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archaeologicalnews:

PHILADELPHIA –  The Penn Museum is unwrapping the mystery of mummy conservation, giving the public an unusual close-up of researchers’ efforts to preserve relics from ancient Egypt.

Human and animal mummies, as well as an intricately inscribed coffin, are among the items undergoing treatment and repair at the Philadelphia institution’s newly installed Artifact Lab.

Housed in a special gallery, the glass-enclosed workspace lets visitors share in “the thrill of discovery,” museum director Julian Siggers said.

“It demonstrates to you the work that’s actually being done behind the walls of these galleries,” Siggers said.

Visitors can watch staff members use microscopes, brushes and other tools of the trade to inspect, study and preserve items including the mummy of a 5-year-old girl, several human heads, a colorful but damaged sarcophagus, and a painting from a tomb wall. Read more.