EXHIBITION ARCHIVE / Gifts for the Gods: Animal Mummies Revealed

Gifts for the Gods: Animal Mummies Revealed

8 October 2015 – 17 April 2016

This myth-busting exhibition presented and explored ancient Egyptian animal mummies, prepared in their millions as votive offerings to the gods. Gifts for the Gods explained the background behind this religious practice in the context of life in ancient Egypt and the environment in which the animals lived.

The British were fascinated by a ‘romantic’ concept of ancient Egypt, highlighted in the exhibition by 19th Century paintings of how animal mummies were perceived by British Victorians.

The exhibition explored the British fascination with Egypt, the discovery of animal mummies by British excavators, and how the mummies ended up in the UK, as well as taking a look at the history and future of their scientific study in Manchester. The display combined mummified specimens such as jackals, crocodiles, cats and birds with cultural artefacts such as stone sculpture and bronze statuettes, alongside 19th Century works of art and never-seen-before archives.

Gifts for the Gods: Animal Mummies Revealed was supported by a Wellcome Trust People Award and a Research Project Grant from The Leverhulme Trust.