This publication of the animal mummies in the Turin collection is the final outcome of a project started in 2016, whose priority was designing the best possible protocol for the conservation treatment of these particularly delicate artifacts and living-creature remains; the results of these studies are available in this comprehensive monograph, including a complete catalogue of all the 173 animal mummies and 61 animal coffins in the Museo Egizio.
For each entry extensive data are provided, including Egyptological, zoological and conservational aspects. The catalogue, intended for a learned but not necessarily specialistic readership, is introduced by a selection of essays about the different approaches employed in the book for the study of animal mummification, ranging from the religious background to the different sewing and wrapping techniques that can be observed in the specimens.
With “Animal Mummies of the Museo Egizio”, the Museo Egizio debuts a new mode of object publication, relying on full integration of the printed medium with the museum’s online database. The reader will find additional material about all the mummies and coffins in the online database.