhibits in this exhibition come from the British Museum's collection. The exhibition is divided into five areas, featuring over 100 ancient Egyptian artifacts, including amulets, canopic jars, bronze statues, as well as four human mummies and two animal mummies.
Among them, the mummy of the priest Nespeharnu is the highlight of the exhibition. The mummy of Nespeharnu is placed in a vividly colored anthropoid wooden coffin. On the coffin, the scarab beetle with an eagle head represents the sun god, along with other figures from ancient Egyptian mythology, protecting the deceased for rebirth. The hieroglyphic inscription at the bottom of the coffin displays the name of the mummy, "Nespeharnu," and his identity as a priest.
John Taylor, an expert on mummies from the British Museum's Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, explained that the British Museum obtained approximately 2000 cross-sectional images of the mummy from head to toe using a CT scanner without unwrapping the mummy. Researchers then input this data into a computer to restore and recreate the mummy's original form.
Visitors can watch a 3D film before entering the museum, which unravels the past and present of the mummy Nespeharnu, revealing many astonishing details: he had a dental abscess in one of his tooth sockets; there is a mysterious small hole above his left eye, caused by an object penetrating the brain from inside the skull; and he had a ceramic bowl placed on his head, which was previously speculated to be a placenta, but researchers believe it was accidentally stuck to Nespeharnu's head by the embalming staff.
Additionally, the film humorously recreates the process of mummification in ancient Egypt. The museum has also set up a workshop area to explain the techniques and duration of mummification.
This exhibition is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia and will run until November 4, with plans to tour the United States, Europe, Japan, India, and Australia.
Mummy expert Taylor stated that Nespeharnu will become an ancient Egyptian who "travels the world." The 3D film narrating his past and present will be shown globally, opening a window to explore ancient Egyptian history, and he hopes to inspire audiences of all ages.
