Two museums in Glasgow have removed the remains of Egyptian mummies from display because of an “absence of consent” from the deceased.
The International Council of Museums’ Code of Ethics, revised in June 2026, now states that moving forward, museums should “uphold the inherent dignity of human remains and promote respect for their significance”.
As a result, two museums in Glasgow, Scotland, have removed their mummified remains from display as a result of the concerns raised, citing a lack of consent from the deceased as a reason for doing so.
They claimed there has been “constant disregard” for the ancestors’ wishes
The mummified corpse of the priest Nekht, thought to have lived at some point between 1985 and 1797 BC, was removed from display at the Kelvingrove Art Museum and Gallery.
Meanwhile, the Lady Shep-En-Hor’s corpse, usually on display in The Hunterian Museum, has been covered in a special textile to stop it being seen by visitors. However, her ornate sarcophagus is still on show.
As per the BBC, Glasgow Life, the charity which manages Kelvingrove, said it was an “absence of consent from the deceased individual or their descendants” that motivated their decision to remove Nekht’s remains.
“We believe removing ancient Egyptian human remains from display is more respectful to the deceased individuals,” said a spokesperson.Glasgow Life said a parliamentary group on African repatriation had highlighted “ethical concerns” over the display, owing to the “constant disregard” of wishes and intentions of the ancestors who buried them.
A member of the International Council of Museums’ ethics committee, Professor Steph Scholten, said that the code was intended only as guidance and the final decision for each museum ultimately rested with them.
“Kelvingrove and The Hunterian have come to slightly different outcomes about our displays. The code of ethics does not prescribe that all human remains should be taken off display,” he said.
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