As part of the 25th Festival of Archaeology, The Egypt Exploration Society is putting on a two week pop-up exhibition entitled Excavating Egypt.
The Egypt Exploration Society holds one of the largest and most complete archaeological archives in the country. In this pop-up exhibition at their home in Camden’s Doughty Mews, the Society will showcase photographs, paintings, equipment, notebooks and a variety of artefacts to demonstrate the long history of archaeological exploration in the Nile valley and the fascinating characters involved in that work since 1882. Over the two weeks there will be a number of events, tours and lectures that will give people of all ages a chance to experience the reality of life on a dig in Egypt and to practise their skills as an Egyptologist, answering such questions as: What was it really like to uncover the tombs of the very first Egyptian pharaohs? How did a teenage Howard Carter cope in the desert for six months with only one or two others for company and no creature comforts? How did the most wonderful objects come to be uncovered and then make their way into the museums of the world?
This is a wonderful opportunity to get access to archival material that is usually only available to researchers by appointment. Displays will include field notebooks, William Flinders Petrie’s historic photographs of Tanis, object card records from the ancient city of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, antique archaeological equipment, watercolours painted by a young Howard Carter, letters written by Society founder Amelia Edwards, and much more.
Do take this very rare opportunity to experience one of the world’s leading Egyptological archives. There really will be “wonderful things” on show!
Tours of the exhibition will be held at Noon and 2pm every day giving you a chance to hear from those involved in making the displays and explore more of the history of British Egyptology.
There are events for children too, such as learning how to mummify an orange or write your name in hieroglyphs.
Check the exhibition website for more details of tours, talks and events over the two weeks of the exhibition.
Admission: FREE
Opening times:
Daily 11am -3pm
And Fridays 17th & 24th July 6pm – 7pm
The Egypt Exploration Society
3 Doughty Mews
London,WC1N 2PG
THE EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY
Since its founding in 1882 the Egypt Exploration Society’s mission has been to explore ancient Egyptian sites and monuments, to create a lasting record of the remains, to generate enthusiasm for Egypt’s past and to raise awareness of the importance of protecting its heritage. Today the Society supports archaeological research projects throughout Egypt. They rely almost entirely on the support of their members and the wider public to fund their work and run an extensive programme of educational events in Egypt, the UK and beyond.
THE FESTIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY
Co-ordinated by the Council for British Archaeology, the 2014 Festival offered over 1,000 events nationwide, organised by museums, heritage organisations, national and country parks, universities, local societies, and community archaeologists.
The 25th Festival of Archaeology takes place between the 11th – 26th July 2015
The London Art File 