Ancient Egypt comes to the southern US state of Arkansas, as the Little Rock's Arkansas Arts Center hosts 'World of the Pharaohs...', a celebration of life and art in Ancient Egypt through a wild variety of authentic pieces. Most of the exhibition's 200-plus artefacts come from the empire's Old Kingdom, during the time of the Giza Plateau's construction. Headline pieces include a royal decree, a bead dress, funerary shabti figures and a colossus of Ramesses the Great.
The exhibition also includes an extensive events program, including lectures and videos from some of the world's foremost Egyptological figures. Bob Brier shows how to make a mummy, Salima Ikram talks about what mummification meant for Egyptians, and Kathryn Bard enlightens visitors on the Egyptian seaport to the hallowed Land of Punt. Many more events pack out the museum's schedule, including evening sessions such as 'Mummies, Martinis and Music' and 'Mummies and Milkshakes Family Night.' Most if not all Egyptian tastes will be catered for, as the Art Center aims to put Arkansas on the Egyptology map.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 18:37
With King Tut's road trip hitting no fewer than three North American cities in 2009/10, you'd think the continent was getting its fill of Egyptian treasures. Not so Arkansas' capital city Little Rock, whose Arkansas Arts Center currently plays host to 'World of the Pharaohs: Treasures of Egypt Revealed', a celebration of all things Egyptian.
Beginning September 25 and running until July 5 next year, the show combines ancient artefacts with a packed events calendar, comprising lectures, films and much more.
Beverley Miles, a doctoral candidate at MacQuarie University in Australia, has been researching the relationship that dogs and humans had – during the time that the pyramids were built. She presented her results at an Egyptology symposium in Toronto a week ago - and they are not for those of a delicate disposition!
She’s found some pretty convincing evidence – in the form of three pieces of art – that dogs and humans shared a very close relationship.
If you think that people in modern western society are obsessive about their pets, get a load of the ancient Egyptians. Throughout ancient Egyptian history, particularly from around 700 BC until 400 AD, there is evidence that certain animals – all from cows to cats, dogs, birds, fish and even lowly beetles (scarabs) – were worshipped as being able to communicate with the gods, and even serve as their living embodiments on earth.
In this exclusive video, the American University at Cairo's Salima Ikram shares the secrets of Egypt's enduring animal adoration. In the video, she explains how Egyptians believed that animals were born as gods' creatures, and that gods would enter their bodies and animate it. The sounds animals made were thought to be the secret language of the gods; thus Egyptians felt they were actually closer to divinity than themselves, and would question animals, through a priest's interpretation, on matters as mundane as inheritance or property.
