First International Symposium for Ancient Cadaver Protection and Research Held in Changsha

First International Symposium for Ancient Cadaver Protection and Research was held in Changsha from September 16 to 20, 2011, gathering more than 20 experts and scholars from home and abroad such as Belgium, Britain, Germany, Switzerland and Portugal.

This grand symposium was sponsored by Chinese Museums Association and ICOM-CIPEG (International Committee for Egyptology in the International Council of Museums), and organized by Hunan Provincial Museum, Central South University and Mawangdui Ancient Cadaver & Cultural Relic Preservation and Research Center.

Chen Yuanping, general-director of Hunan Administration of Cultural Relics, Claire Derriks, Chair of ICOM-CIPEG and Curator Emeritus of Royal Museum of Mariemont (Belgium), Zhou Kechao, deputy president of Central South University and Chen Jianming, Vice-Chairperson of ICOM-China, Vice-president of Chinese Museums Association and Director of Hunan Provincial Museum, attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony of the 1st International Symposium for Ancient Cadaver Protection and Research

Claire Derriks, Chair of ICOM-CIPEG, addressed the opening ceremony.

Embodied with so distinctive and profound connotations, cadavers, especially the ancient human remains, are categorized as the special cultural heritage. At the global level, there are several types of long-lasting and well-preserved ancient cadavers, such as mummies, bog bodies, dried corpses, iceman, etc.

As a cultural heritage for the whole world, the 2100-year-old Mawangdui female wet corpse of the Han dynasty boasts of unique features in terms of its ways of preservation and inheritance. The main objective of this symposium is to provide a platform for Hunan Provincial Museum to learn from the advanced experiences of other countries and establish a scientific evaluation, research and preservation system, so as to better protect and preserve the Mawangdui corpse.

Symposium site

During the symposium, the experts and scholars discussed and explored such topics as the categorization of ancient corpses, different protection approaches towards different corpse types and the significance of ancient corpse preservation and research. The latest protection and research results of Mawangdui-type corpse, mummies, bog bodies, dried corpses and icemen were respectively discussed with well-prepared speeches and lively academic exchange and discussions.

The current protection and research regarding the Mawangdui corpse was introduced by Chen Jianming in his keynote speech, “In Life and Beyond: The Museum Repository Model for Protection and Inheritance of A Female Corpse Unearthed from Mawangdui Tombs”, as well as the speeches made by experts from Mawangdui Ancient Cadaver & Cultural Relic Preservation and Research Center.

Chen Jianming, director of Hunan Provincial Museum delivered the keynote speech.

During the symposium, the participants also paid a visit to the historical site of Mawangdui Han Tombs and Hunan Provincial Museum.

Participants visited the Inner Organ Exhibition Room of Mawangdui

Participants visited the original tomb pit of Mawangtui Han Tombs