Читать книгу Art History For Dummies - Jesse Bryant Wilder - Страница 97

Mummies have teased people’s imaginations since at least the Middle Ages, when people believed they had healing powers. Twelfth-century doctors prescribed mummy dust (made from pulverized corpses) for wounds and bruises, and until around 1500 people ingested mummy powder to relieve upset stomachs. Even in the 17th century, witches — like those depicted in Shakespeare’s Macbeth — used mummies to help them forecast the future.