Experts from around the UK will help explain the mysteries of Egypt ahead of the opening of Bolton Museum’s new gallery next year.
A full programme of talks, activities and film screenings will take place at Bolton Library and Museum in Le Mans Crescent from August 2017 to June 2018.
BBC and History Channel’s Prof Joann Fletcher and Dr Stephen Buckley will lead the programme of events with a talk suitable for all ages on August 12, entitled Mummification and Bolton.
Prof Fletcher has devoted her life to studying ancient Egypt and has written numerous publications and made many TV appearances on the subject; most recently presenting the Immortal Egypt series on BBC Two.
The renowned Egyptologist and her archaeologist partner will deliver a further talk on ‘Daily Life in Ancient Egypt with Kha and Meryt’, next April (5).
Other events in the programme include family friendly craft activities, such as how to mummify a Barbie doll (August 12), how to make a pectoral collar (Nov 4) and a scarab beetle (May 5), plus a talk on the journey to the afterlife (February 3) and story sessions and myths from ancient Egypt (May 5).
Evening talks, more suitable to an adult audience include Dr Campbell Price from Manchester Museum speaking on the power of the Gods (October 5), Claire Ollett from the University of Birmingham on Tutankhamun’s treasures (December 7) and Liverpool University’s Dr Stephen Snape on the topic of religion in ancient Egypt (June 7).
In addition, the Library and Museum in Le Mans Crescent will show a free film on the third Thursday of the month from 7pm based on the Egyptian theme.
Screenings include Carry on Cleo (August 17), The Mummy (November 16) and Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (December 21).
All events are free and will run until June 2018, preparing people for the big reveal of Bolton’s Egypt.
Work has begun on the £3.8m new Egyptology gallery and it is expected to be completed by autumn 2018.
Visitors will start to see scaffolding being erected to the building and a large section of Central Library will be sectioned off from September to enable essential roof works, which form part of the overall project.
Some titles will be unavailable as a result, and limited stock can be reserved for collection.
Bolton Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Youth and Sport, Cllr John Byrne, said: “We are entering an interesting phase in the redevelopment of our Egyptology gallery, as people will start to see work taking place and builders on site. There will inevitably be some disruption to the library but staff have put in place measures to try and mitigate the effects on borrowers.
“What’s really exciting is the fantastic programme of events covering the next 10 months or so. There really is something for everyone, from craft activities and interactive talks for children, to in-depth lectures on some of the fascinating topics within the world of Egyptology. Coupled with a full series of fun films, we’re looking forward to whetting the appetite of Egyptology fans in the run up to our new gallery opening next year.”
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