Upcoming Workshops at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Accessed February 4, 2010 | Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum | The following are a few upcoming and recurring workshops at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum about mummification, jewelry, and hieroglyphs - each are linked to the events page on the Rosicrucion Facebook Page (click the above link to visit the museum's web site):

• Date: February 6, 2010
  Lecture: Ancient Egyptian Mummies (1st Saturday of the Month)
  Time: 12:30pm - 1:00pm
  


• Date: February 7, 2010
  Workshop: Hieroglyph Workshop (every Sunday at 11:30am and every Thursday at 4:00pm)
  Time: 11:30am - 12:00pm
  


• Date: February 7, 2010
  Lecture: Ancient Egyptian Jewelry (1st Sunday of the Month)
  Time: 12:30pm - 1:00pm
  

Scientists Pull an Ancient Tooth for DNA

Originally published October 19, 2009 | The Boston Globe | by Carolyn Y. Johnson

A tooth was removed from the head of a 4,000-year-old Egyptian mummy, as the first step in an effort to extract DNA from its pulp. I wonder if they got permission from Zahi Hawass to proceed with this procedure. Usually everything has to go through him first. Me, I'm not one for DNA testing...too much..only because there's only so much of a mummy left, particularly this one, having had several other bits of it extracted and scraped off. Is it really necessary for this testing to be done on this mummy? What sort of revolutionary information will they...ahem...extract from the future results? Certainly, the mystery of this mummy won't be nearly as eye-opening as that of Tutankhamun's mummy. Perhaps it will, but that's a big "maybe."

The section of this article describing the loose jaw is most interesting only because the observations are ones I've never heard before: the ancients may have actually performed the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony rather than executed it metaphorically. I highly doubt it, much like the academics (but they are, after all academics like me, possibly having no experience in the field). They have in their favor other instances where loosened jaws on mummies is commonplace, having to do with the mummification process and rigor mortis. Most of these mummies are the "screaming" kind and have neither suffered a violent death nor experienced an actual opening of their mouths during the ceremony dedicated to doing this metaphorically.

No matter which way you slice it, we shall see what we shall see. Hopefully the extraction of the tooth will not have been for naught.

The Mummy Returns to Ribble Valley

Originally published July 6, 2009 | Lancashire Telegraph | by Nafeesa Shan

More on the Stonyhurst College mummy.

A 2,500-YEAR-OLD Egyptian mummy has been returned to Stonyhurst College after more than 30 years.

The remains of the unidentified young boy, aged five or six, left the Clitheroe Catholic boarding school in the 1970s for testing at Man-chester University and the mummy was later placed in an exhibition.

Stonyhurst College has now installed special facilities to preserve the mummy and it has been allowed to return to its former home.

UN Nuclear Agency Helps Unlock Secrets Buried With Mummies

Originally published July 6, 2009 | All Africa

The United Nations nuclear agency is using its expertise to help archaeologists unearth millennia-old secrets, from the supposed murder of King Tutankhamun to the mysterious death of Great Pharaoh Ramesses II, from Egyptian mummies.

Egyptian Mummy Returns to Stonyhurst

Originally published July 1, 2009 | Independent Catholic News

Now that Stonyhurst College at Lancashire has better facilities to care for a mysterious boy mummy of noble background, he makes his way back from the Manchester Museum, which had investigated the deceased using forensic science and x-rays.

Workshop Highlight: Ancient Egyptian Mummies

Originally published June 6, 2009 | The Scribe Blog | by the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum launches a new workshop entitled The Ancient Egyptian Mummies Workshop that follows the science behind four Egyptian mummies. More information on this workshop is provided.