What age would you find it appropriate to show a child an Egyptian Mummy in a museum

[wishuponastar25]

Bit of a strange question but just as the title says really!

I wouldn't not. Why would you avoid it?

Any age but before 5 they wouldn't really get it at all tbh.

I remember being fascinated by a mummified cat in a museum as an infant school child so prob age 6 or something

@Mumofsend

I wouldn't not. Why would you avoid it?

Don't you understand what previous posters have explained about how wrong it is to steal people's bodies from their graves and display them?

At any age but at around 6 my DD was not keen on them at all. We are going back to the British museum today and she is now 11 so we will see if she likes them more now!!

I took my nephew at 2; no interest obviously. I took my DS at 5 because he loved history particularly the romans. Whilst he enjoyed it it didnt stick as a fascination.

Any age, you could do some background education first, book, YouTube and then show them. My DC love museums especially the swords and weapons.

Any age

Literally any age!

What a wierd thread

My DD has SEN and was very upset by the experience at primary school. Tried to show her again age 11 as we were in a similar museum in a different city but she was still very scared and bordering on upset so we didn’t push it. It will depend on the child.

The mummy exhibits in a variety of museums I’ve been to tend to always have a lot of children in them. Humans are fascinated by death and in our culture we are hidden from it. We don’t see dead bodies, they are kept concealed, so I think that contributes to our interest. I’ve always taken my own children to museums and allowed them to see mummies. It often provokes interesting questions from them about death as well as history and culture and if they should be in a museum.

I disagree with the posters who consider it disrespectful. The mummies are not 'human beings' they are preserved remains of human beings. There is no longer any life to respect. Respect for human remains is a concept catering to the feelings of the living, the dead don't care. This is why it would be a different matter to display the remains of more recently deceased people, who may still have meaning for the living. The bones of pre historic people are human remains too, but few people would believe they shouldn't have been removed from their resting place to add to our knowledge. The theft of artefacts from their country of origin is a different matter.

God, the post about the Bodies exhibition has reminded me that DS was traumatised by the posters advertising the exhibition, and would have nightmares about them . He used to get on tubes with his eyes shut, and we would have to check for posters, and position him so he couldn't accidentally see one.
Re. Mummies, leaving aside the colonial grave robbing issues, it's entirely dependent on the child. Some would be scared (DS), others fascinated....

Any age

All my sons have seen a mummy, probably from newborn. We go frequently to museums and they love it.

@5128 I’m not sure how you differentiate from having issue with artefacts being removed from their country of origin but feel that preserved human remains being removed in the same way is ok.

By that reckoning you’re showing more respect for inanimate objects than the remains of a person, no matter how long ago they lived.

A few years ago now they had a Bodies exhibition in one of our local museums - not mummies but other excavated remains. Dd1 was bored, Dd2 fascinated and I actively disliked it. They would have been about 8 at the time and the museum had quite a few age appropriate notices up.

The other museum in town has a mummy but you get to press a button and it gets lit up so you can go round the exhibition and not see it if you don't want. Is that standard these days? I haven't seen any other mummies since I was a kid so not sure if that's the norm. This same museum did an exhibition about death rituals which included quite a few remains and was fascinating but over 12s (I think - certainly had an age limit).

DS went on a school trip in year 3 and was terrified. He was terrified the night before and terrified the night after and then the day after he woke up with a red veiny rash all over his arms and torso, bright red cheeks and was burning up. Had to take him to the doctors to get them to diagnose something other than "evil mummy curse" - slapped cheek in reality but he knew

8-ish? When they learn about it in school.

When I was younger (pre teen), I remember seeing a mummy at the British Museum that was said to be cursed, and that everyone who came into contact with it suffered misfortune / death.

I was terrified for months and months that I was going to die.

Disclaimer: I've always had a tendency to over dramatise

They won’t really understand the concept or think about it as badly as we do.

I used find them fascinating as a child but as an adult I’m opposed to all displays of human remains in museums. I have no personal belief in life after death, so as far as I’m concerned they’re just physical remains, but that’s not the point - they were people who deserve to be reburied according to their beliefs. This is a really great project for those interested - www.honour.org.uk/

From birth but teach respect alongside. Bodies in museums are to be learned from. They aren't supposed to be there, so should be treated with respect. In the Pit Rivers Museum in Oxford they have shrunken heads, which were fascinating to my 6 and 10 yo.

[quote LawnFever]@5128 I’m not sure how you differentiate from having issue with artefacts being removed from their country of origin but feel that preserved human remains being removed in the same way is ok.

By that reckoning you’re showing more respect for inanimate objects than the remains of a person, no matter how long ago they lived.[/quote]
Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant that I understand the ethical objection to the theft of any artefact, and was including the theft of mummies in that. I don't agree with the objections relating to respect for human life.

All ages really .Went to British Museum in the Autumn ,lots of DC there .They are really beautiful I think . I always remember being fascinated by them as a child .Likewise My DC as well

Any, took mine to the British museum from toddlers