This compelling historical and cultural look at mummies proves that fact can be just as fascinating as fiction.This companion volume to a much-anticipated exhibit traveling the U.S. starting in 2010 features seventy mummies from a variety of cultures and geographical sites, including Asia, Oceania, South America, and Europe as well as ancient Egypt. It reveals the wide variety of processes our ancestors used to preserve the bodies of the dead-not just in the desert sands but in ice, on grassy moors, and even basement rooms. Nearly thirty scientific essays bring together the latest findings in the fields of forensic research, archaeology, anthropology, and biology. With dignity and reverence, and with outstanding photographs and illustrations, this volume communicates the unspoken secrets that mummies can tell us. ILLUSTRATIONS 180 colour illustrations

Provides information on the latest mummy finds from different cultures, climates, and time periods.

An absorbing exploration of the mysterious, perfectly preserved Caucasian mummies of western China--an informative unveiling of an ancient and exotic world. 16 pp. of color photos. 50 drawings. Author lectures.

On 15-17 September, 1993, Innsbruck, Austria, search. Another remarkable case, that of the pre-Colum hosted the International Mummy Symposium. This bian miner from Restauradora Mine near Chuqincamata does not mean that beautiful North Tyrol was the setting in northern Chile, is the result of impregnation with for a gathering of the world's most prominent mummies copper salts, and the mummy became an attraction as themselves, but rather the exciting discovery of a Late "Copper Man" at various fairs around the country. As he Neolithic glacial mummy released from the ice of the was found with a complete set of miner's tools, the Otztal Alps provided the focus of attention for numerous mummy offers a unique insight into the life and working scholars from many different parts of the world to come conditions of an Indio miner of the first millennium AD. together to address various questions relating to mum Even so, the mummified remains comprise only the skel mified human remains. eton with a completely rigid covering of skin, whereas Normally researchers studying the remains of histori the other soft parts have not survived. calor prehistoric human bodies will at best have bony In contrast, mummification in ice, and especially in substance to work on. It is rarely the case that soft parts the permafrost, can produce much better results.

Describes the techniques and the reasons for the use of mummification in ancient Egypt.

Discusses mummies found around the world, including Peru, Denmark, and the Italian Alps, and explains how studying them provides clues to past ways of life.

An addition to a popular science series reveals how today's cutting-edge technology--such as x-rays, DNA testing, and forensics--is helping to teach scientists more than ever about mummies from across the world.