Prologue

Abstract

In this brief opening chapter, the author tells the story of how she came to be interested in Egyptian mummies. It was while working as a summer gallery attendant at the Musée du Louvre in Paris that she first learnt of the strange and often troubling stories behind how these ancient remains came to be held in European museums. She would go on to make these stories and the ethical questions around the possession and presentation of human remains the focus of her academic career. The chapter concludes with a description of the Mummy Stories project, which gathers people’s accounts of their interactions with Egyptian mummies from around the world.