Surprising uses for mummies

Mummies were used as medicine - Europeans are no stranger to cannibalistic health practices.

Mummies were used as medicine - Mummy, mummia, or mumia (the bitumen used to embalm mummies) was sold to treat several ailments, including bruising.

Mummies were used as medicine - The demand was so high at the time that fake mummies were being sold for the effect (usually executed criminals and slaves).

Mummies were used to create a paint pigment - In the 18th century, a color known as “mummy brown” was all the rage among European artists.

Mummies were used to create a paint pigment - It was not until the 1960s that, due to the short supply of mummies, mummy brown stopped being used.

Mummies were used as decor - Imagine having a mummy in your living room or bedroom. Sounds creepy? Well, it turns out the Victorians found it rather exquisite.

Mummies were used as decor - And we’re not just talking about fully wrapped mummies. Often, body parts such as heads, feet, and hands were put on display.

Mummies were used to attract customers - Mummies were not only used in private homes,—they’d also be used to attract customers to shops.

Mummies were used as fuel - In his 1869 book ‘The Innocents Abroad,’ Twain claims that mummies were used as fuel for Egyptian locomotives.

Mummies were used as fuel - Twain wrote that the fuel was “composed of mummies three thousand years old, purchased by the ton or by the graveyard for that purpose.”

Mummies were used as stage props - The "Luxor Mummy" was a fake used in shows by a magician called Tampa in the 1920s.

Mummies were used as fertilizer - In the late 19th century, English companies started to bring cat mummies from Egypt to use them as fertilizers.

Mummies were used as fake relics - In 1867, a jar with the label “Remains found under the stake of Joan of Arc, virgin of Orleans,“ was found in a pharmacy in Paris.

Mummies were used as fake relics - It was accepted by the Catholic Church that this was indeed authentic and therefore a religious relic, and it was even put on display at a museum.

Mummies have been used for fundraising - Padihershef was then put on display at Mr. Doggett’s Repository of Arts in Boston to raise funds.