Coventry's hidden links with Egypt uncovered in Pharaoh Akhenaten show at Herbert Museum

Exhibition: Who was the Pharaoh Akhenaten?, The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry, September 7 – 14 2010

When a radical 14th century Pharaoh built the Egyptian city of Tell el-Amarna, he probably didn’t have 20th century Coventry in mind.

According to the Herbert, though, Akhenaten’s unwitting architectural strategy inspired urban planner Donald Gibson’s designs for the postwar rebuild of the West Midlands metropolis, symbolised by an engraving of his favoured sun god deity in the foundation pillar of the local council’s Broadgate House.

To mark this link a tablet of the Pharaoh – carved as a trial piece more than 3,300 years ago – has been procured from the British Museum for this week-long insight into his enigmatic political and religious policies, including deviations from traditional religion and occasionally abrasive international relations.

A detailed audio description of the tablet is followed by a talk by Head of Collections and Programming Chris Kirby on the opening day, followed by stories of ancient Egypt next week. They precede a major show on the country planned at the Herbert early next year.

Open 10am-4pm  (12pm-4pm Sunday). Admission free.

The Secret Egypt exhibition will open at the gallery in February 2011.