Mummy's Day Seminar at Barts Pathology Museum

At this slightly morbid pre-Mother’s Day event Egyptologist Joyce Filer delves into the preservation methods of ancient cultures and the bizarre tradition of Victorian mummy unwrapping parties. Filer's talk explores the nineteenth-century practice of desecrating, posing and photographing Egyptian bodies for entertainment. Peter Vanezis, Professor in Forensic Medical Sciences at Queen Mary, then talks about his work for the BAFTA-winning documentary 'Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret', which saw a team of scientists work to preserve the body of Alan Billis, a taxi driver from Devon who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and donated his body to a mummification project before he died. Tickets include a fortifying drink and the chance to see the Museum's medical specimens.