US Museum unwraps mystery of mummies

PHILADELPHIA - The Associated Press

The museum’s glass-enclosed workspace allows the public to share researchers’ sense of wonder and the thrill of discovery of human and animal mummies.

A museum in Philadelphia is unwrapping the mystery of mummy conservation.The newly installed Artifact Lab at the Penn Museum allows visitors to peek behind the scenes as staff members preserve relics from ancient Egypt.

Human and animal mummies, as well as an intricately inscribed coffin, are among the items undergoing treatment and repair.

Museum officials say the glass-enclosed workspace allows the public to share researchers’ sense of wonder and the thrill of discovery.

Flat-screen monitors display magnified images of what staff members are working on. Conservators will also set aside time twice a day to answer visitors’ questions.

The archaeology and anthropology museum’s 42,000-piece Egyptian collection is among the largest in the U.S.