In honor of the upcoming November 12 unveiling of the "Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun" exhibit at Penn's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the museum is hosting "Year of Egypt." The exhibition began this September and will run through October 2007. It features a series of events suitable for a wide range of interests and easily appeals to people of all ages.
Included in the events are monthly guided tours of the Egyptian galleries, introductory belly dancing lessons, evening lectures and a "Hollywood on the Nile Free Film Series."
The focal point of the "Year of Egypt". "Amarna" will explore the history of the ancient Egyptian city Amarna, home of legendary child pharaoh, King Tutankhamun. The exhibit's artifacts - ranging from royal family heirlooms to artisan tools to hieroglyphic texts - chronicle the city's short-lived existence of approximately 17 years.
"Amarna" also complements the Franklin Institute's traveling exhibit, "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," which has garnered national praise.
The opening of "Amarna" will include performances by the Mid-East Ensemble, the Habiba Studio and the Vagabond Acting Troupe. It also will feature lectures and a book signing by the exhibit's curators. In case you find yourself overwhelmed by hunger pans during your tour of ancient Egypt, the Museum Caf‚ will serve specialty Egyptian foods as well.
In time for the "Amarna" opening, the museum will also have completed renovations to the Lower and Upper Egyptian galleries. There visitors can view jewelry, pottery, statues and mummies from various Egyptian time periods. Visitors can also appreciate the grand 12-ton granite Sphinx, magnificent bronze statuettes of Egyptian deities and the architectural remains of several royal palaces in the refurbished galleries.
Highlights of the showcase include a colossal wall relief depicting the sun god Aten and impressive bronze statues of the child king. The wall relief was at one time taken down and used as the base for another statue honoring a later pharaoh. Inadvertently preserved, it was ultimately exhumed during an excavation in the 1920s. It now stands as a reminder of the artistic innovation of Ancient Egyptians.
"Year of Egypt," in addition to shedding light on the mysterious history of Amarna, offers the Philadelphia community an occasion to immerse themselves in all that is Egyptian. Whether your interest in Ancient Egypt is as simple as a novice's curiosity or you're looking to complement a lifetime of Egyptian scholarship, the many events at "Year of Egypt" are sure to satiate your fascination with the spectacular era's culture.
