{"id":268380,"date":"2020-02-28T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T10:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=268380"},"modified":"2020-02-27T17:31:48","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T20:31:48","slug":"ancient-egypt-exhibit-the-practical-guide-to-eternal-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/ancient-egypt-exhibit-the-practical-guide-to-eternal-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Egypt exhibit &#038; the practical guide to eternal life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Four stories and the foyer at S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bb.com.br\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CCBB<\/a>)\u00a0are fully taken. Entirely devoted to an age-old history. \u201cAncient Egypt: from everyday life to eternity\u201d is organized from the top on down. It makes sense. The further I\u2019d descend with a group of fellow reporters guided by the show\u2019s curator Pieter Tjabbes (pictured above), the deeper we\u2019d sink into the life purpose of Ancient Egyptians. Pharaohs, priests and the poor alike all seemed to devote their time to seeking the path to life after death.<\/p>\n<p>It was all for the sake of eternity, and yet it never took away from enjoyment of the earthly experience. The 4<sup>th<\/sup> floor, illuminated by shades of yellow, is chock full of cherishment for the day-to-day. Jars of make-up. Sculptures and paintings. The life of the people along River Nile. Culture and vanity. As Tjabbes put it, \u201cIt\u2019s comforting to see that nothing\u2019s changed. Back then they had love, friendship, power struggles, religion, just the same as today.\u201d Minor stuff that brings Egypt much closer to our own reality.<\/p>\n<p>As close as the 3<sup>rd<\/sup> floor, the \u2018Religion\u2019 floor, I can almost see, in my mind\u2019s eye, the priestly version of your modern-day con. Eternal life takes time and dedication. And it takes money. Building altars, making offerings and statues and, of course, mummification. Even the pets were on to it \u2013 hence the not-so-cute cats scattered throughout the exhibit. Maybe that\u2019s because they\u2019re mummified cats. Or were they even cats? \u201cSpecimens dedicated to the goddess Bastet were found in such profusion that a study found many contained only parts of cats\u2019 bodies. And some contained no cat at all,\u201d said Tjabbes.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-268380 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/ancient-egypt-exhibit-the-practical-guide-to-eternal-life\/cat-2369_dsc2544-scaled-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Cat.-2369_DSC2544-scaled-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-268342\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-268342\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-268342'>\n\t\t\t\tCat sarcophagus, Late Period (722-332 BC) Wood, paint, organic material, flax bandages, 25 x 51 x 28 cm, Origin unknown, Acquired before 1882 \u00a9 Museo Egizio\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/ancient-egypt-exhibit-the-practical-guide-to-eternal-life\/cat-2219-01-1-scaled-2-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Cat.-2219-01-1-scaled-1-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-268348\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-268348\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-268348'>\n\t\t\t\tAnthropoid sarcophagus in yellow veneer and false lid. 21st Dynasty (1076-943 BC). Wood, stucco, paint. Coffin: 195 x 25 x 55 cm. Acquired before 1882. \u00a9 Museo Egizio\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/ancient-egypt-exhibit-the-practical-guide-to-eternal-life\/cat-2219-02-3-scaled-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Cat.-2219-02-3-scaled-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-268351\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-268351\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-268351'>\n\t\t\t\tAnthropoid sarcophagus in yellow veneer. 21st Dynasty (1076-943 BC). Wood, stucco, paint. Coffin: 195 x 25 x 55 cm. Acquired before 1882. \u00a9 Museo Egizio\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/ancient-egypt-exhibit-the-practical-guide-to-eternal-life\/cat-1534-1-scaled-2\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Cat.-1534-1-scaled-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-268354\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-268354\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-268354'>\n\t\t\t\tEstela by Abkau Abidos. 22nd Dynasty (1985-1773 BC). Limestone, 138 x 77.5 x 16 cm. \u00a9 Museo Egizio\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>But felines are merely the entr\u00e9e once you get to the 2<sup>nd<\/sup> floor. Human mummies. Lying in their lined-up sarcophaguses. And a book with a mission: leading the mummified ones into the eagerly awaited Eternity. These days, the Book of the Dead would be called something like \u2018Practical guide to not getting lost on one\u2019s way to eternity.\u2019 The copy on show is a 3 meter-plus papyrus with the latest tips on prayers to \u2018wake up a mummy\u2019 and make it through the proverbial judgement day.<\/p>\n<p>And giving directions just once wasn\u2019t enough. It was about the papyrus and \u2018mummify me as I hold this book tight, for the love of gods!\u2019 Oh, and just as a precaution, make drawings of all those tips on the tomb walls! But what if they move me to a different tomb? Well, let\u2019s draw them on the sarcophagus then, just to be safe. Just be sure to remember to draw up my favorite foods, ok? What am I going to eat all through the millennia? As Tjabbes noted, it\u2019s like a \u2018300-policy death insurance.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>And mind you that you needed more than just cash to afford the mummification, the tomb and the pomp that went with it. There was a path to take, and then a final test. A kind of \u2018cardiac test\u2019 involving the corpse\u2019s heart. \u201cIn the book they described prayers pleading for help from several gods. It was also common to make a special request to one\u2019s own heart, so it wouldn\u2019t betray its host come judgement day. They believed the heart would be placed on a scale and it couldn\u2019t weigh more than a feather,\u201d said Tjabbes.<\/p>\n<p>And the exhibit goes on with a pyramid, selfies with the sphynx, videos, original works straight from the Museu Egizio in Turin, Italy, and even a replica of Nefertari\u2019s tomb. True bits of this larger-than-life history. A hell of a lot of work, for the sake of eternity. And the trade seems worthwhile. After all, after a lifetime striving to pass your life-after-death exam, it\u2019s only fair one shouldn\u2019t be in a hurry to leave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick facts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ancient Egypt: from everyday life to eternity<br \/>\nFebruary 19 \u2013 May 11<br \/>\nCentro Cultural Banco do Brasil S\u00e3o Paulo<br \/>\nRua \u00c1lvares Penteado, 112 \u2013 Centro Hist\u00f3rico, Tri\u00e2ngulo SP, S\u00e3o Paulo\u2013S\u00e3o Paulo<br \/>\nOpen daily from 9am to 9pm, except Tuesdays<br \/>\nPhone: +55 (11) 4298-1270<br \/>\n<em>Free admission<\/em><\/p>\n<p>CCBB Distrito Federal: June 2 \u2013 Aug 30<br \/>\nCCBB Belo Horizonte: Sept 16 \u2013 Nov 23<\/p>\n<p><strong>Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"credits-overlay\" data-target=\".wp-image-268337\">Thais Sousa\/ANBA<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This ANBA blog entry will take you on a tour of \u2018Ancient Egypt: from everyday life to eternity,\u2019 an art show featuring original works, mummies, sarcophaguses and scenes brimming with life. And the quest for eternity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2324,"featured_media":268337,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[208],"tags":[3232,14056,11821,3424,14055,7466,5411,14057,5904],"class_list":{"0":"post-268380","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blog","8":"tag-ancient-egypt","9":"tag-book-of-the-dead","10":"tag-ccbb-en","11":"tag-exhibition","12":"tag-goddess-bastet","13":"tag-mummies","14":"tag-pyramid","15":"tag-sarcophagus","16":"tag-tomb"},"wps_subtitle":"This ANBA blog entry will take you on a tour of \u2018Ancient Egypt: from everyday life to eternity,\u2019 an art show featuring original works, mummies, sarcophaguses and scenes brimming with life. And the quest for eternity. 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