Studying Mummies and Human Remains: Some Current Developments and Issues

This article discusses mummification processes, both natural and intentional, and presents a brief history of ancient Egyptian mummification procedures. The article then provides an overview of existing technologies for analyzing mummies, and the varied uses and applications of examining mummies. It also presents some background and issues related to mummy storage and display in museum environments. Given the ancient procedures used, the limitations of modern analysis techniques, and the existing problems trying to store and display mummies today, the article concludes by summarizing both the current challenges and benefits of the present-day study of mummies, and offering some cautions.