More re decision to cover Manchester mummies

The decision by Manchester Museum to cover the ancient Egyptian mummies that it has on display has now come to the attention of the UK's national media. Here are a few of the reports that have come out.

BBC News

On its website, the museum said the covering was to ensure that the human remains were "treated with respect".

Museum bosses launched the public debate about the way it shows human remains following the controversy stirred up by the arrival of the Body Worlds 4 exhibition at another city museum.

They have been consulting academics and other groups on the issues surrounding exhibits which include remains and whether they should be on display in museums.

Nick Merriman, director of Manchester Museum, said: "We're responding to a significant minority of our visitors who question the public value and educational value of unwrapped mummies.

"We're asking the public what is the most respectful and appropriate way to display them. It's good practice rather than political correctness."

He said negative comments from the public had focused on the display of the unwrapped child mummy.

Mr Merriman added: "Is it appropriate to display them this way, given that they were originally wrapped, but then unwrapped in the 19th century to satisfy scientific and public curiosity? It's all part of the debate.

But he admitted: "The majority of the comments have been that we shouldn't cover them up."

Times Online

The museum's curators say that the cover-up follows more than 100 complaints. They decided to have a period of consultation on how to display the collection. The debate on the ethics of showing human remains comes while the museum is displaying the uncovered body of Lindow Man, from the Iron Age, who died a violent death and was discovered in a Cheshire peat bog.

The cover-up has upset some Egyptologists. Bob Partridge, editor of Ancient Egypt magazine, said: “We are shocked and amazed this has been done in advance of any results from the public consultation. The mummies have always been sensitively displayed and have been educational and informative to generations of visitors.”

The Telegraph

Nick Merriman, the museum's director, said: "We get a regular stream of feedback from people saying it is insensitive to display unwrapped mummies. We are trying to follow government guidelines about how they should be displayed with respect and sensitivity. If the overwhelming opinion of the public is that they want the mummies unwrapped, we would have to take that very seriously."

He added that the body of Lindow Man, the north west's iconic archaeological find, is displayed in the way it was found in Lindow Moss bog, near Wilmslow.

He said: "The mummies were not deposited unwrapped in the ground."

The museum has asked for feedback on its website, which has sparked a fierce debate.

See the above pages for full details.