(Above) the interior of the Coffin of Pedeamun. Courtesy National Museums Liverpool
Drunken tomb builders, papers accusing citizens of grave digging and a 4,000 year old therapeutic harp are among 1,500 exhibits displayed in an atmospheric new gallery launching at the World Museum Liverpool on Friday December 5 2008.
Concentrating on the world of the Pharaohs and the culture responsible for building the Pyramids and the Sphinx, the Museum's vast Ancient Egypt archive follows the development of the kingdom from the time of Menes, the first King of Egypt who reigned in around 3000 BC, through to Queen Cleopatra in around 30 BC and the Greek and Roman periods.
A set of canopic jars (above) belonged to a man named Wahhor, the son of Ptahhotep. Dynasty 26 (about 600 BC). Courtesy National Museums Liverpool
A section devoted to death features a chilling collection of 200 spells carried by Pharaohs in their coffins and the preservation techniques used on corpses to protect the bodies and souls of the dead, some of which were thought to be capable of flying out of tombs.
Anthropoid coffin of Pediamunnebnesuttauwy - a Wab priest of the god Amun. Beneath the pectoral on the lid is a figure of the sky goddess Nut, wings outstretched, her name, as usual, set above her head. Dynasty 26 (about 600 BC). Courtesy National Museums Liverpool
A colourful belt dating from 1180 BC, which belonged to the last great Pharaoh, Rameses III, goes on display for the first time in more than 60 years, and is believed to have been worn by the monarch in battle.
Coptic manuscript on papyrus. Courtesy Museums Liverpool
The mummy believed to have inspired author H Rider Haggard’s fantasy adventure She, will also be viewable whilst interactive features will allow visitors to unravel a mummy without touching the figure. Mummified cats, hawks and crocodiles, attributed Godly status to protect the Egyptians from bad spirits, also appear.
Fragment from a temple with carving of King Tuthmosis I, Dynasty 18. Courtesy Museums Liverpool
Probably the most important documents on display are papyri (papers) recording the trials of people accused of tomb robbing. They were discovered in the 1840s, probably at Thebes, and were divided up between collections in Liverpool, London and New York.
Scarab ring inscribed with head of Hathor, uraei, cartouche of Tuthmosis III. Part of a complete unrobbed grave. Dynasty 18 (about 1425 BC). Courtesy Museums Liverpool
A section on tomb building reveals that the men who built the Pyramids were paid in beer and bread with such generosity that they were known for their drunkenness.
Exhibition curator Ashley Cooke described the exhibition as “one of the finest collections anywhere”. “No other civilisation in world history has captured the imagination quite like Ancient Egypt, the first nation state,” he said.
“These remarkable people left their mark on the world and influenced all who followed them. Today their wonderful, haunting tombs and all they left behind continue to exert an endless fascination.”
