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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016

EXPLORE

Annie highlights new

Lost Egypt exhibit

VINCE CAREY DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA

Thanks to modern technology, scientists

have been able to figure out what Annie
might have looked like.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

This respectful display brings you face-to-face with a real Egyptian mummy. Learn about the story about who this person
was in life based on forensic science.
By Vince Carey
vcarey@21st-centurymedia.com
@vincecarey on Twitter

Mimi Leveque has

been traveling with Annie for the
past five years.
Theyve been everywhere from Washington D.C. to California. Theyve seen
Texas and Montana.
In all that time, Leveque has gotten
close to Annie.
Shes my girl, said Leveque, the conservator at the Peabody Essex Museum in
Salem, Mass. Absolutely. I mean, I really
feel strongly about her.
The conversation, though, might be a
little one-sided. See, Annie died about
2,400 years ago after drowning in the Nile
River.
Annie is a mummy who was excavated
from an Egyptian cemetery in 1903.
That was the time when the Egyptian
government was selling mummies to tourists in order to fund their excevations,,
Leveque said. Thats where Mark Twain
came up with the line, Youre nobody if
you dont come back with a crocodile under
one arm and a mummy under the other.
HILADELPHIA

VINCE CAREY DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA

Annie is on loan from the Natural History

Museum in Philadelphia. She has traveled
all around the country.
Annie, so named by researchers because she was an anonymous 16-18-year
old girl, is part of the Franklin Institutes
newest exhibit, Lost Egypt: Ancient Secrets, Modern Science.
The mummy Annie is on loan from
the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.
Our visitors have always been fascinated by the mysteries of Egypt and its

This 6,000-square foot

immersive exhibit, which
includes 17 interactives,
seven video stations,
67 authentic Egyptian
artifacts and eight large
photo environments, will
reveal how archeological
scientists use modern
technology to uncover
and understand the
ancient civilization of
Egypt.
Larry Dubinski

archeological finds, said Larry Dubinski,

the President and CEO of the Franklin Institute. They continue to captivate us even
to today. So much of what is revealed by
science and scientific methods happens
behind closed doors through the work of
skilled scientists.
The exhibit aims to bring some of that
science out in the open.
Lost Egypt is separated into four dif-

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

Decode the ancient language of

hieroglyphics from ancient Egypt.
ferent parts.
Upon entering, visitors are welcomed
by a camel and encouraged to climb on
its back for photos. A video game (to keep
all ages interested) is nearby, which challenges the user to back the right equipment
and supplies for an excavation.
This 6,000-square foot immersive exhibit, which includes 17 interactives, seven
video stations, 67 authentic Egyptian artifacts and eight large photo environments,
will reveal how archeological scientists use
modern technology to uncover and understand the ancient civilization of Egypt,
Dubinski said.
At the field site part of the exhibit, visMUMMY PAGE 7