A history of Egyptian mummies, and an account of the worship and embalming of the sacredanimals by the Egyptians …

Mummy-Mania

A history of Egyptian mummies, and an account of the worship and embalming of the sacredanimals by the Egyptians …  [ edit ]

When Thomas Joseph Pettigrew published his monumental treatise on mummies in 1834, he produced the first scientific analysis of ancient Egyptian funerary practices in the English language. After completing his medical training in 1812, at age 21, he began his career as a surgeon. While under the employ of the Duke of Sussex, he developed his dual interests in medicine and antiquarianism. Influenced by his medical training, Pettigrew employed an empirically based examination of his sources, and did not view himself a historian—a branch of research primarily concerned with political or moral narratives during this time. During the spring and summer of 1833, Pettigrew conducted his research for this manuscript while leading three mummy “unwrapping” parties, where members of the British social elite would gather to observe the unwrapping of ancient Egyptian mummies. Although no longer under the employ of the Duke of Sussex, Pettigrew effectively parlayed his introduction to the social elite into patronage, riding on the wave of Egyptomania sweeping the British Isles. While the majority of these private parties were produced for entertainment value alone, Pettigrew utilized these events as another line of investigation complementing his education and access to extensive libraries. The material included within the manuscript testifies to his detailed and serious methodology, particularly in the chapters concerning the mummy as a drug, the embalming procedure and paraphernalia, and the comparison of classical authors with his research. Ten illustrated plates by the satirist George Cruikshank, the result of careful observation, complement the extensive text.

Date

1834

Dimensions

H. 30 cm, W. 24 cm

Artist or Author

Thomas Pettigrew

Provenance

England

Museum

Beinecke Rare Book Library

Accession Number

1978 +264

David, A. R., ed. Egyptian Mummies and Modern Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Pettigrew, T. J. "The Pettigrew Papers," edited by Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. New Haven, 1797-1865.