Glasgow museums remove mummified remains from public view over ethical concerns
Museums in Glasgow have removed or covered Egyptian mummified remains to align with updated ethical guidelines regarding the dignity of human remains. The institutions are now considering potential repatriation requests for the artifacts.
Why it matters
This reflects a growing global trend in the museum sector to re-evaluate the ethics of displaying human remains and the colonial history of such collections.
Image source, Wikipedia Commons Image caption, Lady Shep-En-Hor's sarcophagus on display at The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow
Two museums in Glasgow have removed the remains of Egyptian mummies from display over ethical concerns.
The mummified corpse of the priest Nekht was taken out of public view at Kelvingrove Gallery, while The Hunterian Museum has covered Lady Shep-En-Hor's body in a specially designed textile to protect it from being seen by visitors.
The institutions said the decisions followed a reassessment of their duty of care towards the deceased.
It comes after the International Council of Museums (Icom) revised its code of ethics, recommending that the "inherent dignity" of human remains be upheld.
Both museums said they would consider repatriation of the remains should they receive an approach from a country or institution.
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