We contemplate what lies ahead in life and death, just as the Ancient Egyptians (5300 BCE-642 CE). An exhibit at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, “To Live Forever,” brings us closer to this civilization, with some fascinating facts.
The Egyptian culture was cohesive in their belief in life after death. This is reflected in the story of Orisis, and to understand the placing of objects in the tombs one needs to understand Orisis, explained in detail throughout the exhibit. What makes this display most fascinating is both the very poor and the very wealthy are represented, from terra cotta to gold and gilded mummy masks, fashioned while the deceased was still living.
Actual pages from The Book of the Dead, with lifting lids to protect them, are on display. Visitors will have a rare chance to gaze upon pages rarely seen in this part of the country; they meet Ma’at, the God of Justice, one of the original inspirations for Lady Justice, who continues to grace modern day courthouses and places of legal business. Egyptian artists drew people to convey an idea, rather than how they actually looked, thus the ‘sideways’ poses.
Funeral rituals lasted for days, and the wealthy hired professional mourners. Mummification depended on the deceased person’s budget and could take longer than 70 days. Museum visitors will gaze upon actual instruments used in mummification and a remarkable procedure called, “Open of the mouth.” There are ‘Mummy Tags’ (a prerequisite to the modern day toe tag?), mummified pets where even delicate ears were carefully, lovingly wrapped, and several sarcophagi. One sarcophagus had his enemies painted on the bottom of his footcase so when he stood in the afterlife he would crush them. Having this footcase indicated power and wealth. One visitor remarked, after viewing the 59-year-old mummy, Demetrios, on display, “I didn’t know they re-used the (sarcophagi). I thought they put them in the gravesites and sealed them off. I am learning something new in every part of this exhibit!”
The exhibit features a beautiful little statuette, the oldest ever excavated in Egypt. There is a coffin, in amazing condition, the deceased paid almost one year’s salary for; he had to pay separately for each color. A mural of a worker’s grave shows a building no larger than a modern backyard shed, but still fashioned in a pyramid.
Visitors wander through glass cases, murals, and displays carefully explaining each piece. We learn, despite the years, rituals, and distance, we are not so different from these people. Death is fearful, but inevitable. We plan for it, hoping for the best. We contemplate and prepare for death. No matter our status in life, we do our best. The Frist Center for the Visual Arts’ exhibit, “To Live Forever,” shows us all this and more.
To see this exhibit – HURRY! Exhibit’s last day is JAN 8, 2012!
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Credit photo: Ms. Yates
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