little ostraca

In September 2015 I visited a number of museums on a four week holiday through 12 European countries. Below are some of the highlights.

The British Museum (Bloomsbury, England)

The BM is for me the epitome of a museum; it has that indescribable aura around it, a legacy of curators, professors, archaeologists and historical discoveries that create a feeling of excitement when you enter its walls. I have dreamt of working for the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan and to be surrounded by its fantastic collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts. Specific highlights of my visit include the Rosetta Stone, the Narmer Palette and reliefs from the temple of Nebamun.

The Victoria and Albert Museum (Kensington, England)

The V&A contains the Cast Courts, which were purpose built to house life sized replicas of some of the most famous pieces of European sculpture, such as Michelangelo’s statue of David and the ancient Roman column of Trajan. I found the Cast Courts to be quite a surprise as I had only a vague idea of what the museum contained (no Egyptian collection!).

The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (University College London, England)

This fantastic collection first began in 1892 through the bequest of hundreds of Egyptian antiquities by the famous writer Amelia Edwards. The collection then cemented its place on the international stage through the work of Sir Flinders Petrie, who excavated dozens of major sites in Egypt with the Egyptian Exploration Fund including Hawara, Amarna, Faiyum, Abydos and Meidum. Petrie established the first systematic methods in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts as highlighted in the definitive work of his time ‘Methods and Aims in Archaeology.’ Modern archaeology and Egyptology owes much to Petrie. It was therefore hard not to get excited about visiting the Collection at UCL as I knew it housed many amazing artefacts that are the oldest or earliest examples of their type including; linen from 5000BC, iron beads, the only veterinary papyrus and the oldest wills on papyrus. One of the major highlights for me were pieces from Amarna of which the scope I was not prepared for; faience tiles, carvings, frescoes, statuettes and numerous depictions of Nefertiti and Akhenaten! I spent so much time at UCL and was extremely jealous of the young student I saw studying there. Imagine having direct access to the Petrie Collection whilst studying your Egyptology degree?

Musée de Louvre/The Louvre Museum (Paris, France)

I found the Louvre to be overwhelming. Massive tour groups, stuffy air, crowds and completely getting lost numerous times might have had something to do with it. I don’t think I even saw a quarter of the museum and somehow managed to miss Napoleon’s apartments, which was a shame. I made a beeline for the Egyptian collection of course and managed to score a photograph with Mona Lisa. As amazing as it is, I think the Louvre is a museum you have to do in stages over a couple of days so you don’t get museum fatigue – even I suffered here!

Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel (Vatican City, Italy)

The Vatican Museum displays classical sculptures and Renaissance art from the collection which first began in the early 16^th Century. A highlight was of course the seeing the Sistine Chapel with its incredible ceiling painted by Michelangelo, but I also particularly enjoyed the intricate ceilings in the Gallery of Maps and the 3D effect of the painted ceiling in the Tapestry Gallery. Although not technically a museum, the awe inspiring St. Peters Basilica is also worth a mention here

 Neues Museum (Berlin, Germany)

This was undoubtedly one of the most exciting days of my trip. I could not walk fast enough to Museum Island and into the Neues Museum to see its famous collection of Egyptian artefacts and papyrus. I took about three steps inside the first gallery before I said ‘I’m too impatient and excited, I have to go see Nefertiti first.’

The bust of Nefertiti was everything I had imagined; so elegant and stunning. I’m sure the security guard thought I was a little crazy as I stared at the bust from every angle for quite some time – it was quite emotional for me! It really was a dream come true. The Amarna Collection as a whole was phenomenal, I was not expecting to see so many of the items that I have studied in text books all in one place and so beautifully displayed.

Pergamon Museum (Berlin, Germany)

Unfortunately one of the main drawcards for the Museum, the Pergamon Altar, was still closed for conservation work, but I knew that walking in. What I did not realise was that the Ishtar Gate from Babylon would also be covered in scaffolding; it was disappointing. Still, the Pergamon Museum was impressive due to its collection of Near Eastern artefacts from famous sites in ancient Assyria, Sumer and Babylon. I also quite enjoyed the galleries focussing on Islamic art and Arabic calligraphy.

 Today we criticize the past practices of archaeologists, who according to modern laws, illegally removed statues and artefacts from dig sites, temples, palaces and tombs and brought them to their home countries. However, with the increasing losses at historic sites such Palmyra and Nimrud I can’t help thinking I’m glad such precious items did not remain in-situ. I fear they would be lost or destroyed by now. I really hope that UNESCO can get on the ground and stop the destruction of cultural heritage monuments before they are all gone for good.