Friends of the Egypt Centre – The Egypt Centre

The Friends of the Egypt Centre support the Egypt Centre and organise an exciting programme of ten monthly lectures per year (September to June). These events run separately from the Egypt Centre’s other online events such as fundraising lectures and courses, and are arranged to cater for all levels of understanding. You can choose to be a member of the Friends for an annual fee of as little as £10, or pay £3 per lecture (booking via Eventbrite).

2024–25 Programme

25 September 2024 (Hybrid lecture)
Ships’ sails and queens’ dresses. A very brief introduction to ancient Egyptian linen manufacture
By Carolyn Graves-Brown

Linen, a staple of ancient Egyptian life, has long been admired for its versatility and durability. While its modern connotations are often glamorous or macabre, the intricacies of its production remain a subject of ongoing research. This talk will delve into the manufacturing process of Egyptian linen, from the cultivation of flax plants to the creation of finished textiles.

By examining evidence from the period between 3000 and 100 BC, we will challenge the prevailing assumptions about linen production. Contrary to popular belief, the techniques used may have varied significantly over time. This presentation aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject, shedding light on the ancient Egyptians’ mastery of textile production.

Tickets are available here.

A poster advertising a lecture on ancient Egyptian linen manufacture. The lecture is part of the "Friends of the Egypt Centre" series. The poster features an image of a man and woman pulling up flax, and includes the title of the lecture, the speaker's name, the date, time, location, admission price, and booking information.

16 October 2024 (Online lecture only)
Curating Egypt: the Egyptian collection at the University of Aberdeen
By Abeer Eladany (The University of Aberdeen)

The University of Aberdeen houses one of the largest Egyptian Collections in Scotland. Most of the objects were collected over the last few centuries through donations from alumni who travelled to and worked in Egypt throughout the 19th century, some occasional purchases from auctions, and through subscriptions to the Egypt Exploration Fund.

The collection includes casts, squeezes, old photographs, and manuscripts of Egyptological interest but they have not yet been fully catalogued. This talk will highlight some of the donors, the early curators and some of the less-known objects from the collection.

Tickets are available here.

A poster advertising a Zoom lecture on the Egyptian Collection at the University of Aberdeen. The lecture is part of the "Friends of the Egypt Centre" series. The poster features an image of the Nile River and Abu Simbel, and includes the title of the lecture, the speaker's name, the date, time, location (Zoom only), admission price, and booking information.

20 November 2024 (Hybrid lecture)
Clothes make people! An insight into the study of ancient textiles
By Katarzyna Lubos (University of Bonn)

Textiles have always been among the most popular goods of mankind and are an important part of our material culture. Bright colours, different shapes, individual patterns, and complex weaving techniques have characterised clothing since its beginnings and continue to fascinate us today. They fulfil a wide range of functions. Textile craft techniques were not only used to produce essential everyday goods – first and foremost clothing – but also consumer goods, prestigious objects, and even luxury items. Their production requires skill and raw materials and is so time-consuming that many advances in textile technology had a broad influence on changes in economic and social history well into the modern era.

As part of a textile archaeological investigation, the textiles are comprehensively catalogued, chronologically classified, and examined regarding their function and production techniques. The aim is to reconstruct and better understand changes in the use and technology of textiles over long periods of time.

Tickets are available here.

A poster advertising a lecture on ancient textiles. The poster features an image of a child's tunic, and includes the title of the lecture, the speaker's name, the date, time, location (hybrid), admission price, and booking information. The poster also mentions that current members of the Friends of the Egypt Centre will receive an email link and will not need to book.

11 December 2024 (Hybrid lecture)
The Egypt Centre: new discoveries, new horizons
By Ken Griffin (The Egypt Centre)

Join us for a captivating exploration of the Egypt Centre’s recent achievements. This presentation will highlight groundbreaking research conducted on our collection in the last two years. We will also discuss recent exhibitions, including those relating to the Harrogate collection. Finally, we will unveil our ambitious plans for the redevelopment of the House of Death gallery, a project that will transform this space into a state-of-the-art immersive experience.

Tickets are available here.

A poster advertising a lecture about new discoveries and horizons in Egyptology. The poster features an image of a display case with an ancient Egyptian coffin inside, and includes the title of the lecture, the speaker's name, the date, time, location, admission price, and booking information. The poster also mentions that current members of the Friends of the Egypt Centre will receive an email link and will not need to book.

15 January 2025 (Online lecture only)
Snapshots of the Past: Egypt Through the Eyes of Two Victorian Women
By Bryony Renshaw (Macclesfield Museums)

In 1874 Marianne Brocklehurst and Mary Booth returned from their first trip to Egypt. The trip sparked a fascination with Egypt, both ancient and modern, which would see them spend the rest of their lives collecting and researching artefacts, befriending Egyptologists and building their own museum. 150 years later, new research is revealing glimpses of the adventurous life Marianne and Mary shared through watercolour paintings, letters, diaries and museum labels. This talk will explore how all this scattered material can be pieced together to reveal the forgotten story of these two remarkable Victorian women.

Tickets are available here.

12 February 2025 (Online lecture only)
Travel, transport, and mobility in ancient Egypt: being on the move in pharaonic times
By Heidi Köpp-Junk (University of Trier)

Nowadays, we associate travel mainly with tourism, but this differs very much from the ancient Egyptian evidence. Who travelled in ancient Egypt and why, was only the high society on the move? Did they travel just for fun or for economic reasons? And last but not least, how did they travel? Heidi Köpp-Junk answers all these questions and shows the means of transport and locomotion ancient Egyptians used on their journeys, from the sedan chair of Hetepheres, Khufu’s mother, to the chariot of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.