MATERIALITY OF THINGS: THE HIDDEN POWER OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN OBJECTS (in person & online)

Speakers: Dr Christina Geisen (British Museum) and Dr Kelly Accetta Crowe (British Museum) We are thrilled to invite not one, but two, curators from the British Museum to lead this very special study day! Archaeological and textual evidence from ancient Egypt – its monumental architecture, landscapes, and everyday and funerary objects – has been subject to various modes of interpretation since the earliest days of Egyptology. Join Dr Christina Geisen and Dr Kelly Accetta Crowe as they present fresh materiality-focused approaches to two case studies. Firstly, they will examine papyri relating to the underworld and highlight the essential role of scientific analysis in illuminating scribal and workshop practices. Secondly, they will explore how the materiality of a Horus stela enhanced its protective power against dangers associated with the natural world. Close examination of material qualities such as colour, form, dimensions, plasticity, malleability, resistance, and production techni