Exhibition: Mummies of the world

srippsnews (Dinah Eng)

Many people think of mummies as scary creatures in horror movies, or funny costumed characters that come out at Halloween, but when you walk among real mummies, life and death take on a whole different meaning.

“Mummies of the World,” the largest traveling exhibition of mummies and related artifacts ever assembled, is now on view at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, sharing an intimate look at both naturally and intentionally preserved mummies from various cultures until November 28.

Twenty one museums provided mummies for the exhibit, curated by the Reiss-Englehorn Museums of Mannheim, Germany in association with American Exhibitions, Inc.

“People are fascinated by mummies because they’re such an anomaly,” says Diane Perlov, senior vice president for exhibits at the California Science Center. “Why did they survive, and other things decomposed? People can see themselves in these human mummies.”