Treasures from the tomb head to Fair City
A guardian figure of a falcon
A national exhibition of objects from Ancient Egypt is coming to Perth next year.
The new exhibition, bringing together objects and stories from the National Museums Scotland’s Ancient Egyptian collection, will be on display at Perth Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday, January 25.
‘Discovering Ancient Egypt’ will look at Scotland’s contribution to Egyptology through the lives of three remarkable people whose work in the field has helped to improve our understanding of Ancient Egyptian culture.
Wick-born Alexander Henry Rhind (18331863) was the first archaeologist to work in Egypt and was a pioneer of systematic excavation and recording.
On display at the Perth exhibition will be objects from a tomb he excavated including a Book of the Dead papyrus belonging to a prime minister and inscribed wooden labels which were discovered with the mummified remains of 10 princesses, who all shared the same royal tomb.
Based in Edinburgh, Charles Piazzi Smyth (1818-1900) served as astronomer royal for Scotland, carrying out the first largely accurate survey of the Great Pyramid and the first-ever photography of the interior with his wife Jessie.
Visitors to the exhibition will be able to see some of the instruments he used, including a measuring rod.
And finally Annie Pirie Quibell (18621927) was an Aberdonian and the first woman to study Egyptology.
She went on to work on significant excavations as an artist and archaeologist.
Her artistic skill was put to great use recording the site and artefacts found, and academics today still study these drawings in their research.
On display will be finds from one of the earliest temple sites in Egypt at Hierakonpolis, including a bowl decorated with very early hieroglyphics and a faience baboon, both of which are over 5000 years old.
Completing the ‘Discovering Ancient Egypt’ exhibition will be a selection of objects from Perth Museum and Art Gallery’s own collection.
Gillian Findlay, interim head of museums and collections for Culture Perth and Kinross, the creative organisation behind the region’s museums, galleries and libraries, said: “All of us at Culture Perth and Kinross are delighted to welcome in the new year with this, our latest exciting collaboration with National Museums Scotland, which we are confident will be of great interest to the people of Perthshire, young and old.
“Not only does the exhibition provide an opportunity to highlight the unique, ancient Egyptian material we care for as part of Perth’s recognised collections of national significance, but it supports a
A wooden stela of an unknown woman baboon statuette
A
We are confident it will be of great interest to the people of Perthshire, young and old Gillian Findlay