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A Taste of Ancient Egypt in Lampeter

11.06.2012

Egyptologist Dr Katharina Zinn from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David will give a talk on Ancient Egyptian Funerary Beliefs on 15/06/2012 at 1:30pm in the Roderic Bowen Library and Archives, Lampeter campus.

The public talk is part of the vernissage of a current exhibition, entitled Scarabs and Dragons? A Taste of Ancient Egypt in Lampeter which showcases ancient Egyptian objects belonging to Cyfarthfa Castle Museum, Merthyr Tydfil in the Roderic Bowen Archives on the Lampeter Campus.

Students in the School of Archaeology, History and Anthropology will also give presentations on the objects exhibited.

This exhibition is the first result of collaboration between the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Cyfarthfa Castle Museums and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil.

The small but excellent collection was given to the museum by the family of the late Major Harry Hartley Southey. Major Southey’s family owned the Merthyr Express newspaper. He pursued a military career in the Merthyr Tydfil’s ‘Companies of Territorial’s’ and the 5th Welch Regiment using his commitments to travel the Mediterranean and the Middle East and to collected Egyptian, Roman, Grecian, and Asian Objects. He was killed in action during the Battle of Gaza in the First World War.

Egyptologist Dr Katharina Zinn from the University explains how the objects came to Wales:

“Major Southey befriended the curator of the Egyptian Museum and was able to bring together this very interesting collection of ancient Egyptian objects and high leveled replica which were shipped to Wales in wooden crates.

“Due to the existing Memorandum of Cooperation between our two institutions, five objects of Major Southey’s collection are currently on loan and can be seen at the Lampeter campus.

“These artifacts were the basis of a module assessments of second year undergraduate students, who were introduced to primary research of these otherwise unexplored and unpublished collection. This is a very rare and exciting occasion for the students.”

The exhibition closes this Friday.

Note to Editor

Photo: Roman Mummy mask

This mask is a fine example of Roman culture in Egypt in the first to third centuries AD. A technique involving layering plaster and linen strips was used to mould an image of the deceased’s face to be placed on the mummy ready for burial.

Further Information

Elinor Howells
01570 424 859 | 07772531165
e.howells@tsd.ac.uk

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