EGYPT IN READING
Stories from the Liverpool Collection
An exhibition at the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology
26 Feb – 5 May 2020
In 1923 two cases of Egyptian artefacts arrived in Reading. They had been excavated in Egypt over a decade earlier. Drawing on original archives, this exhibition reveals the story behind these objects – their initial discovery and distribution, and the colonial occupation that tied Britain and Egypt together. It will highlight some of the key individuals, both British and Egyptian, who played a role in the history of archaeology in Egypt, and explore how traces of this history can be found in Reading.
For “Egypt in Reading”, the Ure Museum’s exhibition case is split into three sections, “Britain in Egypt”, “Excavating Egypt”, and “Egypt in Britain”. The three drawers located below each section of the case contain more objects relating to each individual section.
This digital exhibition complements the display in the Ure Museum. In addition to the handlist text and images of many of the items included in the exhibition, it features extra audio/visual content, essays and a reading list. Click on each of the links below to access the content.
On display at the Ure Museum:
Britain in Egypt Britain in Egypt Drawer
Excavating Egypt Excavating Egypt Drawer
Egypt in Britain Egypt in Britain Drawer
Extra Digital Content:
Rachel Mairs on Tourism (Audio)
Rachel Mairs on Dragomans (Audio)
Rachel Mairs on Dragomans’ Business Cards (Video)
Dina Rezk on the modern history of Egypt (Audio)
Dina Rezk on the Aswan Dam (Audio)
Dina Rezk on Colonial Legacies (Audio)
Credits
Curation by Amara Thornton (Ure Museum Research Officer) & Jayne Holly (Ure Museum Assistant Curator)
Exhibition text by Amara Thornton
Exhibition poster and handlist design and typesetting by Matthew Knight
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Gina Criscenzo-Laycock; Fiona Melhuish; Claire Clough; Ollie Douglas, Madeleine Ding; Rhi Smith; Dina Rezk; Rachel Mairs; Heba Abd el Gawad; Stephen Quirke; Dan Potter; Francisco Boche-Puche; Chloé Ragazzoli. Support for research trip to the Garstang Museum, Liverpool from the University of Reading Heritage and Creativity Institute for Collections. All reproductions from the Garstang Museum archive courtesy of the Garstang Museum, University of Liverpool.
To enquire or for more details, or to feedback to us on the exhibition email: amara.thornton@reading.ac.uk.
Visit the Ure Museum’s research blog: https://research.reading.ac.uk/curiosi/ure-routes/