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Mummies from all over the world expose their secrets in Draguignan all summer long

The new summer exhibition proposed by the Var departmental council in Draguignan presents nearly 300 pieces, including around twenty embalmed bodies from five continents. “Mummies: the paths of eternity” is to be discovered from June 10 to September 25.

After extracting it from its wooden crate, with the greatest calm and respect, the transporters place the mummy on the space reserved for it, in the center of one of the rooms on the second floor of the hotel. Department of Exhibitions (HDE) of the Var, in Draguignan.

Attentive, with a precise eye, Emmanuelle Roubaud and Didier Berthet, respectively deputy head of the HDE and head of the collection at the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, immediately carry out the condition report. “This human mummy, brought back in the early 1900s by the former director of the Lyon natural history museum, is one of the pieces on loan from the Confluences museum”explains Didier Berthet.

A historic piece, among the 300 that enrich the new exhibition that the HDE is installing within its walls. All being loans from around thirty renowned museums and establishments, French – including the Louvre, the National Library of France and the Musée du quai Branly, but also German and Danish. On three floors, visitors will be able to discover around twenty embalmed human and animal bodies, many objects related to mummification techniques, as well as books and film extracts, reflections of the inspiration that mummies arouse in the cultural universe.

Unique, both in its multidisciplinary approach and in the quality of the pieces presented, this real journey through time promises to tickle the imagination while aiming to be as didactic as possible.

Practical information

No aspect of this exhibition has been neglected. Especially not the one relating to pedagogy which, for all the actors involved, turns out to be much more than a “detail”. In a spirit of popularization, guided tours and conferences, provided by historians and archaeologists including Philippe Charlier, will bring the exhibition to life. The latter will also be enriched with explanatory labels, an exhibition catalog for the least exhaustive listing the techniques and latest scientific advances, and audio guides.

How to book?

Those interested can already book their entry ticket online, on the website hdevar.fr. Prices: 5€; free for children under 16; €2 for 16-25 year olds; €3 for over 65s; group rate (8 adults) €3; family rate (at least 2 children) €3 per adult; audio guides available in French, English, German, Spanish and Italian, €2. Provided by the HDE mediators, the guided tours will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, with one slot in the morning and two in the afternoon: 10.30-11.30 am; 2:30-3:30 p.m. and 4:30-5:30 p.m.

>> Mummies: Paths of Eternity, at H.Var departmental exhibition hotel, 1 boulevard Maréchal Foch in Draguignan. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. More info on 04 83 95 34 08.


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