The Scientific Study of Mummies

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by Arthur C. Aufderheide

Cambridge University Press

Due/Published March 2003, 626 pages, cloth

ISBN 0521818265

Mummies are studied to answer questions about the health, social standing, and beliefs of past human populations, and to reveal the lessons that they present to modern populations. This authoritative reference work explores the reasons why people mummify bodies and the mechanisms by which they are preserved. Arthur Aufderheide details study methods and surveys the myriad examples that can be found worldwide. In addition, he evaluates the use and abuse of mummified bodies throughout the ages, and discusses how mummified remains can be conserved for the future.

Contents

Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. History of mummy studies; 2. Purpose(s) of anthropogenic mummification; 3. Mechanisms of mummification; 4. Geography of mummies; 5. Soft tissue taphonomy; 6. Methods of mummy studies; 7. Animal mummies; 8. Soft tissue paleopathology; 9. Museology of mummies; 10. Use and abuse of mummies.