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Friday, September 08, 2006Walk Like An Egyptian
 On Wednesday, Eric and I took the chickens to see Egypt: The Quest For Immortality at The Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville.Whew. That was a mouthful. The Frist Center's a great deal, really. All children under the age of eighteen are free. That's a cost effective field trip for a homeschooling family of six. Honestly? I was disappointed. The exhibit was well done, complete with press-the-button headsets that babbled interesting (or not so interesting) tidbits in one's ear, and cool Egyptian Mood Lighting in most of the rooms. But what I really wanted to see was a mummy. You know -- a "live" mummy, with bits of dried flesh and exposed teeth peeking from beneath crumbling linen wraps. I've studied Ancient Egypt with three of my children so far, and I can tell you just about anything you'd like to know about mummification. So after putting my time in with the books, I wanted to see a mummy in the flesh (or whatever's left of the flesh). I figured they were saving the "mummy room" for last, and I was right. The problem with the "mummy room" is that it was conspicuous in its lack of mummy. Unless you count the mummified cat in one of the side cases. There was a glorious coffin with its lid suspended about eight inches from its top, and lying inside was a wrapped-up something-or-other that you could barely see. It looked like tobacco leaves swathed in beige nylon. That, for all intents and purposes, was the "mummy." I don't even know if it was real or not. I was bummed. There was a cool video playing in the corner -- something about CT scans on a mummified four-year-old Egyptian girl. On the far wall there was a display of fairly interesting X-rays. But you know what? I can look that stuff up on the Internet and gaze to my heart's content. I also learned something interesting about myself during my tour. I need to touch things. There I was in the presence of three-thousand-year-old statues and necklaces and canopic jars, and I felt like I wasn't actually seeing them...because I couldn't touch them. Well, I could have touched one or two, since many of them had no barriers and nothing was roped off. But I have this thing about not breaking rules. So I didn't touch. And I felt robbed. The hieroglyphics were the hardest to resist. I wanted to run my finger over the intricately carved shapes. I wanted to FEEL them. Looking at them just didn't bring them to life for me. It was a weird revelation. I had no idea I was so...tactile. So yeah, I did the Homeschooling Thing and brought my children into contact with Real Egyptian Artifacts. Spencer, who at seven was technically "too young" for the exhibit, absolutely loved it. He broke my heart in the "tomb room" when he couldn't find the next spot to move to, according to the directions coming from his headphones. With teary eyes, he came up to me and said, "I can't find Hour Four..." So I gently guided him to the proper section of the wall and pointed out the Big Snake that the recorded voice was expounding on just then. Spencer's eyes lit up and he became immediately re-engaged. I still can't believe how thoroughly he enjoyed it. He obviously didn't miss the mummy. Then again, he's the only one who hasn't studied Ancient Egypt yet. There you have it. I'm obviously not the Museum Type. Either that, or my suspicions about Nashville are correct (it's not a "real" city, and its "cultural" centers are akin to B movies). Ouch. Guess I really hate Nashville. Still...there was a time when the Frist Center didn't exist (it's housed in the old Post Office building on Broadway). Maybe ten years from now they'll get a real mummy when the Egyptian Exhibit comes to town. Sigh. |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
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7of my readers are feeling chatty:
Parker loves to study ancient Egypt and is very fond of mummies. He has so many books about Egypt. I'm sure he would prefer to see the real thing as well!
The mummy of a newly discovered former postal worker.
Dave!!! LOLOL
Now I've got that darn song stuck in my head!
Jamie, it could be worse. You could have Steve Martin's "Kink Tut" in your head! uh oh.
He's my favorite Honky
You know... he was born in Arizona. Then he moved to Babylonia. Funky Tut.
Thanks Ken and Dave. Although I'd like to deny that I'm old enough to remember this Steve Martin "classic". I think the Bangles song was easier to listen to in my head all day long!
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