Glasgow museums remove Egyptian mummies from display

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 16:03 · Archive

Glasgow museums have removed Egyptian mummies from display citing ethical concerns and lack of consent from the deceased.

Two Glasgow museums have removed Egyptian mummies from public display over ethical concerns. Kelvingrove Gallery removed the mummified remains of the priest Nekht, while The Hunterian Museum covered Lady Shep-En-Hor's body with specially designed textile. The institutions said the decisions followed a reassessment of their duty of care towards the deceased.

The moves followed the International Council of Museums revising its code of ethics in June, recommending that museums uphold the "inherent dignity" of human remains and promote respect for their significance. Glasgow Life said it removed Nekht's remains "in the absence of consent from the deceased individual or their ancestors". Nekht is thought to have lived between 1985 and 1797 BC and was excavated at Beni Hasan in Middle Egypt during digs in the early 20th century. The remains were donated to Glasgow in 1923.

Both museums said they would consider repatriating the remains should they receive an approach from a country or institution. However, there is no uniform approach across Scotland's museum sector, with different institutions given leeway on how to implement the new ethics code. National Museums Scotland said it was not considering any changes to the display of human remains in its collection, which includes Scottish archaeological remains as well as mummified people from Egypt and Peru.

How it is being reported

• Mummies removed from two Glasgow museums over consent concernsA number of Egyptian mummies have been removed from two Glasgow museums amid concerns over "informed consent" from the deceasedThe Herald · 23 Oct, 18:17
• Glasgow museums remove mummified remains from public viewKelvingrove Museum and The Hunterian say they have removed human remains from display because of ethical concerns.BBC Glasgow And West · 23 Oct, 15:36
• Egyptian mummies removed from Glasgow museum over consent concernsA number of Egyptian mummies have been removed from a Glasgow museum amid concerns over "informed consent" from the deceasedGlasgow Times · 22 Oct, 11:17

In this story: Kelvingrove Gallery · The Hunterian Museum · Glasgow Life · International Council of Museums · Nekht · Lady Shep-En-Hor · Glasgow

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