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            THE RETURN OF THE MUMMY

This is believed to be the mummy of Rameses I who ruled at the beginning of the 19th dynasty in Egypt. His reign was short - from 1292 to 1290 BC.

Around 1860 his mummy was stolen from Egypt and found its way to, of all places, Niagara Falls - smack dab into the privately owned Niagara Museum and Daredevil Hall of Fame. He was on display there for over 130 years.

When the contents of this museum were sold, he was bought by Emery University in Atlanta, GA for $2 million. There, based on CT scans, X-rays, skull measurements and radio-carbon dating along with aesthetic interpretations of family resemblance, it was determined that this was indeed Rameses I and in 2003 he was returned to Egypt and is now on display at the Luxor Museum where we visited him this month.

We all know about the elaborate preparations rulers of ancient Egypt made to help them navigate the journey to the afterlife, including mummification. But I doubt Rameses ever dreamed his particular path would be so bizarre.