Ancient Egypt Visits Coventry

Coventry’s Herbert Gallery is currently hosting their Secret Egypt exhibition, giving Coventry visitors and residents alike a glimpse into the Egypt of the past.

The Gallery has brought in over 200 artefacts from some of the most exclusive Egyptian collections across the country, including: a colossus statue borrowed from the British Museum; the head of Queen Nefertiti from the Ashmolean; crocodile mummies and a golden pectoral pendant from the Manchester Museum, which was found on the corpse of an ancient thief who became trapped. Whilst fleeing the tomb he had just desecrated, it collapsed upon him, leaving him to perish until years later excavators found his corpse and retrieved the historical relic he lost his life for.

The exhibition also boasts many treasures borrowed from the Birmingham Museum’s collection that have never before been seen by the public. Sally Johnson of the Herbert Gallery Press Department claims: “It’s a spectacular exhibit, these things have never been seen all in one place and many have never been seen at all.”

“This exhibition really is something special for Coventry and the Herbert, as it just shows that not everything is in London anymore”

The exhibit focuses on answering common questions and dispelling popular myths such as “who built the pyramids?” and “what is the mummy’s curse?” as well as a recreated ancient burial tomb, which explores the Egyptian obsession with death and the afterlife. This tomb contains a genuine chapel as well as the ancient mummified remains of a woman known only as Perenbast.

Parties are encouraged to explore the temporary exhibit, available until June 2011, with group tours and educational school days arrangable by contacting learning@theherbert.org.

The Herbert Gallery is currently running a volunteer scheme for the Secret Egypt displays. Sally Johnson explained that: “We like to add the people’s experience of the exhibit by taking on volunteers to answer any questions the public may have”. If you are interested in this exhibition and wish to volunteer to help run and maintain it, you can ask for details or apply at the gallery’s website: http://www.theherbert.org/index.php/home/referer:secret-egypt-volunteers/admin/login. “We don’t expect volunteers to have existing knowledge. We’re perfectly willing to train and educate anyone to the standard we expect from our staff”.

By Ryan Brailsford

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