The Animal mummies
Description
Although vital to ancient Egyptian religion, the preservation of dead animals evidently held varying shades of meaning. This program studies ways in which the Egyptians mummified a wide range of creatures, highlighting two purposes for the practice-one spiritually reverent, one blatantly commercial. Exploring the web of tunnels beneath the Saqqara pyramids, the program distinguishes between mystical burials, such as the immense sarcophagi of the sacred Apis bulls, and the millions of smaller mummies warehoused in the complex centuries later. The possibility of a "mummification craze," akin to the buying and selling of indulgences, helps depict Egypt's Ptolemaic decline.
Runtime
25 min
Series
Subjects
Genre
Date of Publication
[2006], c2004
Database
Films on Demand
Direct Link
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