Moving the mammoth

20.09.2011 | Moving activities: on Tuesday, Sept 19, 2011 the mammoth model was taken apart.

An 800-pound mite

Though not as heavy as the real extinct giants, which were around 9 tons, it is quite a chunk as well: 16 feet tall, 30 feet long and weighs 800 pounds. It was made in about 4 months.

"We used 45 cubic yards of styrofoam, 650 pounds of raw flax and 40 pounds of textile dyes", Jiří Kvaček, the head of the Department of Paleontology of the National museum, stated.

The most expensive of all parts of the mock-up were the eyes, which are made of a special material. Thanks to their natural shine, the eyes looked really alive. The mammoth was such a success, that on basis of the reaction of children and adult visitors, it remained in the exposition even after the exhibit had ended. It even inspired us to create the mascot and logo of our Play in the Museum program for kids.

Taking apart the mammoth gave hell to several men of might and took about two hours. First, the head was removed. The extremities were disconnected from the rest of the body after that.
 The mock-up will be stored in the depository for some time before using it again.

The medieval boat will move as well

The early medieval boat found in the Elbe river basin in the Kolín area is expected to have to move as well. It concerns a vessel carved of one tree trunk. People were already using these monoxylons (from Greek - made from one piece of timber) in the Stone Age. It is therefore the oldest type of boat.

(NM)

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