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 Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum & Planetarium |
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Latest News: Full Story
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| Curator Lisa Schwappach and the co-hosts of the National Geographic's Mummy Road Show examine the mysterious mummy in Gallery A to try to determine his identity. (Photo credit: ©Larry Engel, Engel Brothers Media) |
On September 6 through 9, the museum was getting ready for the grand reopening of the Afterlife Gallery and the 75th Anniversary of Rosicrucian Park exhibit. Nevertheless, an additional explosion of scientific investigation, historical sleuthing and a great deal of fun took place, with the visit of National Geographic’s Mummy Road Show . Produced by Larry Engel and Engel Brothers Media, this talented crew of media professionals and scientists joined us for four days of filming, which will be used in Both an episode of The Mummy Roadshow, and a special production called Eternal Animals.
The Mummy Roadshow will focus primarily on the mystery surrounding the mummy that arrived in the coffin of the priest Usermontu. The two scholars from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut who host the Mummy Road Show are Ronald Beckett, PhD, professor of Cardiopulmonary Science and a registered respiratory therapist, an endoscopy expertand Gerald Conlogue, PhD, an expert in paleoimaging -- an “x-ray man,” also a professor in the Cardiopulmonary and Diagnostic Imaging Department. These scientists are the co-directors of the Bioanthropology Research Institute.
As if they were an ancient “CSI” crew, the Mummy Road Show professors and our curator spent the greater part of the four days putting our “main mummy” though exhaustive x-ray and endoscopy examinations, and used other testing as well to learn as much as possible about who this man was, what he did in life, and how old he is. The debate has raged for many years over whether he is from the New Kingdom (3000 years ago) or the Roman period (2000 years ago). Much new knowledge has been gained, and more tests are underway, including Carbon-14 dating, to assist in the determinations.
A second program on animal mummification, with interviews by Egyptologist and mummy expert Salima Ikram, PhD, will feature x-rays and studies of the museum’s animal mummy collection. As soon as the air-dates are announced for these two shows they will be posted on the Museum’s web site, as well as information on the availability of video tape sales for those who do not receive these cable channels.
Naturally, this taping of these historic scientific studies generated a great deal of media interest. Film crews from the local Fox TV affiliate KTVU visited and broadcast a segment of “Mornings on 2” with the Mummy Road Show forensic team. Local and national news crews from channel 5 - KPIX, CBS, NBC and MSNBC filmed segments, and among print media, the San José Mercury News ran a second-front-page story, People Magazine did an extensive photo shoot for an upcoming article, and the San José Metro covered the Gallery openings.
All in all it was an exhilarating, exciting and very rewarding weekend for everyone at the park. The exchange of knowledge and experience was priceless, and both the museum staff and the Mummy Road Show crew hope to do it all again for a follow up visit! Stay tuned to hear all of the amazing discoveries found here at Rosicrucian Park!
For information on the shows currently airing on cable, click here!
Admission to The Egyptian Afterlife (including the mummy in Usermontu's coffin) is included with admission to the museum.
See what benefits our members receive.
