Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum has just opened a new chapter in the distant past, unveiling its new galleries dedicated to Ancient Egypt and Nubia. This £5 million ($7.7 million) refurbishment has allowed the re-housing of 40,000 artifacts collected over the last 300 years, including coffins and mummies that haven't been displayed since the Second World War.
Designed by Rick Mather Architects, the six new galleries lead visitors from Egypt's origins in the Paleolithic period to the annexation of the country by the Roman Empire after the suicide of Cleopatra in 30 BC. Liam McNamara, lead curator for the redevelopment of the new galleries, told ARTINFO UK: "We hope that by presenting the galleries in a chronological sequence we will enable our visitors to understand the great length of time that the Egyptian civilization covers — three millennia — but also the aspects of continuity and change that occurred during those 3,000 years."
This "change in continuity" so particular to ancient Egypt is demonstrated early on, with the first gallery's two colossal statues of the Egyptian fertility god Min. Dating from the late pre-dynastic period (c. 3300 BC), these are among the earliest representations of the deity. They are presented with a limestone relief of Min, excavated at the same site of Koptos and dating from 700 later. "In essence, the god is represented in exactly the same way," said McNamara. "He has the same attributes. The artistic style has changed, but it is the same symbol, or icon if you like."
The new display includes the Shrine of Taharqa, once part of the temple complex of Kawa in ancient Sudan, and the only freestanding Pharaonic building in Britain. There is also a display of breathtakingly lifelike Roman-era mummy portraits. But the real showstoppers are the nested coffins and mummy of a Theban priest, the catchily named Djeddjehutyiuefankh, dated from 770-712 B.C. A CAT-scan of the mummy at the local hospital has recently revealed stones in his throat, as well as half-moon stones covering his eyes. "We are slowly beginning to learn more about who he was, how old he was when he died, why he might have died," said McNamara.
Over the last ten years, human remains in public collections have caused heated debate in Britain, with museum professionals struggling to agree on the most adequate way display them – or, indeed, whether it is appropriate to display them at all. Some coffins have been closed, or half-closed. In 2008, the Manchester University Museum even covered three mummies completely with white sheets, but later relented. The Ashmolean's strategy is to allow visitors to peer into the coffins while attempting to deal with the body according to the principles of ancient Egyptian religion.
"The ancient Egyptians believed very strongly that to ensure that the deceased moved to the afterlife it was fundamental that the human body was preserved," explained McNamara. "This is why the Egyptians went to such great length to mummify and preserve the body. It was to give the individual's soul something to live in. By providing state-of-the-art display cases that are fully climate controlled, we are actually continuing to ensure that those bodies are well preserved. It's in full respect of the ancient Egyptian belief."
"With the mummy of a singer in the cult of Amun, we actually included the ancient Egyptian 'offering formula,'" he continued. "The ancient Egyptians encouraged passers-by to read out this offering formula, requesting an offering of bread and beer and all the other good things that the deceased person would need in order to continue living in the afterlife. Essentially, we point out to our visitors that reciting this offering formula would allow this person to continue in the afterlife."