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Your Chicago: Field Museum’s Dinosaurs And Mummies

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A new temporary exhibit at the Field Museum showcases some of the institution's mummies. (CBS)

A new temporary exhibit at the Field Museum showcases some of the institution’s mummies. (CBS)

Kate Sullivan

Reporting Kate Sullivan

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CHICAGO (CBS) – Charlie James is a 26-year-old dog walker, but when he walks around the Field Museum he feels like a kid.

The giant murals and dinosaur skeletons tell the story of prehistoric life, and for many, including Charlie, this room is very special.

“It goes back to my love of dinosaurs as a kid,” he tells CBS 2’s Kate Sullivan.

Each year, 1.4 million people make it to the Field Museum. The most popular room is called “Evolving Planet,” or Hall of Dinosaurs.

The enormous and detailed murals were painted by Charles R. Knight, who was legally blind. And then there are the skeletons.

“Ninety percent of the specimens in this room are real fossil materials,” Gretchen Baker says.

In another section, the Field Museum has unveiled a new temporary exhibit featuring mummies.

They have been waiting thousands of years for their close-ups. The 20 Peruvian and Egyptian mummies have remained untouched and under wraps since the World’s Fair of 1893.

CT scans can now reveal a great deal about who these mummies were, their occupation and how they died.

“We had to find a balance between showing the public but not showing them for too long so that we (don’t) in any way endanger the mummies,” Robert Martin said.

The mummy exhibit lasts until April 22.

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View Comments
  • billyderwfirecrew

    i think they should take the mummies and give them a respectfully burieal in their home land’s

  • Daniel

    You;re a lucky man Charlie

  • PeruLover

    The exhibit is wonderful. Without the respectful study and care of these precious objects so much knowledge would be lost. In Egypt and Peru, they have mummies in their museums. All of the mummies at the Field Museum are there legally and there have been no request for their return (and again they would not be buried if they were returned).

  • http://travel2chicago.us/chicago-news-stories-forfeb-18-2012/ Chicago News Stories for Feb 18 2012 : Travel tips, hotels, restaurants, jobs and news | Travel 2 Chicago

    [...] at Old Post OfficeAt least five fire trucks were sent to the building, at 433 W. Van Buren Street.Your Chicago: Field Museum’s Dinosaurs And MummiesCBS 2′s Kate Sullivan re-introduces us to the famous Chicago institution, which has a new [...]

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