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| There
are two exhibits connected with the supernatural, the arcane and the
sinister to be found in the Egyptian Rooms, room 62 in The British
Museum. The first is 'Katebit', a priestess of the Amen-Ra period. Her head has been witnessed slowly and implacably turning and following the path of solitary and unwary visitors as they pick their way amongst the ancient, silent relics. The second is exhibit 22542, a painted wooden ‘mummy-board’, or, inner coffin lid belonging to the mummy of a lady of high rank who participated, (sang and danced), in the ceremonies and rituals in the temple of Amen-Ra, and dates from between 900 – 950 years BC. Many deaths, disaster, dire misfortune and even poltergeist activity have been attributed to the contents of this particular display. Presented in 1889 and first displayed in 1890, the mummy of ‘An unamed singer of Amen Ra’ was rumoured to have come to the museum via an extreme and circuitous route during which it was, and still is perhaps, blamed for all manner of bad luck from crop failure and ingrowing toenails to the sinking of the ocean liners 'The Empress of Ireland' and 'The Titanic'. Too many to be itemised here, well over twenty deaths have attributed to this lady, including that of a museum porter. Admittedly some of these strange accounts and stories have proved to be hoaxes – but not entirely all of them can be, or have been quite so easily explained or disproved. |
The
British Museum
Photograph © Anthony Bliss 2004
Photograph © Anthony Bliss 2004