Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan
The Department of Ancient Egypt and
Sudan at the British Museum houses an important collection of
objects which illustrate every aspect of the cultures of the Nile
Valley, from the Neolithic period (about 10,000 BC) until the
twelfth century AD.
The main activities of the department comprise the care, study,
publication and display of the collection, but other projects
include organising special temporary exhibitions both in the Museum
and abroad, lending objects to international exhibitions, and
assisting non-national and other institutions in Great
Britain with loans. Departmental staff also undertake fieldwork in
Egypt and Sudan.
The curatorial work of the department is supported by a team of
administrative staff and museum assistants, who supervise the
storage, movement and display of the collection. An illustrator,
specialising in drawing Egyptian and Sudanese artefacts, prepares
graphical material for publication and display.
A comprehensive library of material relating to the cultures of ancient and medieval Egypt and Sudan is housed in the department, along with archival material relating to the collections and the cultures in general.
Study room closure
The study room will be closed 24 December 2013 – 2 February 2014.
Mummy of Tutankhamun
Reports have appeared on various websites that the British Museum will shortly be hosting an exhibition with the mummy of Tutankhamun. These reports are misleading; the mummy remains housed in a climate-controlled display case within the king's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt.
William Smith-Burns
A circular letter soliciting money, apparently written by one William Smith-Burns, who is falsely described as a research scientist attached to the "British Museum of London" and an expert in Egyptian Occult Sciences has come to the Museum's attention as the result of people replying to Smith-Burns c/o the British Museum. The British Museum has no knowledge of this person or the project in connection with which he appears to be soliciting money. A copy of the circular letter, seen by the Museum, asks people to send money to Smith-Burns at a PO Box number located in Gland, Switzerland. The Museum is unable to supply any other information about the matter.
