Should DEAD BODIES be on display? Should human remains be in museums? Egyptian mummies and bog men

Should HUMAN REMAINS be in museums? What about other places where they are shown, such as in churches, people’s homes and funeral parlours? Should the rules be different for modern remains versus ancient, for skeletons versus bodies, for one culture versus another and if so, why and how do we determine where the cut-off points are? When are human remains ancient enough? Is it ok to look at Egyptian mummies and bog men, or should they be reburied and left alone?
In this week’s video from History Calling we’ll look at the tricky question of how we treat our dead and ask should dead bodies be on display under any circumstances? I’ll talk to you about how the remains of the rich and famous have been treated, from Tutankhamun to Henry VI of England, Richard III, Thomas Cromwell, the Russian leader Vladimir Lenin and even the so-called miracle in Missouri, in which a nun named Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster who died four years previously was dug up in 2023, found to be virtually undecayed and promptly put on display in her former church, with visitors allowed to touch her. We’ll also look at anonymous remains, including Irish bog bodies on display in a museum in Dublin and bodies volunteered by their owners for medical research and teaching. We’ll think too about how attitudes to the dead differ between cultures and time periods and the reasons for and against the practice of showing dead bodies to the world, including the ethical considerations.
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LEARN MORE
The ‘miracle of Missouri’ nun
benedictinesof...
Thousands flock to Missouri to view preserved body of exhumed nun who died four years ago
www.independen...
Mummified remains on display in Palermo Capuchin convent
www.atlasobscu...
Includes video of the Palermo Cupucian convent
en.wikipedia.o...
Lenin’s body improves with age
www.scientific...
The Body World’s exhibition
bodyworlds.com/
The Irish Giant: Charles Byrne's skeleton removed from display
www.bbc.co.uk/...
The King in the Carpark (2013). Documentary about the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton in 2012
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