ARTEFACTS from the University of Aberdeen’s Egyptian archeology collection are set to be on display in China.
This will include over 120 artefacts which will be on display across multiple Chinese venues throughout 2024.
Titled “Meet Ancient Egypt: Mummy, Life and Death in Ancient Egypt”, the exhibitions will fully consist of items loaned from the University.
These exhibitions hope to encompass thousands of years of history through including things like jewellery, mummified crocodile remains, hieroglyphic friezes and statues of gods.
These exhibitions were designed by the Meet You Museum in China working alongside the Expona museum exhibition network of Italy.
This hopes to show the history and importance of these items on a more international scale as well as provide students and staff of the university’s Museum Studies programmes with a teaching opportunity.
Neil Curtis, Head of Museums and Special Collections at the University of Aberdeen, said: “The collection of Egyptian archaeology in the care of the University is one the most important in the world.”
“We are delighted to be able to display over 100 items this year in an exhibition on display in the Meet You Museums in Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Beijing.”
Caroline Dempsey, the University’s Museum Conservator, oversaw the installation of the exhibition at the second venue in Hangzhou, stated: “Working alongside the Chinese museum professionals was a wonderful experience.”
“The conservator, Mr Wang, very kindly showed me the beautiful West Lake area before we embarked on an intense three days of work, getting the objects into their cases. The installation team have created a fantastic display with our collection.”
Professor Alison Brown, Programme Director of the MLitt Museum Studies programme, discussed how this loan provided an opportunity for staff to explain to students the work surrounding coordinating exhibitions like this.
Alison explained, that because the programmes often has students from China, this exhibition “gives prospective students a chance to see examples of the kind of historically important collections they would then have the chance to work with as students here in Aberdeen.”
