Now I'm going to add my two cents into this discussion. To D. Hunt: In my view, the problem has been all along that we (anthropologists) have conducted scientific research on human remains "behind closed doors" and it has always been "secretive" as far as the general public is concerned. They have always derived information about ancient human remains from popular literature and the media because we have failed to provide any other avenue for them to fulfill their desire to know. Worse yet, the remains of thousands of human beings have sat on museum storage shelves for decades without being studied at all - a horrible and, yes, immoral waste in my judgement. Perhaps if we had been more dilligent in deriving some public good by studying these remains, and if we had made this information not only available to the public, but had helped the descendants in some way with our research, we would have half a leg to stand on in protesting that scientific inquiry is being thwarted by the repatriation movement. To Dave Harvey: The original query was not just about conserving a mummy, but displaying it. Therein lies the difference. I would agree that the beliefs of contemporary Egyptian society should be taken into consideration here. We cannot apply a universal standard where- by to judge the display of human remains. The other consideration is in what context the remains are going to be displayed and what they actually add to the exhibit. Amy A. Douglass Tempe Historical Museum [log in to unmask]