Mummies

There are a number of international laws that state the treatment of human remains. The question is, do mummies fall under these laws?

The Council of Europe in “Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses”, that as long as there is no health risks involve and give a list of ways a corpse should be transferred ¹. The “International Arrangement Concerning the Conveyance of Corpses” only differs from the “Agreement on the Transfer of Corpses” in that it allows for the transfer of diseased bodies when they are wrapped in an antiseptic soaked cloth ². The issue this presents my question is that these documents and the others have looked at seem to only refer to corpses, they never use the term “human remains”, and thus the status of mummies is still up in the air. This is emphasized with the situation with the Chinchorro mummies. A group in Chile calling themselves the “Citizen Council of Arica” is protesting the loan of the Chinchorro mummies stating that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) convention of 1972 requires that the bodies be reburied  ³. 

After reading this document and reading through the UNESCO website I not only found that the claims on the “Citizen Council of Arica” were untrue, in fact the UNESCO has several articles celebrating archaeological finds and the placement of artifacts in museums. This would suggest that the UNESCO treats mummies as historical artifacts.

The UNESCO is in partnership with the United Nations (UN) and according to the treaty of 1972 allows countries outside the UN to participate in their organization ⁴. My research has shown no larger organization working for the preservation of the world’s historical and cultural treasures, thus leading me to believe that the rules they enact are how the world defines “cultural heritage” and thus if they ever make an official declaration of what they believe a mummy to be that the world will follow their lead  ⁵. That being said it is plain to me that they see mummies as a n artifact to be studied and preserved. Thus, my research leads me to conclude that in the eyes of international laws mummies are artifacts and not human remains.

Despite this it is important to note that the countries that participate in the UNESCO are not required to ratify every treaty and decision the organization makes. Also, that each country’s decision is undoubtedly influenced by the beliefs and expected responses of its citizens.