Try wrapping your head around this: excavators in Egypt have found four million cat mummies, seven million dog mummies, four million ibis mummies and tens of thousands of other mummified animals, big and small--including bulls, mice, snakes, baboons, lions, and even bugs! Apparently, the ancient Egyptian philosophy of "Go Big or Go Home!" didn't just apply to the … [Read more...] about Ancient Egypt’s Strange Practice of Animal Mummification
Kids, Museums & Research
How Deep is Your Geek?
You know you're a total geek when you actual tear-up in the face of ancient artifacts. This happened twice to me in the past week. The first time occurred while I was at SIBA, the trade show for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance in Norfolk, VA. I was there to moderate a historical fiction panel with authors, Tosca Lee (The Legend of Sheba), Bruce Holsinger (A … [Read more...] about How Deep is Your Geek?
Weighing Hearts–Just Like Anubis!
Today I visited the MAGIC TREE HOUSE camp at my favorite indie, Little Shop of Stories, for an activity related to ancient Egypt. Krista read to them from Mummies in the Morning as I set up and then it was my turn. Only I hadn't expected the children to be so young. Oh-oh. Anubis Speaks: A Guide to the Afterworld by the Egyptian God of the Dead is perfect for … [Read more...] about Weighing Hearts–Just Like Anubis!
A Peek Inside A Conservator’s Lab
Attic horse pyxiz getting restored in the lab.Last weekend, Dr. Renee Stein, conservator at the Carlos Museum gave a talk on the process of conserving and restoring ancient artifacts. The objective of the work, she pointed out, is to suggest the way a piece looked and was used thousands of years ago, without overwhelming it with modern overlays or "fixes."The talk was for … [Read more...] about A Peek Inside A Conservator’s Lab
On Passion and Librarians
Me, Laura and Heather at the Alabama Library Association. Last week, I had the honor of speaking on a young adult panel at the annual convention of the Alabama Library Association. Seriously, you guys--a whole room full of book-loving librarians? Died and went to heaven.Authors Heather Montgomery and Laura Golden joined me on the panel. It became evident pretty quickly that … [Read more...] about On Passion and Librarians