A museum in Glasgow has yanked an ancient Egyptian mummified head off display because the guy, who died thousands of years ago, never signed a consent form. Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum told the Times of London it removed the remains because there was no “informed consent from the deceased individual.”
Where the mummified head used to sit, visitors now find a little sign that reads, “We have removed human remains from this display as a mark of respect.” So instead of learning about ancient Egypt, museumgoers get to stare at a placard. Very educational, truly worth the trip.
Is this not the dumbest thing you’ve read all week?
The museum didn’t stop there. Along with the mummified head, it also quietly pulled the remains of a priest, a mummified hand from Luxor, and a mummified foot. A museum spokesperson pointed to guidelines from the International Council of Museums, which urges institutions to display human remains with “respect” and recommends institutions consider “restricted use or repatriation” when remains hold cultural or spiritual importance. You can read more about the Glasgow mummy removal controversy and the conservative reaction it sparked.
For what it’s worth, the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art still show mummified remains to the public without anyone losing their minds over it. But some institutions in the UK have been going a different direction. The National Museums of Scotland, for example, stopped using the word “mummy” back in 2023 in favor of phrases like “mummified person” so as not to, and this is real, “dehumanize” someone who has been dead for three millennia.
At least one person in Scotland with common sense decided to speak up. Murdo Fraser, former deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives and a current member of the Scottish Parliament, didn’t mince words. “Even Egyptian mummies are now being cancelled by a society so obsessed with modern sensibilities that it has lost all sense of perspective,” Fraser told the Times. People visit museums to learn about ancient civilizations, not to see history hidden away because it fails to meet today’s ideological standards.
Fraser called the whole thing a sign of “woke madness,” and he wasn’t alone. A repost of a Daily Mail article about the story on X attracted more than 7,000 likes, with the original commenter expressing their feelings in terms that many of you might agree with.
“Even Egyptian mummies are now being cancelled by a society so obsessed with modern sensibilities that it has lost all sense of perspective. People visit museums to learn about ancient civilisations, not to see history hidden away because it fails to meet today’s ideological standards.”
He called the development a sign of “woke madness,” a sentiment that was echoed in some corners of X.
“F*ck off. Just f*ck off with this brainless sh*t,” reads one X repost of the Daily Mail article about the news. It has more than 7,000 likes.
The museum says it stands by its decision, framing removal as the most “respectful” option in the absence of consent from a person who lived before written consent, democracy, and probably the wheel. Kelvingrove hasn’t said whether the remains will eventually go back on display or stay in storage forever, which is apparently what passes for respect now. Someone should check whether the museum’s gift shop mugs have gotten consent from the pottery clay.
