Mummies in Bologna

Visiting the Archaeological Museum here today, we decided to start with the Egyptian section, but got no further through the Museum than that, as it was excellent (good job with our tickets we can come and go as many times as we like).

The exhibits were in such good condition, and the colours were so bright, that we wondered if they had been touched up, but they hadn’t.

Most of the exhibits come from the collection of Pelagio Palagi, successful artist, architect and interior designer, who left them to the municipality on his death in 1861.

We were fascinated by relief panels from tombs, in particular two from the tomb of an individual named Horemheb from the fourteenth century BC. The images were so clear I wished I could take a wax rubbing, but as Mark said, that would probably get me arrested.

The wheeled vehicle in the next panel intrigued us, thinking that wheels hadn’t been invented then, but I now know that Egyptians were first using wheels on carts from the sixteenth century BC, two hundred years before this panel.

Lastly, we saw some cat mummies. This reminded me of the time I had a year 3 class and we were learning about Ancient Egypt. The video that we were watching had a talking cat mummy. This was before computer technology, so to make the cat’s mouth move, they put film of an actor’s mouth, blacked up, on top of the cat mummy’s body. The effect was scary (one little girl would only watch it with the TA at her side) as the lips, and teeth, were very uncat-like.

We are now determined to visit the British Museum when back in the UK. However good it is though, I am certain it won’t be as uncrowded as this one.

Before I go, something to make you chuckle.

I can only assume he was anxious to pick up all the fag ends from the night before so he could make the area in front of his restaurant as pristine as possible, but really? I don’t think the vacuum cleaner will last long.