Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine
Left: Coffin and mummy of Irethorrou. Right: Visualization of Irethorrou showing two amulets on his forehead by Sarah Hegmann of eHuman, Inc. using Osirix software

Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine

October 31, 2009 - October 31, 2010

Very Postmortem: Mummies and Medicine explores the modern scientific examination of mummies providing new insights into the conditions under which the Egyptians lived, bringing us closer to understanding who they were. The exhibition is a homecoming celebration marking the return of Irethorrou, the Fine Arts Museums’ mummy who has been on loan since 1944. CT-scans done by scientists at Stanford Medical School shed light on Irethorrou’s physical attributes and cause of death. The scans provide depth and scientific background to the exhibition and contribute to a three-dimensional “fly through” of the mummy and a forensic reconstruction of his head. The exhibition also includes a variety of ancient artifacts that date from approximately 664–525 B.C., the Late Period from the 26th Saite Dynasty.

Photos from Flickr

Follow the journey of the mummy of Irethorrou from Stockton's Haggin Museum to the de Young's conservation labs to Stanford University Medical School via our photos on Flickr.

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