THE mysteries of Ancient Egypt will be unlocked as the development of Bolton Museum's new multi-million pound gallery enters a new phase.

BBC and History Channel's Prof Joann Fletcher and Dr Stephen Buckley will launch the 10-month programme dedicated to the land of the Pharoahs with a talk entitled Mummification and Bolton on August 12 at the library.

Work on the £3.8m new Egyptology gallery is expected to be completed by autumn, 2018.

In the coming months there will be activities and film screenings taking place at Bolton Library and Museum in Le Mans Crescent.

The renowned Egyptologist and her archaeologist partner will deliver a further talk on Daily Life in Ancient Egypt with Kha and Meryt, on April 5, next year at 7pm.

Other events in the programme include family craft activities, including how to mummify a Barbie doll on August 12 at 2pm,

In the coming months children can also learn how to make a scarab beetle plus a talk on the journey to the afterlife and story sessions and myths from ancient Egypt.

Evening talks, more suitable to an adult audience include Dr Campbell Price from Manchester Museum speaking on the power of the Gods, Claire Ollett from the University of Birmingham on Tutankhamun's treasures and Liverpool University's Dr Stephen Snape on the topic of religion in ancient Egypt.

In addition, the Library and Museum will show a free film on the third Thursday of the month from 7pm based on Egypt.

Screenings will kick off with Carry on Cleo on August 17, with future films including The Mummy and Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

All events are free and will run until June, 2018, preparing people for the big reveal of Bolton's Egypt.

Bolton Council's cabinet member for culture, youth and sport, Cllr John Byrne, said: "We are entering an interesting phase in the redevelopment of our Egyptology gallery, as people will start to see work taking place and builders on site.

"What's really exciting is the fantastic programme of events covering the next 10 months or so. There really is something for everyone, from craft activities and interactive talks for children, to in-depth lectures on some of the fascinating topics within the world of Egyptology. Coupled with a full series of fun films, we're looking forward to whetting the appetite of Egyptology fans in the run up to our new gallery opening next year."

Visitors will start to see scaffolding being erected to the building and a large section of Central Library will be sectioned off from September to enable essential roof works, which form part of the overall project.

Some titles will be unavailable as a result, and limited stock can be reserved for collection.

To find out more about the programme visit Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BoltonLibraryandMuseumServices/ or pick up a leaflet from the library.