National Museum of Australia to host 'Discovering Ancient Egypt' exhibition in December

Numerous never-before-seen objects and stories, thousands of years old, will be displayed at the National Museum of Australia as part of the "Discovering Ancient Egypt" exhibition.

It's the only exhibit to date to come to Canberra that exclusively shows ancient Egyptian history and culture.

More than 200 historical objects ranging from books of the dead (on papyrus scrolls) to pyramidions (actual capstones/tops of pyramids the size of a moving box) are coming to the capital.

Rediscovered objects from an excavated ancient Egyptian village will also feature in the exhibit, and no one is more excited than Craig Middleton, one of the senior curators at NMA.

"To find an entire village that has been preserved ... is quite spectacular," Mr Middleton said. "It's a time machine.

"[Visitors] will be surprised by some of these everyday objects, there'll be unexpected objects and stories, and material culture. I think that's the beauty of this show, it's expanding people's understanding."

The curator said the upcoming exhibition "grapples" with the question: Why, over centuries and centuries, are we still fascinated by ancient Egypt and ancient Egyptian exhibitions?

While the western world continues to be inspired by Egyptian engineering (monumental pyramids) and language (hieroglyphics), the fascination goes back much further, back to the sixth century to ancient Greece, Rome and the Arab conquests.

Mr Middleton says Egypt's ongoing innovative and inspiring civilisation, which began about 6000 years ago, is behind the worldwide attraction and acclaim.

"They've sort of informed how buildings have evolved ... but it's also just fascinating cultural heritage," he said.

"In the World War periods in Australia, we saw the building of these arches and commemorative obelisks, which are all informed by Egyptian architecture.

"Even today, you will see Egyptian-inspired costumes in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras."

READ MORE:

The exhibition is coming to Australia from the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in the Netherlands, who have a "strong relationship" with Egypt and its archaeological dig sites.

The exhibit opened at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in June and will be curated in Canberra's NMA from December 15 until September next year. Its final Australian venue will be the Queensland Museum Network in late 2024.

Enthusiastic Egyptophiles would already know of the "Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs" showing only in Sydney from mid-November. Why not come over to Canberra after for another hit?

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.