Work Text:
Edmund Burke Theatre Trinity College
Hodgins is wrapping up his presentation on his find from the Egyptian mummy. “As we all know, it was common for mummified scarab beetles to be found in wrappings of mummies. 5th dynasty tombs have had collections of scarab beetles. Sometimes Necrobia rufipes or their pupae have been found as well.” Hodgins mentally fist bumps himself. Time for the dazzle. He places the specimen under the microscope to be projected on screen. “This is the Buprestridae beetle found in the wrappings of the 8th dynasty mummy examined at the Jeffersonian. No jewel beetle has been found in mummy wrappings before. Note the iridescent sheen on the body, characteristic of jewel beetles. This beauty has been named Acmaeodera Angelae. The most beautiful jewel beetle to exist.” There are gasps from entomologists and applause from the rest of the hall. Hodgins grins. This is perhaps the best day. He half bows graciously, and walks offstage.
Hodgins watches Brennan step up to the podium with the confidence of a global expert. He wonders if she ever felt nervous presenting her findings. Brennan pauses to take a breath. “Thank you, Dr. Hodgins for presenting on the insects on the mummy we examined. I will be presenting my findings on the mummification processes used. The Old Kingdom focused on making the body beautiful.” Hodgins hears something about resin-soaked bandages. He’s thinking about the antennae of the Angela beetle. He tunes back in to hear “Our reconstruction expert Angela Montenegro, built us a face for the mummy. The person had high cheek bones and sunken cheeks due to the preservation techniques.” The screen shows the skull and the face side by side. Hodgins smiles. Angela re-worked the skull 3 times to get the picture. Brennan clears her throat, “This mummy is anomalous. The organs were removed.” Murmurs start immediately. Oh, she’s going to drop the bomb! Hodgins does a little dance in anticipation. Yes, let’s see their faces. Brennan has a small smile on her face, “As you know, organ removal started during the New Kingdom. This mummy is the first documented evidence of New Kingdom mummification practices.” Hodgins can see the head of Anthropology’s jaw drop. Scientists immediately begin debating what this could mean and how to get permits to dig at this site. The assistant head of the anthropology department hops up out of her seat and runs for the back of the theater on her phone mumbling, “Get me Dr. Hawass!” Brennan continues her speech discussing the organ removal process. Hodgins thinks he’d like to be involved to see if there will be more beetle specimens. What’s he going to name another new beetle?
After the presentation, the room breaks up to socialize. Hodgins is invited to present his paper at University Cork and Dublin by their department heads. The Cork entomology expert gushes over how well preserved the carapace of the beetle was in the wrappings. Dr Murray asks, “How did you extract the specimen from the resin in one piece?” A local bug enthusiast is fascinated by jewel beetles as Ireland doesn’t have any. Always a win to talk with people that can tell a thorax from an abdomen. Hodgins dives right in to sketching the extraction process with glee. Dr Murray leans in to watch.
The head of the arts program is very interested in the relationship between the science of Dr. Brennan and the art of Ms. Montenegro. Hodgins overhears Dr. Patil ask Brennan if Ms. Montenegro might be willing to teach a class on her techniques for facial reconstruction to help her department’s work with the archaeology department. Brennan says, “You may ask, but it is up to Ms. Montenegro. She developed her own computer programs to reconstruct skulls with different indicators.” Dr Patil replies, “Quite the intersection of art and computer science.” Brennan seems affronted. “Art is a necessary part of anthropology. People creating art is one of the ways we define culture. Ms. Montenegro is doing hard science by reconstructing skulls.” Dr Patil seems thoughtful after that exchange. Hodgins glows with pride over Angela. My love has beauty and brains.
The head of the anthropology program comes up at the end of the meet and greet. Brennan greets him warmly, “Dr. Moore how nice to see you.” “Dr Brennan your presentation was riveting. I was amazed at your find.” “Thank you Dr. Moore.” He continues, “The Jeffersonian is lucky to have an illustrious mind. Perhaps I can entice you to stay to help on a dig?” Brennan is curious, “What do you mean?” Dr. Moore is chuffed to explain, “Well we are excavating a bog. We found a mummy with the nipples cut off. Are you interested in coming out to the dig site?” Hodgins jumps in as soon as he hears bog. “A bog mummy?!?! Oh, please let me come. I haven’t seen a fossilized Ocypus olens in situ yet. What is this about nipples?” Dr Moore is gracious, “Of course Dr Hodgins, we’d be honoured for you to come out to the site. Your multiple doctorates will be very helpful.” Brennan is excited, “I’d love to go. I enjoy getting into the field. I don’t believe I’ve examined a king before.” “King?” Hodgins is confused. Brennan explains, “Celtic kings would have members of the tribe suck on their nipples in ceremony to prove fealty. If the king was deposed, his nipples were cut off.” “Immediately being able to identify a king must make getting funding for dig much easier eh Dr. Moore?” Dr. Moore smiles and nods. “It is easier to convince donors the cause is a worthy investment.”
That night, Hodgins is on a call with Angela. Hodgins is rambling. “I got gasps and applause Angie! I got invited to speak at Dublin. There is a local enthusiast that has never seen a jewel beetle before! Can you imagine never seeing a jewel beetle? It was so fun to discuss resin removal techniques, especially those first failures. Remember how that first try stunk up my lab? Oh oh oh we were invited to help dig up a king from a bog! My first bog mummy!” Then Angela asks the million-dollar question. “So, what’s the bug’s name?” Hodgins blushes. “Hodgie… what’s the bug’s name?” Hodgins shyly says, “Acmaeodera Angelae. The most beautiful jewel beetle to exist.” “You named a bug after me.” Angela’s face softens. “I named the only known specimen of an ancient jewel beetle after you,” Hodgins proudly responds. “You sly romantic. Tell me more about how shiny the wings are.”
While Angela and Hodgins are flirting with bugs, Brennan and Booth are discussing the bog mummy. Brennan is sitting at the table in her hotel room, drinking a glass of wine. “I am excited to excavate a bog mummy. I haven’t had the opportunity to dig one up or examine one before.”
Booth’s on his couch confused, “What’s so special about this bog mummy?”
Brennan is her usual matter of fact self. “It’s a king.”
“Well how do they know that? Does he have a crown?”
“The nipples are cut off.”
Booth pauses for a few seconds, beer halfway to his lips. “Nipples? Cut off? What???”
“In ancient Celtic times, some cultures had people pledge fealty to their king by sucking their nipples in a ceremony.”
Booth puts the beer down and rubs his forehead. “Grown men sucking another man’s nipples. In public?!?”
“It was a way to prove fealty Booth. A king succors his people symbolically.”
Booth thinks immediately. I need new hobbies. Something without nipples. Maybe golf. Golf doesn’t involve nipples.
Brennan continues. “So, when a king harmed his people, they cut off his nipples. It was a sign of his disgrace.”
Booth mutters, “I hate mummies.”