Varied voices: a case study of visitor perceptions of the display of ancient Egyptian human remains within an Australian museum context

This paper explores the findings of a survey undertaken by 100 visitors to the British Museum's touring exhibition Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives (EMEAL), held at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney, Australia, between 10 December 2016 and 30 April 2017. This survey, which forms part of the broader Human Remains Research Project (HRRP), investigates the varied ways visitors respond to the display of ancient Egyptian human remains within Australian museums. This is the first visitor study to have been conducted in Australia in over 25 years, providing a unique insight into recent Australian public sentiment regarding the collection, analysis, and display of ancient Egyptian human remains. The paper details the rationale and methodology of this study, provides a summary of results, and identifies opportunities for museums to develop more nuanced, up-to-date interpretations and resources to support visitor understanding about the complexities of displaying ancient Egyptian human remains.