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I'm a PhD student researching the role of the archaeological dead in contemporary British society. Think of this as a scrapbook of all the interesting links, snippets of information and random bits and bobs I come across pertaining to death, dying and the dead. Enjoy?!

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    Bones and jars of the dead unearthed in 3,000-year-old Egyptian tombs Archaeologists say they have discovered a string of 3,000-year-old rock tombs in the Egyptian city of Luxor, containing the remains of wooden coffins, skeletons, furniture and canopic jars. The tombs were dug within the funerary temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep II, who reigned from 1427 to 1401 B.C. during Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. However, the new-found tombs appear to be part of a more recent cemetery. In Thursday’s announcement of the discovery, Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said they date back to the beginning of a transitional period that lasted from 1075 to 664 B.C. Read more here.

    Bones and jars of the dead unearthed in 3,000-year-old Egyptian tombs

    Archaeologists say they have discovered a string of 3,000-year-old rock tombs in the Egyptian city of Luxor, containing the remains of wooden coffins, skeletons, furniture and canopic jars.

    The tombs were dug within the funerary temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep II, who reigned from 1427 to 1401 B.C. during Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. However, the new-found tombs appear to be part of a more recent cemetery. In Thursday’s announcement of the discovery, Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said they date back to the beginning of a transitional period that lasted from 1075 to 664 B.C.

    Read more here.

    Faces of Egyptian mummies on show in Manchester The faces of ancient Egyptians have gone on show in Manchester. The portraits painted on to panels that covered the heads of mummies form part of an exhibition at the city’s John Rylands Library. The panels, which have rarely been shown in public, were bequeathed to Manchester Museum by cotton magnate Jesse Haworth in 1921. The museum’s Egyptology curator Campbell Price said they depicted people who looked “strikingly modern”. The paintings, known as Fayum portraits after the region near Cairo where they were found, were discovered on archaeological digs in 1888 and 1911 by William Flinders Petrie. They date back to about AD 150, when Egypt was part of the Roman Empire. I can remember going to see these when I was a student in Manchester and they are absolutely beautiful. Definitely worth a look! 

    Faces of Egyptian mummies on show in Manchester

    The faces of ancient Egyptians have gone on show in Manchester.

    The portraits painted on to panels that covered the heads of mummies form part of an exhibition at the city’s John Rylands Library.

    The panels, which have rarely been shown in public, were bequeathed to Manchester Museum by cotton magnate Jesse Haworth in 1921.

    The museum’s Egyptology curator Campbell Price said they depicted people who looked “strikingly modern”.

    The paintings, known as Fayum portraits after the region near Cairo where they were found, were discovered on archaeological digs in 1888 and 1911 by William Flinders Petrie.

    They date back to about AD 150, when Egypt was part of the Roman Empire.

    I can remember going to see these when I was a student in Manchester and they are absolutely beautiful. Definitely worth a look! 

    The mummy unmasked: Medical scans give amazing images of ancient Egyptians The patient’s age is 3,000 and as for their medical history, that is literally shrouded in mystery. This is an Egyptian mummy having a CT scan to unlock the secrets of its civilisation. Expert Dr Abeer Helmi says the latest X-ray techniques can provide clear three-dimensional pictures of the historical treasures inside the casks – without risking damage by opening them up. Brilliant! 

    The mummy unmasked: Medical scans give amazing images of ancient Egyptians

    The patient’s age is 3,000 and as for their medical history, that is literally shrouded in mystery.

    This is an Egyptian mummy having a CT scan to unlock the secrets of its civilisation.

    Expert Dr Abeer Helmi says the latest X-ray techniques can provide clear three-dimensional pictures of the historical treasures inside the casks – without risking damage by opening them up.

    Brilliant! 

    How To Make A Mummy Want to know how to mummify a body but don’t know where to start? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Following on from our video featuring Dr Zahi Hawass, in which he gives Heritage Key a fascinating  insight into how mummies are made (see the video embedded below), and an enlightening interview with Bob ‘Mr Mummy’ Briers on mummification, we’ve condensed millenia of wisdom into 7 not-so-easy and certainly not pleasant steps…

    How To Make A Mummy

    Want to know how to mummify a body but don’t know where to start? Well, you’ve come to the right place.

    Following on from our video featuring Dr Zahi Hawass, in which he gives Heritage Key a fascinating  insight into how mummies are made (see the video embedded below), and an enlightening interview with Bob ‘Mr Mummy’ Briers on mummification, we’ve condensed millenia of wisdom into 7 not-so-easy and certainly not pleasant steps…

    Body of terminally ill man is mummified for Channel 4 documentary

    A man who died from a terminal illness has been mummified like an Egyptian pharaoh for a Channel 4 show.  

    The broadcaster looks set to find itself at the centre of another taste row after agreeing to air the macabre documentary, Mummifying Alan.

    Sources say the dead man, from the West Country, had a keen interest in preservation techniques used at the time of Tutankhamun.

    He is not expected to be identified until next week when his family will explain why he agreed to be part of the show.

    The programme will make television history when it airs on Monday, October 24, as a scientific embalming experiment is unprecedented.

    A team of pioneering scientists were brought together to perform the little-known technique used by the ancient embalmers at one of the UK’s leading pathology laboratories.

    It is understood the man’s body remained in excellent condition when it was examined months after the experiment.

    The Daily Fail (sorry, Mail!) is, of course, up in arms about this documentary. I, however, am fascinated and look forward to seeing it. What do you think? Has TV gone too far this time?

    Click the link to read the rest of the article.