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The Pesed Reports: Pesed to Return to Westminster Without Husband

Posted on Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Since early June I have been lodging at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass., as part of a larger exhibit that included two other Egyptian mummies (both from my hometown of Akhmim) and more than 150 other Egyptian artifacts from the Westminster College artifact collection.

The experience was exhilarating, but also disappointing. The exhilaration was that I had some 18,000 inquisitive people admiring me. The disappointing part was that my hope for connection with the older male Egyptian mummy also on display failed to materialize. I had hoped to bring a new marriage to my afterlife but he was a little short on vision and brains, failing to note my beauty and desirability as a wife. There is an obvious reason for this: his brains were removed during mummification and he may have glass eyes.

With the closing of the exhibit I will be returning to Westminster College while the other artifacts will be going to the Washington State Museum in Tacoma. At first I was perplexed as to why I was being left behind, but now I understand. The Tacoma area has a substantial Native American population. Out of deference to their concerns about dealing with human remains I will return to my New Wilmington home for the time being. I will be available for public observation at a new site-the main floor of the Hoyt Science Center, near the rear exit to the former Mack Science Library. Toward the end of the summer of 2011 I will probably visit another exhibit venue accompanied by the other artifacts.

Westminster's Cultural Artifacts Committee, Beta Beta Beta biology honor society, and the Department of Biology are planning a gala homecoming event in honor of my return. It will be held Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Phillips Lecture Hall. Featured will be a presentation on human and animal mummies around the world (I did not know that there were mummies in other areas of the world) and ancient Egyptian burial practices, followed by refreshments. The event is free and open to the public.

Hope to see you there!
Pesed

Contact Dr. Samuel Farmerie, Westminster College curator of cultural artifacts, at (724) 946-7053, e-mail farmersa@westminster.edu, or visit www.westminster.edu/mummy for additional information.