http://www.horniman.ac.uk/get_involved/blog/exploring-our-egyptian-objects
Exploring our Egyptian objects
Here at the Horniman, we host a collection of Ancient Egypt objects most probably excavated by Flinders Petrie, an eminent archaeologist who Emslie Horniman acquired the objects from.
A mummy case from our collection with the protective Eye of Horus at the top
Flinders Petrie was famous, well in archaeology circles, and a bit of an eccentric, having slept in a tomb during a dig and wearing pink pyjamas to startle people away from disturbing him whilst working. His meticulous attention to detail earned him a place in the academia hall of fame.
William Matthew Flinders Petrie, UCL
Whilst still a teenager he surveyed Stonehenge, noting that he measured the stones to within 1/10th of an inch. He then applied this same forensic mind to Egypt, creating ‘Sequence Dating’, a theory that categorised Ancient Egyptian pottery into types and from these types into a chronological sequence.
Egyptian Naqada ware that Flinders Petrie Sorted
Our Egyptian material is really beautiful, and many of the pieces are on display in our African Worlds Gallery. One of my favourites is currently not on display but is this fragmentary mummy mask:
The moulded face is made of cartonnage, a sort of ancient papier mâché that could be shaped to make fine features of a head including, ears, eyes and lips. The mask dates from the Ptolemaic era (silent P, like Pterodactyl). The Ptolemies were a Macedonian family instated in Egypt by Alexander the Great (small chap who built a huge empire).
The Ptolemaic era is a fascinating period for Egypt, Africa and the Mediterranean. North African objects start to adopt Grecian styles and vice versa, as the movement of people around Greece, Italy, North Africa and the Levant led to a movement of ideas, art and culture.
Our African Worlds Gallery is open every day from 10:30am, and don't forget to experience African Summer at our events running until Sunday 30 August.
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