2020
has been quite a year for teaching and research institutions globally! The
pandemic has forced us all (staff and students alike) to react quickly and
rethink how we engage and interact with one another—whether in a personal or
professional capacity. For many, research has taken a back seat as the focus
has been on expediting and maintaining excellent teaching remotely as well as support
for each other during these difficult times. The challenges have been met
admirably and with tireless energy by my colleagues across the board here at
Swansea.
One
aspect of university life that has been affected dramatically has been the
crucial work that the university’s award-winning Egypt Centre does. While the temporary
closure of the museum has seen staff, volunteers, students, and visitors unable
to ‘get hands on’ with antiquity (something that this institution does so well
with its focus on object-centred research and teaching initiatives), work has carried
on remotely to ensure that the local community can continue to come together in
a research and social capacity.
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| Fig. 1: From left to right: two Roman oil lamps; a terracotta figurine from Cyprus; a marble head of a goddess from Cyprus; a terracotta figurine from Boeotia; a terracotta horse from Cyprus; and (one of my favourite objects!) a votive of a man holding a sacrificial animal from Cyprus. |
By
moving many of the museum’s research, teaching, and outreach initiatives online
(such as its annual Wonderful
Things conference), opportunities to seriously rethink how to develop
public engagement arose. This blog post introduces my ongoing work with the
Egypt Centre that has focused on raising awareness about the museum’s lesser-known
collection of classical artefacts (fig. 1). It also discusses the impact that a
generous grant, awarded by the Institute of
Classical Studies, will make to this collaboration.
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| Fig. 2: The Egypt Centre: a local institution with global impact. The museum is internationally recognised for innovation in widening participation and education. It plays an integral role in teaching, research, and widening participation across Swansea University. The museum attracts ca. 22,000 visitors each year and welcomes on average four schools (KS1–2) a week (in total ca. 150 a year). Valuable research and teaching resource embedded in the university and local community. |
The
Egypt Centre (fig. 2) houses almost 6,000 artefacts, 300 of which are
non-Egyptian. Since joining the university in January 2018 I have worked
closely with the curators and Collections Access Manager to develop initiatives
in and beyond the classroom to raise awareness about this lesser understood aspect
of the museum’s collection. Over the past two years, this has involved
examining the collection behind the scenes independently or with staff and students
across the university. For example, in 2019 I was awarded SURGE funding from
the university to investigate the materiality of metalwares held by the Egypt
Centre—research of which is ongoing in collaboration with the College of
Engineering here at Swansea and the School of History, Archaeology, and
Religion at Cardiff University (fig. 3). Students have had the chance to get
involved behind the scenes too and contribute to the process of thinking about
how we can better communicate information about our non-Egyptian artefacts by scanning
digital slides of landscapes, participating in workshops on a voluntary
basis (fig. 4), engaging in handling sessions tied to specific modules, and by
attending public talks. Working with colleagues and students across the
university is crucial as it inspires us to think even more creatively about how
to showcase our artefacts to the wider public and highlights where (and how)
demands and needs can be met.
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| Fig. 3: Two images from a day of scanning a range of metal artefacts from the collection to determine their composition – in collaboration with Dr Liz Sackett from the College of Engineering. This work was also carried out with Dr Phil Parkes from Cardiff University. |
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| Fig. 4: Working with students from my Ancient Cyprus module to identify and catalogue artefacts. |
This
year, on 26th June, I delivered a paper on the history of
Cypriot artefacts held not only at the Egypt Centre but at Swansea Museum.
While this was an opportunity for me to develop my ongoing research on the
culture and society of ancient Cyprus and the history of Cypriot artefacts held
here in Swansea, I was also able to gather feedback using a poll (and the chat
functionality on Zoom) following the talk from the audience. Questions posed
were very specific regarding general awareness of the history of the collection
here at the Egypt Centre and the feedback gathered confirmed our suspicions. The
general public (and students) were largely unaware about the Greco-Roman
collection … and they wanted to know more! For example, polling showed that 70%
of the attendees wanted to see the installation of a new display that showcased
artefacts from across the ancient Mediterranean, not just Egypt (fig. 5).
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| Fig. 5: A snapshot of some of the more ‘low-level’ initiatives using social media and public talks to raise awareness about classical artefacts held in the Egypt Centre. |
Around
a similar time to the talk, the Institute of Classical Studies advertised a call
for applicants seeking financial support for developing public engagement
projects. Having received a generous donation they announced that they would be
able to support two projects for the duration of a year with a one off grant.
This was too good an opportunity not to apply for and we reacted quickly to the
call. I am pleased to say that we secured one of the awards!
With
the need and demand for a new installation made clear, funding secured will be
used to install a new display of objects entitled: Egypt and its Neighbours in the House of Life gallery (fig. 6). The
function and aims of this will be manifold. It will serve as a catalyst for
student and public engagement with a number of topics that lie at the heart of
many current debates regarding the world in which we live today, such as racism,
cultural diversity, self-presentation, and identity formation. The ancient
world is rich with material to encourage meaningful discussion around these
relevant topics. Several lecturers across the department of Classics, Ancient
History, and Egyptology already offer modules discussing these themes in the
ancient world. More than this, Swansea University is one of the few places in
the UK offering specialist modules on Egypt, Greece, Rome, Cyprus, Nubia, and
the ancient Near East and we really wanted the display to bring together the
research that we do in the museum setting not just for our students, but for
visitors from school children to the general public.
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| Fig. 6: Funding will be used to purchase custom object stands to be displayed in a case such as this one. |
The
image below (fig. 7) presents a proposed outline of how the new case could be
organised while some of the objects for the display are shown in figure 1 above.
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| Fig. 7: A proposed layout of the new case. There will be plenty of room for a bilingual interpretation panel, artefacts from across the Greco-Roman Mediterranean and beyond, and larger artefacts at the bottom of the case. |
As
already mentioned, public engagement in a pandemic is a challenge…but it also
provides us with opportunities to rethink and improve our practice!
Bearing
the issues of social distancing and remote learning in mind, we have thought of
a number of initiatives to facilitate and improve engagement. These include
developing:
- Schools educational activities online for KS1 (ages 5–7) and KS2 (ages 7–11), such as:
- Worksheets that focus on specific objects, highlighting connectivity between landscapes, and creative writing exercises.
- A highlights booklet (based on the successful Egypt Centre 30 highlights booklet that was launched earlier this year) of ca. 20 objects. This could include:
- Entries (ca. 170 words) by staff and students.
- Short intros on the different cultures represented in the display.
- Specific write-ups on the key themes that the display will inspire such as social identity, cultural diversity, tolerance, and inclusivity.
This
is ongoing work. Funding secured from the Institute of Classical Studies is
crucial to get this stage of my collaboration with the Egypt Centre going. The
impact of this stage of the project, and plans for future development, will be
measured and guided through polls taken at the end of public engagement talks,
questionnaires filled out by museum visitors, and data collated regarding
website usage.
Join us on Thursday 10th September at
4.30pm when the ICS will host an online awards event where we will be sharing
more details about the project. This is free to attend and all are welcome!
Book your place by following the link to the ICS here. You can also follow developments
by checking out our various social media platforms or by getting in touch
directly. Your feedback (whether you are a student, researcher, volunteer, or
member of the public) is crucial to the work we do and we would love to hear
from you!
Twitter:
- @SUAncientWorld
- @TheEgyptCentre
- @DrKenGriffin
Blogs:
Email:
- Ersin Hussein (Lecturer in Ancient History. Department of Classics, Ancient History, and Egyptology): ersin.Hussein@swansea.ac.uk
- Ken Griffin (Collections Access Manager. The Egypt Centre): K.Griffin@swansea.ac.uk
