After a much needed day off to catch on assignments, and sleep, our last full day in London approached (the longest sad "aw" ever). Spent in the British Museum, we were quite literally overwhelmed with the vast nature of the building. The place is massive. For the majority of the time, I wandered around by myself, in an attempt to absorb what information I could. It was difficult, I'll admit, with the temperature reaching uncomfortable heights today and the rooms cramped with other tourists.
While my apparent frustration was increasing because of the crowds, there were some key pieces I wanted to make sure I saw. An artifact with a haunting effect that followed me home was a popular one within the museum, and rightfully so. The Gebelein man- dead for more than 5,500 years, buried in upper Egypt, where he was found in a shallow grave covered with stone slabs. This scene was partially constructed in the museum to show the reasoning behind the contorted shape of the body. The most dumbfounding part is that his body was naturally mummified by rapidly drying in the desert heat. This also preserved the majority of his hair, just faded from color over time. He died from a stab wound according to CT scans, and at a relatively young age. The stab wound on his left shoulder could be seen standing close enough and provided a small glimpse into a rare act of violence within that time. I've included a picture, and although you can't quite see from the angle, the man's mouth is still agape, likely from being unexpected attack and following pain. My inner love for true crime was projecting all over this exhibit, fascinated by all the possibilities surrounding his death that will probably never be uncovered.
Many of my peers found this to be profoundly disturbing to see a murdered man's body, still intact, being gazed upon by hundreds of tourists a day. While I thought it was fascinating to see, it led me to question the morality behind some of these museum displays. Are bodies taken from their tombs and pieces of ancient monuments (from other nations I might add), all in the name of preserving history? Or is it out of the humans' natural selfishness upon discovery? The desire to claim what we believe to be ours after an excavation. Are we, the viewers, just as inhumane for perpetuating this fascination with death? While I do agree that some artifacts do belong in a museum in order to maintain and protect them, is there a possibility that some may be better left alone? Or better yet, in their own countries?
Regardless, I left the museum feeling humbled and grateful for my ability to witness so much history, so much proof of deep cultures outside of my own relatively shallow realm.
