Egyptian Finds in the Archaeological Collection

Southampton's collections include a small number of ancient Egyptian artefacts. The provenance of most of them is unknown, although a few can be traced back to excavations carried out by Sir Flinders Petrie in Gizeh and Rifeh in 1907.

Some of these objects are available in a Handling Box, which can be taken out to schools by our Education Officer.

Kushite Statue of Taharqa

This remarkable statue was recently "rediscovered" in our stores by two local Egyptologists, Hilary Wilson and Peter Funnell. Their finding was confirmed by experts from the British Museum and the Brooklyn Museum, New York.

The statue is an exceptional piece of Kushite sculpture, depicting a striding god, with some of the attributes of Osiris and Amen-Re. Unfortunately, it has no associated inscription to identify the intended god, or the name of the ruler whose features it might bear. Stylistically, however, it is generally believed to represent the Pharaoh Taharqa, who ruled over the area of present day Egypt and Sudan from 690 - 664 BC. It is 692mm high, made of finely polished grano-diorite. The figure is supported by a back-slab that indicates it was originally placed against a wall, probably in a shrine.

The figure is currently on loan to the British Museum, and can be seen in a temporary exhibition "Understanding Ancient Egypt culture" in Gallery 61.

In 2003 the statue will be part of a major Spanish exhibition on Nubian Cultures. This will be held in Barcelona, from April to August 2003, and in Madrid from September 2003 to January 2004.

It will eventually be on permanent exhibition in Southampton.

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