New galleries and gallery closures
We have now started work on our new Ancient Worlds galleries, opening Oct 2012, which will replace the current Ancient Egypt and Archaeology galleries. The Daily Life section of Ancient Egypt is now closed and the Death and the Afterlife section of Ancient Egypt and Archaeology will close on 20 Feb 2012.
You can see many of the removed objects in our temporary exhibition Unearthed: Ancient Egypt, until 6 Sep 2012.
The three new Ancient Worlds galleries will be called Discovering Archaeology, Egyptian World and Exploring Objects. Highlighting our collections from Manchester and the region, and from ancient civilizations such as Greece, Rome and Egypt, these galleries will reveal the stories behind the objects, through people who lived long ago as well as modern day archaeologists, historians and collectors.
The new Ancient Worlds galleries are supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Garfield Weston Foundation, The Monument Trust, The Headley Trust, The Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The Foundation for Sport and the Arts, The Barker Foundation, The Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust and by the exhibition TUTANKHAMUN-HIS TOMB AND HIS TREASURES.
Ancient Egypt
Daily Life
Manchester Museum is unusual in possessing a wealth of material from "living sites" in ancient Egypt as well as from tombs. This gallery uses objects from three important sites to look at different aspects of everyday life, as well as various technologies. These sites provide a wide view of Egyptian society: Kahun, a pyramid workmen's village (c.1900 BC); Gurob, a royal residence town (c. 1450 BC); and Tell el Amarna (c. 1350 BC), capital of Egypt under the heretic king Akhenaten (probably half-brother of Tutankhamun). There is also a case displaying textiles from Egypt's post-pharaonic period.
Death and The Afterlife
This gallery covers the subject of Egyptian funerary beliefs and customs through both historical and thematic approaches. The collections are sufficiently rich to enable development of these subjects to be traced from predynastic times (before 3100 BC) down to the Roman Period (4th century AD). Mummies are displayed, together with their coffins and funerary goods, and there are also special sections that deal with funerary masks, tomb models and figurines, and animal mummies.
The complete tomb-group of the "Two Brothers" can be seen, with coffins, mummies and funerary goods. Its excavator, Sir William Flinders Petrie, once described this as the finest non-royal tomb-group of the Middle Kingdom. Another treasure is the unique piece of jewellery known as the "Riqqeh Pectoral".
After Life
As well as discovering the ancient Egyptians' beliefs about the after life, find out about some personal reflections, and potential options, for funerals and remembrance today. The After Life exhibits are displayed within the Ancient Egypt gallery.
What do you think? Visit and contribute to the Manchester Museum Egyptian blog
You can also follow our Curator of Egypt and Sudan Campbell Price on his Twitter feed
