̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - British Museum

Sixth formers see the future in ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia

ta385 — Fri, 27 May 2016 08:00:00 +0000

Fifty students from 24 schools from across the UK attended the inaugural, all-day conference at ̽��ֱ��British Museum in London.

̽��ֱ��students heard experts from the Museum as well as the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Liverpool, Cardiff, Swansea, UCL, Durham and SOAS. Participants also joined special tours of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian sections of ̽��ֱ��British Museum, led by specialists from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

Egypt and Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, ancient Sumer, Assyria and Babylon) have produced some of the most fascinating discoveries about the ancient world. Today it is possible to learn the languages, study the artefacts, and reconstruct the most varied aspects of these ancient civilisations in astonishing detail.

Recent events, notably the desecration of monuments in the ancient city of Palmyra, in modern-day Syria, have underlined the relevance and fragility of this cultural heritage in the 21st century.

Martin Worthington, Lecturer in Assyriology at Cambridge, said: “These subjects are not offered at A-Level and few sixth formers are aware that they even exist as university subjects. We wanted to show them what makes studying Egypt and Mesopotamia so intellectually and culturally exciting, highlight the various degree courses which are available to them, and explain what admissions tutors are looking for.”

̽��ֱ��programme included talks about careers, information on admissions, and the opportunity to meet current students and academic staff from many of the institutions in the UK that teach these subjects.

Highlights of the day included Kate Spence, Senior Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at Cambridge, talking about ‘Egypt in Nubia: cultures in collision’; Richard Parkinson, Professor of Egyptology at Oxford, sharing his passion for reading ancient Egyptian texts; and Paul Nicholson, Professor in Archaeology at Cardiff exploring ‘ ̽��ֱ��Catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara’.

Adam Agowun, 17, a student at Parmiter’s School in Hertfordshire said: "I loved seeing everything and hearing the various talks. It has reaffirmed everything that I've hoped for. I am going to study Egyptology."

Cambridge, which organised the event, is one of the few universities in the country to teach Egyptology and Assyriology. From October 2017, these subjects will be included in the ̽��ֱ��’s new Single Honours degree in Archaeology. Professor Cyprian Broodbank, Head of Cambridge’s Division of Archaeology, said “ ̽��ֱ��subject embraces a wide range of approaches spanning the sciences and humanities and it’s a superb medium for training the flexible, innovative minds that our society needs.”

After the event, 93 per cent of respondents said the day had made them more likely to study Egypt and Mesopotamia at university.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��’s archaeologists recently teamed up with ̽��ֱ��British Museum to inspire sixth formers to consider studying Egyptology and Assyriology, subjects which very few have the opportunity to study at school.

We wanted to show what makes studying Egypt and Mesopotamia so intellectually and culturally exciting

Martin Worthington, Lecturer in Assyriology

Dr Martin Worthington reads a Neo-Assyrian royal inscription in the British Museum

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'Extreme sleepover #17' – going underground in search of zombies

lw355 — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 08:37:51 +0000

Isla de Mona has been many things: a source of melons and cotton hammocks for conquistadors in the 16th century; a pirate haunt in the 17th and 18th centuries; an industrial island fertilising the fields of the Western world with the fossilised guano of giant fish-eating bats in the 19th; a US air base in the 20th; and now, both a nature reserve and a destination for migrants seeking a better life in the USA.

This tiny island, just seven miles by four, with no permanent settlement, lies in the dangerous Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and it is the prehistory that brings us here.

̽��ֱ��plateau of limestone and dolomite is riddled with caves filled with signs of human activity. Much of this is pre-Columbian (i.e. before the Spanish arrived in the late 15th century) and consists of painted images, finger-drawn designs and extensive extractive finger scratches, which are sometimes deep within the ‘dark zones’, where no natural light falls.

I am with archaeologists Dr Alice Samson from Cambridge’s McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and Dr Jago Cooper from the British Museum for their summer fieldwork. As a conservator with specialism in the materials and techniques of painting, I am here to analyse the pigments used to make pre-Columbian markings and with the team look at the layer structures of engravings and painted images.

I’m using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to examine the elemental composition of the pictographs, and will later take tiny samples away for further analysis. I want to find out whether the people who made these images used materials that were at hand in the caves, or transported them in from elsewhere.

Mona’s prehistoric peoples appear to have lived on the island from at least 2800 BCE, surviving a century after the arrival of the Spanish at the end of the 15th century. ̽��ֱ��inhabitants at the time of the conquest, commonly referred to as Taínos, brought us the words hurricane, barbeque, hammock, canoe, potato and cannibal.

Caves feature prominently in Taíno mythology and it is likely that many of the anthropogenic images in the caves are zemís (considered by some the origin of the word ‘zombie’). Zemí refers to any object, animal, vegetable or mineral, which was animate and could be called upon to intervene in human affairs. Zemís were found, constructed or painted in 3D and 2D form. Although the presence of human-like figurative designs is common in Caribbean rock-art, Alice and Jago’s work is bringing to light a staggering amount of physical modification to the caves from the pre-Columbian era, particularly the extraction of soft white lime from the walls and ceilings. ̽��ֱ��purpose of this extraction and what the material was used for are not yet known.

Each morning I wake at 5.30am to the sounds of subtropical birds. It’s the only time of day cool enough to go for a run. ̽��ֱ��coastguards and rangers all eat early; for them, life on Mona is a cycle of week-on-week-off at work, with a small aircraft bringing them to and from the Puerto Rican mainland to Mona via a bumpy grass airstrip.

At the camp, there’s a small study centre (happily, with solar-powered Wi-Fi) as well as basic accommodation where the workers live, and where migrants can rest before they are moved from the island. Mona throws together strange combinations of people: border police, rangers, military personnel, scientists, cavers, immigrants and boy scouts.

We set off early in the morning. Some of the caves are nearby, but others involve more effort to carry our equipment, as they are some distance from our camp. Mona’s environment can be inhospitable and it has a fearsome reputation. There is little natural water, except sometimes deep in the caves. It is dry, hot and thorny, and the rocks are sharp. As we walk to the caves, we often disturb one of Mona’s endemic and therefore incredibly rare iguanas. They typically scuttle away from us into a hidden cave mouth.

Our team also includes Masters’ students from the Centro de Estudios Avanzados in Puerto Rico, and we work together analysing, documenting and photographing the evidence in the caves. Colonists, buccaneers, guano-miners and boy scouts have all left their mark, often with dated graffiti. On several days, we join a team of cavers who year on year visit this most cavernous location on earth to map the island’s 200-plus caves. It’s a great opportunity to learn about cave mapping and geology from experts.

If possible, lunch is taken in a cliff-side cave mouth, with a view out over the sea. On occasion, two nosy Red-Footed boobies wheel round and round to get a better look at us. ̽��ֱ��caves themselves are extremely hot, humid and dirty. At the end of the day we walk into the Caribbean sea, fully dressed in our ‘cave clothes’.

Images: Finger drawings and Lucy Wrapson

Credit: Alice Samson/El Corazon del Caribe Research project

Lucy Wrapson reports on her fieldwork analysing the curious cave paintings found on Isla de Mona, in the Caribbean, and their equally enigmatic artists.

Finger-drawn designs and extensive extractive finger scratches are sometimes deep within the ‘dark zones’, where no natural light falls

Lucy Wrapson

Alice Samson/El Corazon del Caribe Research project

Cave painting, Isla de Mona

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Uncovering the afterlife of ancient Egypt

sjr81 — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 15:31:24 +0000

Going beyond the images of mummies, animal-headed gods, pharaohs and mystery often associated with ancient Egypt, Death on the Nile explores the beliefs and working practices behind these objects and reveals fascinating new information on how they were made.

Golden yellow, and covered from head to toe in bright hieroglyphs and pictures in reds, greens and blues, the set of coffins belonging to the man named Nespawershefyt (also known as Nes-Amun) was one of the very first gifts to the Fitzwilliam collection, given by two members of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge in 1822, just a few years after the Museum was founded in 1816.

̽��ֱ��following year, Giovanni Belzoni presented the ̽��ֱ�� with the seven-ton granite sarcophagus lid of Ramesses III which he had retrieved from the Valley of the Kings. These and other gifts, as well as material from excavations, for which the Museum was a sponsor, created the remarkable collection of Egyptian coffins at the Fitzwilliam today.

̽��ֱ��coffins of Nes-Amun are not only incredibly beautiful, they also contain valuable clues to the man who commissioned them and to precisely how Egyptian coffins in his time were made. It is one of the finest coffin sets of its type in the world and in an outstanding state of preservation.

To uncover its hidden secrets, the coffins have been extensively studied with X-radiography at the Museum. And in February this year, the inner coffin was sent for CT scanning at the radiology department of Addenbrooke's Hospital, part of Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Hospitals (CUH).

Julie Dawson, Head of Conservation at the Fitzwilliam Museum and co-curator of the exhibition, said: “ ̽��ֱ��inner coffin box is made up of a multitude of pieces of wood, including sections from at least one older coffin. Evidence of re-use includes cuts across old dowel holes, patching to change the profile of the coffin sides and a number of places where old mortise holes have been filled in and new ones cut beside them. Wood was a precious commodity and the craftsmen were incredibly skilled at making these complex objects from sometimes unpromising starting materials.

“ ̽��ֱ��radiographs and scans also reveal how people tried to restore or preserve the coffins in the past. Some parts of Nespawershefyt’s coffins are held together with 19th century ironmongery. Without these old repairs the coffins might not have survived so well, but they are quite intrusive on the original object and have rusted into the wood in places, causing damage.”

Examining the surface revealed other surprises, including several 3,000 year old fingerprints, suggesting that the craftsmen moved the lid of the inner coffin before the varnish had dried. NesAmun clearly commissioned his coffins during his lifetime, presumably at the point where he could afford a set worthy of his status as a priest of Amun-Re.

However, by the time of his death he had risen in rank and his new titles — as supervisor of craftsmen's workshops in Karnak and the supervisor of temple scribes of Amun-Re — had to be inscribed over the top of the old ones. This shows the importance attached to being properly prepared for death in ancient Egypt, even while one was still alive.

̽��ֱ��Nes-Amun coffin set is one of many stunning objects in Death on the Nile, the majority from the Fitzwilliam’s collections and complemented by loans from the British Museum and the Musée du Louvre. Through scientific analysis, the woods and the pigments and varnishes used by the craftsmen to make the decoration have been identified.

Evidence of working practices, from the variety of tool marks found on the wood to the drawing and painting techniques used to make the images, have been revealed through close study and a range of imaging techniques.

All this information helps bring us closer to the people who made the coffins as do the very human touches and stumbles – secret repairs hidden underneath a perfect finish, mistakes in drawings that had to be changed in the final painting and even the odd practice doodle on the underside of a coffin box.

A series of reconstructions will show how some of the coffins were made and, in a live conservation area, visitors will be able to examine in more detail the scientific techniques and the materials and construction methods uncovered during the project.

Helen Strudwick, Egyptologist and exhibition co-curator said: “This is a chance for us to encourage visitors to look more closely at these extraordinary objects. A coffin artisan in ancient Egypt had to deal creatively with many practical problems and sometimes restrictions on materials available because of the economic or political climate. Objects always had to be tailored to cost, but the finish had to meet the high aspirations of the customer. ̽��ֱ��coffins show the skill and care with which the Egyptians prepared for the afterlife.

“To us, for whom death is a taboo subject, this seems like a morbid preoccupation. In fact, it was an obsession with life and an urgent wish to ensure its perfected continuation.

“This is also a very appropriate exhibition for our bicentenary year. Not only did the Museum’s collection of Egyptian artefacts start with the gift of a beautiful set of coffins, that gift was also given in the year that Egyptology as a subject was born: 1822 was the year that Jean-François Champollion first announced his theories on the hieroglyphic script. And, as part of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, it is an excellent opportunity for us to bring the research we are carrying out on the Museum’s Egyptian coffin collection to the attention of a wider audience.”

Death on the Nile: Uncovering the afterlife of ancient Egypt is at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge 23 February – 22 May 2016. Admission is free.

̽��ֱ��Fitzwilliam Museum is marking its bicentenary anniversary celebrations with an exhibition on its remarkable collection of Egyptian coffins.

To us, for whom death is a taboo subject, this seems like a morbid preoccupation. In fact, it was an obsession with life.

Helen Strudwick

Death on the Nile - Teaser Trailer

Full length view of coffin from the coffin set of Nespawershefyt, About 1000 BC

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Origins of the Afro Comb: 6,000 years of culture, politics and identity

sjr81 — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 11:12:18 +0000

Origins of the Afro Comb follows the evolution of the comb from pre-dynastic Egypt to modern-day, tracing the similarities in form and the remarkablediversity of designs found across Africa and the African Diaspora. ̽��ֱ��exhibitionis a part of a legacy project to record how the comb is used today, with visitorsbeing encouraged to contribute their personal stories and hairstyles both to theexhibition and to archives for future generations.

Each of the hundreds of beautiful combs on display is a work of art, from pieces exquisitely carved in wood with tiny geometric designs, to works sculpted from ivory or inlayed with multi-coloured glass beads. ̽��ֱ��displays will include images and sculpture showing a wide variety of hairstyles illustrating how the combs have been used since antiquity.

A digital interaction gallery will show projections of personal stories about combs and African type hair, as well as the contribution personal styling has had to play in maintaining and expressing cultural identity. At the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, the story is brought into the present with three connected contemporary art installations My Hair: Black Hair Culture, Style and Politics by artist and writer Michael McMillan. ̽��ֱ��installations show the development of the global black hair industry, the politicising and popularisation of Afros and Dreadlocks, and bring to life the ‘Cottage Salon’ in the Home, ̽��ֱ��Barber Shop and ̽��ֱ��Hairdressing Salon.

Explaining black hair culture, styling and politics as we know it today, the installations are complemented by a film showing different hands styling hair, and a series of soundbites, which can be heard by sitting under one of the hairdryers.

Origins of the Afro Comb has been curated by Sally-Ann Ashton, Senior Assistant Keeper of Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum: “This exhibition expresses the unity of archaeology and anthropology, where art meets personal human stories, observing patterns of change and continuity of this vital cultural tradition.

“Much of the work here has involved a very lively community of people today, working with a diverse committee contributing both advice and pieces for the displays, including artworks and personal combs. These personal items add depth to the story we are telling here, complementing the truly remarkable artworks we have on display from the Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Museums collections, from the British Museum, the Petrie Museum, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Nigeria and other individual contributors.”

Four major strands of Ashton’s own research are reflected in this exhibition: museum curatorship, Egyptology, anthropological fieldwork in Jamaica, and leadership of an innovative long-term prisons project across England, teaching black history – and at the same time studying the impact of imprisonment on hair.

Contributions from the widening public about their hair stories are being welcomed throughout the exhibition and beyond at the website https://afrocombs.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk

Ashton said: “Regardless of where you are and whether you visit the exhibition, we would love to hear from anybody who uses the combs today, who thinks about hair styles and what they might mean in general, or who might just be interested in cultural history at a global scale.

“One of the most important displays in the exhibition is a case of combs with lost histories. They have no story because it was never recorded at the time; now we have no way of knowing. With enough contributions from the public we can create an important archive reflecting a unique part of our global culture today, and continue the story for future generations.”

̽��ֱ��6,000-year history of the Afro Comb, its extraordinary impact on cultures worldwide, and community stories relating to hair today are being explored in a new exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology in Cambridge.

This exhibition expresses the unity of archaeology and anthropology, where art meets personal human stories, observing patterns of change and continuity of this vital cultural tradition.

Sally-Ann Ashton

Fitzwilliam Museum

Plastic hair comb, 21st century, bought in Nigeria

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