"Human Remains" isn't specific enough

[Woodenwonder]

Last weekend had an impromptu wander around the world museum in Liverpool. (Fantastic and free). Anyway in the Egypt section it states that the next exhibit features human remains or words to that effect. I'm thinking a sarcophagus with a mummy inside. And yes that was there, a couple of examples of wrapped up mummies, tastefully and respectfully displayed. Turn the corner and there are 3+ corpses. Not wrapped up and obviously somewhat dessicated.

I'm not squeamish but I find looking at a collection of led out bodies (albeit 1000s of years old) a bit disrespectful for want of a better word. It made me feel really weird.

Yes these souls are long gone but I was not prepared to see them laid out in that way. I don't think I was even expecting full bodies.

Aibu to think the sign could have been a touch more descriptive before entering the room?

The museum is a fantastic place but I just felt a little rattled.

They wouldn't be pleased, they were buried with many objects, inscriptions and rituals to assist them in their afterlife. Taking them out of their tombs is not what they would have wanted.

I wonder how I’d feel about my body being on display in a museum 2500-3000 years from now.
Oh God is my hair okay?
Is my stomach flat enough?
How do my nails look?
Do my earrings match my outfit?

Or would I laugh my ass off that somebody thought I was that important enough to put me on display in the first place.

What's the intent of the notice?

If it's there just to attempt to get people into a respectful state of mind and demeanour and to behave appropriately, then I think "the next exhibit features human remains" is sufficient.

But if it's intended to give an idea of the nature of what's there, let people know that the next room has certain exhibits that not every visitor may feel comfortable viewing, and give people an opportunity to make an informed decision on whether members of their party might find it distressing, then yeah, I agree that "human remains" is a bit too vague to fulfil that purpose adequately.

Not everybody can be assumed to have the existing knowledge or understanding to know precisely what to expect in that room. "Human remains" can be things like ashes in a jar, a single finger bone barely visible behind glass, an unrecognisable dried-out or preserved organ, a whole wrapped mummy complete with mask and accoutrements, ancient remnants of skeleton mixed up with grave goods, or sometimes a full desiccated corpse with face visible.

(I once came across the last of those completely unexpectedly, in a small Italian church. "Oh this looks like a nice church", "Ah isn't this bit beautiful", "It's so calm and cool walking through here", BAM surprise corpse display case. I should probably have read the town guidebook first, in retrospect.)

And many people who could cope with a murky finger bone, or a jar with a sign saying there are human parts inside, or a fully wrapped mummy, might struggle with seeing a dead human being, skin stretched taut over bones, and for a lot of reasons, may not have realised that they'd be seeing that. It could be the first dead person they've ever seen.

So really to me it depends what they were trying to do with the sign.

If it's to signal that respectful behaviour is expected in the next room, it's fine.

If it's intended to provide useful information to help people choose whether the display will be appropriate for their party, it's only useful if you have such a level of preexisting knowledge about what's there that you probably don't really need the sign.

I was on a H&S course a while back where one delegate was complaining about trigger warnings saying that they raised her anxiety levels! 😂

That's....that's what human remains are, OP. Remains of a human. You are being a little ridiculous.

Yep. OP is trying ever so hard to be witty. Soon there will be spat out tea and woken babies!

Since when did people become so fragile and delicate? We will all be human remains one day.

Our ancestors are probably shaking their heads at our need for trigger warnings. I wish that term would get in the bin! (Yes OP you didn't mention trigger warning, but you may as well have).

I have often thought this! How long does one have ro be buried before it is ok for an archeologist to come along and start the desecration process (yes, I realise not all are buried in 'consecrated' ground [as in Christian context]).
Can you imagine the bruhaha if someone dug up aunty Flo only 2 years after interrment? So why is it acceptable after a few hundred years?
However, you are being a tad unreasonable to be taken aback at the display. 😃

No I don’t think I have.

You went to an Egyptian exhibit. The sign said human remains. You saw the sign and misinterpreted it. You weren’t bothered about people ‘gawping’ at human remains as long as they were wrapped or in pieces or just their bones. You were quite fine viewing bodies or pieces of bodies that have been removed from their burial places and country as long as it for your view of what’s acceptable.

You were bothered when looked like human remains. As people have pointed out that you misinterpreted sign, but that’s on you. You have changed it to ‘I think it’s disrespectful’.

If you feel like that displaying dead bodies, removing them from where they were buried is disrespectful that’s fine. But you chose to participate. If you think it’s disrespectful, it’s disrespectful whether the bodies are wrapped or in pieces.

Really you just didn’t like being face with human remains that looked liked human remains. Again, that’s fine. But it’s not about having empathy.

This ^^
For heaven’s sake don’t visit the Huntarian museum in London, it’s full of human remains and parts!

Not a thicko unless I am too. (Oh no I’m not😬). I think I would have expected mummies and not unwrapped corpses. But having read the other posts I can see now that would’ve been wrong. If it was only mummies they’d have said that and not remain s.

I think the museum warning is fine but I had some sympathy with you feeling uncomfortable. I don’t know how you can possibly justify your position and then post this photo with no warning.

So would I. It's very clear.

They were human remains. How do you want to call them?
Some were mummified and wrapped, some may be mummified and due time lost the wrap, or simply disecated in a very aseptic and dry environment (desert) it is really difficult to preserve a body without treatment so I would think they were somehow mummified as well.

I get that the display impressed you but they are humans remains.

In the Vatican they display the bodies of dead popes.... people were taking selfies with them whilst nuns knelt and prayed..one of the most bizarre (and disrespectful) things I have seen (misses point of thread).

I agree , human remains aren't whole bodies in my mind. They are a bit of bone or a skull. So 'skeletal body' or something might be better.

Skeletal body? I really think that the museum's descriptor is clear enough.
If someone feels that they cannot look at such a thing, that gives a clear warning to avoid.

Love the Liverpool museum. We took the DC many times when they were younger.
I found the mummies etc fascinating. As was the Lindow man who was preserved in a peat bog, can't remember where I saw him though, maybe the British Museum.

I agree with you!

Avoiding the arguments, I think I was similarly surprised (and uncomfortable) the first time I saw an Egyptian mummy.

I love all things Egyptian, it fascinates me and in my fantasy world I grow up to be Bettany Hughes!

On my first trip to Egypt we went to a museum and there were 3 mummies on display: one still in its sarcophagus, one still wrapped and one unwrapped. The unwrapped one really affected me. It was the 'look' on his face I think. I was fine with everything else, lots of bones etc, but a mummified face just made me realise exactly what I was gawping at, and I suddenly felt horribly disrespectful. I still feel similar now, and try to avoid the mummies, instead I look at the treasures and awe at the construction.

Can you imagine the bruhaha if someone dug up aunty Flo only 2 years after interrment? So why is it acceptable after a few hundred years?

@Notacrescentcroissant Isn't it kind of obvious that Aunty Flo will have grieving relatives still after two years, but after a few hundred years all those who knew her and loved her dearly will also be long dead?

I don't know, if I saw a warning sign that stated "Human remains in the next room" I'd expect it to be on a more "intact" level than just outlines or wrapped but concealed in sarcophagi. Otherwise there wouldn't be a warning if it was just hair or a few bones..?

I get it OP.

I don't think you're being reasonable in that I think the sign was warning enough.

But I understand that you weren't expecting it. The first time I'd been to the British Museum in years we went for the Egyptian stuff for DC and they have someone there on display who isn't wrapped up.

I wasn't expecting it before we went, and I felt it disrespectful to that person that that's how they're spending some of their years.

I guess it's no different to those who are in there in a sarcophagus etc but it just seems a lot more vulnerable.

I think it’s one of the idiosyncrasies of the language. If you talk about the remains of your dinner, it’s the bits you haven’t eaten, or the remains of a crayon it’s the bit that’s not been used, but human remains are literally the body after the life force has left, so can be a full body. It’s not what remains after decomposition or animals or whatever, although it can mean that too…

I might be wrong but I think 500 years is the generally accepted age. I know there has been controversy around the inca's and what was OK with excavations there.

I would be quite happy with my remains being on display to educate and inform future generations. Better than being buried and forgotten.

I don’t think you’re alone in your feelings though. There’s an intact mummy in a local museum and my daughter felt it was disrespectful.

I would personally understand what was coming from ‘human remains’.

I was just wading through the thread to see if anyone mentioned this. It’s really horrible (and I am not squeamish at all)