10th World Congress on Mummy Studies | WMC 2022

The 10th World Congress on Mummy Studies gives the unique opportunity to meet two rare Egyptian mummies, that will be returned to the public within a scientific interdisciplinary project.

The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology invites to a museum tour with subsequent aperitivo.

Speaker: Salima Ikram
Title: Egypt’s Royal Mummies: From Discovery to Display(s)

It is rare to look upon the actual face of ruler, let alone one who has been dead for over three thousand years, yet this is possible when it comes to the kings of ancient Egypt. A cache of royal mummies was discovered in the 1870s and brought to the Egyptian Museum in 1881, and another one found in 1898. This lecture traces the history of the royal mummies from the time of their discovery until the present, including their roles as grand historic figures, objects of scientific inquiry, ambassadors for Egypt, political symbols, nationalist icons, and economic mainstays, as exemplified in the remarkable procession of 2021 that took them from the Egyptian Museum to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, where they now rest.

We will be picked up by a bus in Bolzano which will take us to Kurzras, the starting point of our excursion. We will hike (400 m altitude) to reach the Lazaun Alp where we will have lunch together while enjoying the beautiful alpine landscape. Alternatively, if you don’t feel like hiking or you’re not able to, please feel free to take the cable car to directly reach the Lazaun Alp and join us there. After lunch we return to the starting point by cable car, where the bus will be waiting to take us to the archeoParc, an archeological open-air museum near the location where Ötzi was found. We will explore the park during a guided tour and enjoy a coffee break together.
Please note that the costs for lunch and the cable car are not included in the participation fee and have to be covered by the participants themselves.

You are invited to join us on a hike accompanied by mountain guides to the site where the Iceman was discovered. Situated in the Ötztaler Alps, the elevation at the site is 3220 m. We will be picked up by a bus in Bolzano which will take us to the Lake Vernago, the starting point of the excursion. In the evening, we will be drove back to Bolzano.

Important Information: Participants must be in good physical shape and have no fear of heights. Adequate hiking equipment is required. The total distance of the hiking tour is 15 km and lasts about 8-9 hours with an ascent by foot of about 1600 m. Hikers participate at their own risk. Congress organizers and tour guides do not take responsibility for the safety or health of participants.