Mummies Arrive in Los Angeles Under Heavy Security; Motorcade Accompanies Rare Collection to California Science Center for World Premiere of Mummies of the World Exhibition

LOS ANGELES, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest collection of mummies ever assembled will travel nearly 6,000 miles to make its highly anticipated arrival in Los Angeles on Friday, May 28. The mummies are traveling to the United States for the first time as part of the Mummies of the World exhibition, set to make its world debut at the California Science Center on July 1.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100525/LA10818)

American Exhibitions, Inc. (AEI), will bring the priceless, carefully guarded mummies and related artifacts on an 11-hour journey from Germany and land at Los Angeles International Airport, where a security-detailed motorcade will escort the treasured mummies along a 13.5-mile route to the California Science Center.

There, security will unload its precious cargo, and experts will spend the month of June unpacking and preparing Mummies of the World for its opening. This must-see exhibition premieres on July 1, launching a limited engagement at the California Science Center and a three-year, seven-city tour around the country.

"Inside every mummy is a story waiting to be told," says James Delay, vice president of American Exhibitions, Inc., who is traveling with the mummies as they make their journey to the U.S.  "Using state-of-the-art scientific research, the secrets of the mummies are now revealed."

Mummies of the World is a highly distinguished project that has been years in the making for AEI, working with 15 world-renowned museums in seven countries to bring to the U.S. a never-before-seen collection of mummies and related artifacts from South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Egypt. Its treasures include one of the oldest mummy infants ever discovered; a mummified family; a German nobleman discovered by his own descendants; and intentionally preserved Egyptian animal mummies.

• The Detmold Child is a remarkably preserved Peruvian child mummy, radiocarbon dated to 4504–4457 B.C. – more than 3,000 years before the birth of King Tut.
• The Orlovits family – Michael, Veronica and their son Johannes – was part of a group of 18th-century mummies found in a long-forgotten church crypt in Vac, Hungary in 1994.
• Baron von Holz is a 17th-century nobleman believed to have died in Sommersdorf, Germany during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), who was discovered in the crypt of his family's 14th-century castle still wearing his boots.
• Egyptian cat mummies, elaborately wrapped in painted linen bandaging, date to the Ptolemaic period, and show how Egyptian cats were intentionally preserved to accompany their royals into the afterlife.  

This important exhibition dispels the notions and misconceptions about mummies and uses science tools to reach across time, demonstrating how scientific methods can illuminate the history of people and enhance our knowledge about cultures around the world. It also shows that mummification – both through natural processes and intentional practices – has taken place all over the globe, from the hot desert sands of South America to remote European moors and bogs.

Mummies of the World is a ticketed event and requires a timed-entry. Advance reservations are highly recommended. Tickets can be purchased online beginning June 6 at www.californiasciencecenter.org or by calling 323-SCIENCE (323-724-3623). Group reservations are available at 888-MUMMY TIX (888-686-6984)

More information about the exhibition is online: www.mummiesoftheworld.com.

American Exhibitions, Inc. is one of the leading exhibition producers in the United States, specializing in world-class touring exhibitions for science centers and museums. It is a longstanding member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) and the American Association of Museums (AAM). http://www.americanexhibitions.com

Reiss-Engelhorn Museums, an internationally acclaimed complex in Mannheim, Germany, has been one of the major venues for exhibitions in Europe in the realms of archeology and world cultures.  The museum houses a collection of 1.2 million objects in more than 300,000 square feet of exhibition space.  http://www.rem-mannheim.de/

The California Science Center's mission is as follows: "We aspire to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone by creating fun, memorable experiences, because we value science as an indispensable tool for understanding our world, accessibility and inclusiveness, and enriching people's lives."

The California Science Center and IMAX Theater are located in historic Exposition Park just west of the Harbor (110) Freeway at 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission to Science Center exhibits is free. For recorded information, including IMAX show times, call 323-SCIENCE (323-724-3623). IMAX ticket prices range from $4.75 to $8.00. For advance ticket purchases, group rates, or to make reservations for any visiting group of 15 or more (required), call 213-744-2019. Parking is available in the guest lot at Figueroa and 39th / Exposition Park Drive at $8 per car, $10 for school buses and $25 for commercial buses or oversize vehicles. Both the Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair accessible. For further information, please visit our website at www.californiasciencecenter.org.

SOURCE American Exhibitions