IF you ask children from outside the region about what fascinates them most in the Middle East, mummies are usually high on their list of curiosities. Mummies have been in the news lately thanks to new discoveries by world-renowned archaeologist, Dr. Zahi Hawass (http://dr.hawass.com/) and US President Barack Obama's sightseeing while on a diplomatic visit to Egypt.
A new exhibition, “Fascinating Egyptian Mummies” will run through the next year at Quebec City’s Musee de la Civilization. Although tombs and mummies have long been subject to pillaging and curiosity, their situation today has changed. Mummies have become valuable vehicles for discovery and scientific analysis thanks to new noninvasive technologies such as tomography (CAT). The exhibition contains updated information on ancient Egypt, linking past and present. The mummies’ secrets provide insight into Egypt’s past, and shed light on a civilization that continues to captivate people worldwide.
Everyone is invited to visit the Museum’s website for access to a wonderful microsite dedicated to the exhibition: www.mcq.org/momies. The microsite offers an overview and three games that provide a glimpse into ancient Egypt. Complete the three games to leave your mark in the sarcophagi chamber and earn a fantastic personalized wallpaper!
Another amusing mummy resource is at http://kids.discovery.com/fansites/tutenstein/tutenstein.html. Tutenstein is an Emmy Award winning animated television series that features young mummy Tutankhensetamun - based on real-life Tutankhamun and usually called “Tutenstein” as in the title. Supposedly, he was awakened about 3,000 years after his accidental death and now has to face the fact that his kingdom is gone. The Discovery fan site offers a variety of games and activities including name writing in hieroglyphs and mummy making.
Guardian’s Egypt (www.guardians.net/) has a kids section filled with information and activities about Egypt and mummies. Children can take a mummy quiz, make a mummy mask and there’s a “Mummy Lesson Plan” with do-it-yourself mummy projects. Finally, don’t miss National Geographic’s “Xpedition” called “Unwrapping Mummies” at www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/17/mummies.html. The Xpedition tackles mummies from the perspective of a famous archaeologist. Kids are asked to study two very different mummies: one from an Egyptian tomb and another from the Andes Mountains in Peru. Children use the clues provided by each mummy to decipher who they were, how they died and what their cultures were like. The Xpedition is supplemented with multimedia resources, educational games and stories.