Prize for popular science book on mummies
Sofia Häggman defended her doctoral thesis at Uppsala University and is now a curator at the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities. Foto: Mikael Wallerstedt
Inspired by the public’s fascination with mummies, Sofia Häggman decided to write a book. In 300 pages, she covers everything from their origins to why they became a common ingredient in medicines and popular culture. Sofia has now received this year’s Disa Prize for her book Mumier. Fakta, forskning, fiktion (Mummies. Fact, research, fiction).
The Disa Prize has been awarded annually for more than 20 years to promote popular science writing. This year’s winner is Egyptologist Sofia Häggman, who wrote the book Mumier. Fakta, forskning, fiktion.
“I’m very pleased of course and the prize has given me encouragement to continue writing in the popular science genre. I see myself as being part of a long tradition of popular education, and therefore it feels particularly special that I have received this prize for my efforts to communicate about something that I myself find so fascinating.”
Sofia Häggman works as a curator at the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities and it was there that she got the idea for the book after seeing how fascinated visitors to the Museum were with the mummies exhibited there. She saw that there was a need for more knowledge but found that not much had been written in Swedish on the topic.
Bild: Conny Lindström, Natur &kultur
The result was a 300-page book covering almost everything mummies-related – from their origins to how they became a common ingredient in both popular culture and medicines. In fact, ground-up mummy was a common ingredient in medicines that were sold in pharmacies in Europe right up until the 1800s.
“Europeans’ first contact with mummies was in the form of medicine. This was because of a mistranslation of ‘mumia’ in Arabic medical texts. Mumia actually means bitumen, which is a mineral.”
In the book, she also addresses the fact that mummies are still a common exhibit at many museums, and that we seem to view this rather mildly.
“We rarely exhibit other human remains today, but mummies often serve as drawcards in museums. This is due in part to the colonial heritage that Egyptology is burdened by, and in part to the role they have had in popular culture. But it is also because Egypt has not made the same demands for the repatriation of human remains as for example Australia and Sápmi have.”
Sofia Häggman will receive the Disa Prize at Carolina Rediviva in connection with Cultural Night Uppsala. She intends to take that opportunity to hold a public lecture to tell those present more about the function of mummies in Egyptian society, the medicine made from mummies, and what our fascination with these mummified humans can tell us about our culture.
Sandra Gunnarsson
The Disa Prize
The jury’s motivation reads:
"The 2023 Disa Prize goes to Egyptologist Sofia Häggman for her contributions to popular science, in particular her captivating and enlightening book Mumier. Fakta, forskning, fiktion (2022). As a PhD graduate of Uppsala University and now curator at the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm, Sofia Häggman has spread insights in fields that many are fascinated by. In her book, by addressing the reader directly and through her choice of illustrations, she manages to convey both an enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge and a wealth of scientific perspectives.”
The Disa Prize was founded by Uppsala University and Studentbokhandeln in Uppsala to further popular science writing and was awarded for the first time in 2001. The prize sum is SEK 50,000.
The prize is named after the fictional woman Disa from Nordic mythology, whose wisdom made her queen.
According to the prize statutes, the Disa prize winner should primarily have a connection to Uppsala. The winner is selected by a jury with a representative from each disciplinary domains of the University and a student representative.
The prize is awarded annually on Uppsala Culture Night. The winner gives an open lecture the same evening.