Book Blurb:

As the world recently commemorated the hundredth anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, our fascination with the pharaoh begs for a balanced view. Most Egyptian tombs are not royal; most were never carefully cleared and documented; most have not had their occupants treated with respect or returned to their sepulchers; and most recovered mummies have not escaped the modern trafficking in ancient bodies and body parts. The story of Ankh-Hap, a Ptolemaic-era mummy seized in the nineteenth century from the infamous mummy-pits of Egypt, provides a salutary example of what most mummies have endured.

Like a detective, Frank Holt makes use of a robust combination of scientific tools and archival research to tell the story of Ankh-Hap’s life, death, and his mummified remains, which ended up in the back of an American college classroom. A Mystery from the Mummy-Pits takes the reader into a forgotten world of mummy trafficking by an American entrepreneur named Henry Augustus Ward (1834–1906). In Rochester, N.Y., his company’s shelves were stocked with mummies, coffins, and even ancient body parts such as mummies’ heads ($10 each), legs ($4 each), and arms ($5 each). Customers could piece together their own “Frankenmummy” with authentic wrappings and amulets sold separately.

A Mystery from the Mummy-Pits contextualizes this fascinating information by surveying the history of similar mummies from antiquity to the twentieth century, moving from ancient tomb robbers and medieval apothecaries to modern dime museums, traveling shows, pulp fiction, films, and pop culture. The book offers readers a new glimpse inside a dark chapter of mummy history.

My Review:

What a great read! I enjoyed the look into the mummy market, and some of the practices from the ancient world. Who knew they were a bit con artisty too! From missing limbs, made up parts, and some rather unsavory practices — this book shines a light on some of the undetected practices that were occurring in the ancient world. However, it does not remain there. From an unknown mummy in the dark corners of academia, the author begins to tell a story — one that was lost for thousands of years.

For a while, there was a real market for mummies, including use as headache relief, digestion, and so much more. Who knows what valuable information was lost during the craze on the market. Mummies were a highly sought-after commodity, and many bought pieces, amulets, and more as rather macabre souvenirs. Thankfully, we have several mummies that were not desecrated, and have revealed valuable information on burial practices, causes of death, and more.

The author takes us on a journey, and the mummy of Ankh-Hap. It was a great look -with a lot of information and well-researched. I enjoyed this audiobook immensely. I loved taking a deeper dive into some of the areas in Egyptian history. While is not your run-of-the-mill look into Egypt, it is one area that has been begging to be explored, and the faces and lives of those who died thousands of years ago, can finally reveal their last secrets.

Highly recommend this read!

Publish Date: 19 March 2024

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐