A street vendor selling mummies in Egypt, ca.1865

submitted by useless_aether from i.imgur.com

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[–]FormosaOolong 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (14 children)

Wow, that's absolutely wild! I worked at a natural history museum one summer and there was a storage room stockpiled with "artifacts" no one will ever see. There was a whole section stuffed with the mummified remains of african babies. Shudder. The spoils of "civilization."

[–]useless_aether[S] 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (5 children)

powdered mummies were totally used as medicine not that long ago

[–]RatherSmallPotato 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

And as a pigment for paint.

[–]useless_aether[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

'brown'

[–]FormosaOolong 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Our featured hues today: Loden. Brandywine. Mummy.

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I also heard that recently. I forget where.

[–]FormosaOolong 0 insightful - 3 fun0 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

for what--like hyperactivity?

[–]Chipit 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

So...do you think that "civilization" murdered those babies so they could mummify them? If so I've got a big surprise for you...

[–]FormosaOolong 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Erm, I think "civilization" robbed their graves and is hoarding them in a dusty back room along with all the other spoils from their culture.

[–]Chipit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

You mean where these relics could be studied by intelligent scholars? Some ISIS would just destroy these things anyway. In our countries they can be kept safe. Give them back, why? What are they going to do with them? Are they even asking for them?

[–]FormosaOolong 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

I'm not sure what part of African grave-robbing and dusty rooms piled with things no one will ever look at sounds scholarly. I understand your point, but there has been a lot of shady activity under the guise of "scholarship." I agree that in some cases important artifacts are safer outside of their place of origin. Does that justify stealing though? It's a grey area sometimes for sure. And also, asking, even for decades, isn't always getting: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-britain-marbles/greece-proposes-parthenon-marbles-swap-says-still-wants-their-permanent-return-idUSKCN1VO1AZ

[–]Chipit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Keep important artifacts out of the hands of deplorables. Put them in reach of intellectuals who can make use of them. I certainly hope you're not anti-intellectual.

[–]FormosaOolong 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I certainly hope you're being sarcastic :/

[–]Chipit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

No, why? Those people are deplorable and deserve no sympathy. They will happily destroy valuable things. They are uncivilized.

[–]FormosaOolong 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Haha

[–]useless_aether[S] 3 insightful - 5 fun3 insightful - 4 fun4 insightful - 5 fun -  (0 children)

when you are low on cash, but your cellar is full with deceased relatives

[–]SierraKiloBravo 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Just what you want in the corner of the lounge to match the drapes

[–]FormosaOolong 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

The perfect mother's day gift -_-

[–]JasonCarswell 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I use mine as a bottle opener.

But I don't have any bottles.

[–]magnora7 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Amazing how much bigger of a place the world was, back then. This picture shows that so few people knew about mummies that were there for so long... by contrast today everything is explored and excavated and taken to museums very quickly

[–]Tiwaking 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

The Archaelogical Method was only about 60 or so years old, having been conceived around 1790 or so. In my opinion, everything should be taken to museums. Preferably away from their native country if their native country is a shithole.

[–]JasonCarswell 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Yes. Hide everything in museums and only let the "experts" decide what the public may see.

If the country is a shithole then keep it that way. Don't let them have their own "experts" or tourist industry.

Plunder pillage and rape!

[–]Tiwaking 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Or dont put it in the museums and let ISIS destroy it all

[–]Tom_Bombadil 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Want.