Collection: Egypt Centre – Swansea University

Collection-level records:

• Collection history (Collection development policy)

  The earliest collection of ancient artefacts in Swansea University date to the 1960s. The outline for how this took place can be read in an article written by Gwyn Griffiths entitled “Museum Efforts before Wellcome”, which appeared in Inscriptions, December 2000. It is available online here: http://www.egypt.swan.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/inscriptions5.pdf. Among these objects was a bust of Nefertiti (W1011), a copy of the famous original in Berlin. This item had been purchased by Prof. Kerferd from the Berlin State Museums in the 1960s and is now on display at the entrance of the Egypt Centre. Other items include four pieces of Classical pottery.

  Between the 1960s and 1997, other Classical (i.e. non-Egyptological) items were collected by the Department of Classics and Ancient History. Due to the lack of a professional curator the status of some items, whether given as gifts or loans, is unclear. These were handed over to the care of the Egypt Centre early in 1998, as it was felt that such items would be better cared for under the remit of the Museum with a professional curator. These numbered around sixty-nine items.

  The present museum is largely based upon a selection of items brought together by the pharmacist Sir Henry Wellcome (James 1994; Turner 1980). When he died in 1936, his collection was cared for by trustees, who were eventually based in London. Much of the collection was dispersed to various museums in Britain, but by the early 1970s some of it remained in the basement of the Petrie Museum. Gwyn Griffiths, lecturer in the Classics Department of University College Swansea (now Swansea University), and David Dixon, lecturer in Egyptology at University College London, arranged for a selection of the artefacts to come to Swansea. In 1971, ninety-two crates of material arrived in South Wales. Most of the items were ancient Egyptian, though a small number were not. It was agreed that the University accept all the collection, or none. The collection was later supplemented by forty-eight ancient Egyptian pottery vases from the Wellcome collection and two plaster copies of ancient Egyptian reliefs.

  Kate Bosse-Griffiths, wife of Gwyn Griffiths and an Egyptologist, carefully unpacked the items and rediscovered a wealth of objects, some of which were still wrapped in 1930s newspapers. Kate succeeded in setting up a small museum that resided in the Chemistry Department for two years. However, under the patronage of Prof. Gould, a small room in the Classics Department soon housed the group. Roger Davies, the Arts Faculty photographer, and his wife assisted Kate in the setting up of the exhibition. In 1973, the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh (now National Museums Scotland) gave fifteen small faience amulets.

  The collection formally opened to the public in March 1976 for two afternoons in each week of term (Thursdays and Fridays 2.30–4.30). Some artefacts were also displayed at the Royal Institution of South Wales (now Swansea Museum). The Wellcome Collection at Swansea University, as it was known, largely consisted of Egyptological material, however, it also included a small group of items from other countries.

  Within the University, while some cases were available, many artefacts were displayed unprotected and so in 1978–1979 additional display cases were purchased with the University reserve fund. In 1978 the collection was added to by items from the Egypt Exploration Society, which were distributed by the British Museum. So far, 338 items have now been identified. In 1982 came the gift of a Twenty-first Dynasty coffin (W1982) from Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum. In 1983 the National Museum of Wales Cardiff donated 112 artefacts. Further items (c. 40) were given by individuals. Unfortunately, the status of some of these items, whether donations or loans, is unclear (see 2.1).

  In 1993 the title Honorary Curator was passed to Dr. David Gill, lecturer in the Department of Classics and Ancient History, Swansea University. David Gill had formerly been a research assistant in Greek and Roman antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (1988–1992). Kate continued as Honorary Adviser. In order to ensure professional museological advice, Rosalyn Gee (Swansea Museum) was appointed as a curatorial advisor.

  The collection was, however, under-used, possibly because of resource limitations in terms of staff, money, and space, but also perhaps because of the then unfashionable nature of object-centred learning in universities. In January 1995 Sybil Crouch, manager of the Taliesin Arts Centre, produced a report to the University Image and Marketing Sub Committee suggesting the setting up of a new museum for the Egyptology exhibition. After the suggestion to improve access to the collection, Heritage Lottery Funding and European Regional Development Funding was sought. This, together with a sum from the University, allowed the building of a purpose-built museum as a wing of the Taliesin Arts Centre. A working party, chaired by Prof. Alan Lloyd, Head of the Department of Classics and Ancient History and an Egyptologist, worked on ideas for display. During this time, members of the group had included: Anthony Donohue, an Egyptologist who had studied the collection over a number of years, Gerald Gabb from Swansea Museum Service, Dr. David Gill, Fiona Nixon, a Swansea University architect, the design company Silver Knight, and Sybil Crouch.

  Kate Bosse-Griffiths had been Honorary Curator of both the Swansea Museum and the Wellcome Collection in Swansea and some items belonging to former were held at the Egypt Centre, and vice versa. Because of this confusion, Swansea Museum incorporated a replica plaster cast (EC1960) belonging to the Egypt Centre into its permanent display. The Museum now has a loan agreement with Swansea Museum for this item. All the items that could be identified as coming from Swansea Museum were returned to that institution, with the exception of AX121.8 (a pottery vessel), a fragment of blue glass with the name of Amenhotep II (SM.1959.3.2), and gold foil from KV 55 (SM.1959.3.9). These items are currently on loan to the Egypt Centre where they are on display.

  In April 1997, 139 Egyptian items were donated by Aberystwyth University. These include coffin fragments and a Twenty-sixth Dynasty Coffin—which is presently (2021) being conserved at Cardiff University—pottery, and other small amulets excavated at Abydos.

  In August 1997, the first professional curator was employed, and in September 1998 the Museum was officially opened. As stated above, as well as the Egyptian items, there are also a few Classical artefacts. Until April 1998, these remained under the care of Dr. David Gill. After this date, they were transferred to the care of the Curator of the Egypt Centre. Most items were donated, but a group of thirteen coins was loaned. They were accessioned, added to the publicly available database, and cared for. Recently (2019), they were used in a handling session at the university.

  The bulk of the collection from the Wellcome Institute is loaned under a formal agreement of 15th February 1971. This states that all items should remain under the control of the Wellcome Trustees, that no items will be disposed of by any means (including loan), and that Swansea University be permitted to exchange Wellcome items with the Liverpool World Museum (formerly Liverpool City Museum), though permission must be sought from the Wellcome Trustees. A copy of the full agreement is available on request from the Egypt Centre.

  In 2008, the Museum Accreditation committee stated that as a requirement of accreditation, the Museum must receive written approval from the Wellcome Trust once every five years.

  In 2005, the British Museum loaned forty-two items to the Museum. These are on long-term loan, renewed every three years. The Egypt Centre chose these small items to enhance its existing education display.

  In 2007, 279 photographs (lantern slides, negatives, and prints) taken by L. Sgt. Johnston of Carmarthen, when he was stationed in Egypt and Palestine in 1917, were passed on to us as a donation by Carmarthenshire Museum Service. These items had originally been taken and used by Sgt. Johnston as a basis for a lecture. This donation also included his lecture notes. The photographs and Sgt. Johnston’s lecture notes were used to produce a temporary exhibition at the Egypt Centre in 2010. The exhibition was made possible through a grant from CyMAL (the section of the Welsh Assembly dealing with libraries, museums and archives). The aim of the exhibition was to inspire an interest in Egyptology (we hoped that many visiting would initially have been interested because of the local connection) and to provide a debate on colonialism. A selection of the items and notes are available on out web page, and the whole group is included in our online searchable database. The photographs have since been digitised.

  In 2012, fifty-eight items were given on loan from Woking College, mainly shabtis, amulets, and other small items. These seem to have been collected by Alfred Mond in the 1900s–1950s (research on their original provenance is ongoing). The artefacts were donated to Woking College in the 1970s and were re-discovered by Martin Ingram, Principal of Woking College, who sought the advice of the British Museum to ensure that the valuable collection would be put to best use to encourage current students to pursue their studies in Ancient History. The British Museum suggested that the Egypt Centre, because of its innovative educational work, might be a good place to donate the artefacts. The Museum has agreed, if requested, to provide a lecture to Woking College students in return for the loan.

  In 2013, the Museum received twenty-six small artefacts of low, which had originally belonged to the Rev. Foulkes Jones. These objects had been offered to the British Museum but were passed on to us. While the items are insignificant Egyptologically, they are important as far as Welsh collecting is concerned. The Rev. Foulkes Jones was a Welsh Calvinistic Minister who travelled in Egypt and Palestine. In 1860 he published Egypt in its Biblical Relations and Moral Aspects. The artefacts he collected were influenced by his ideas on Egypt in the Bible.

  In 2014, the Museum was given around 100 photographs by a private donor. These show Egypt between 1914–1917. They are being catalogued, digitised, and researched.

  In 2015, the Museum was given twenty-three coins on long-term loan (10 years) from the Department of History and Classics. These are mainly Classical items.

  In 2015, four ring bezels from Amarna, previously on loan from a private donor and on display in the Egypt Centre, were offered for sale. As they were an integral part of the display, the Friends of the Egypt Centre purchased these for the Museum.

  In 2022, three boxes of broken pottery and other small objects were gifted to the Museum by the family of David Laurence Gibbs (1908–1976). Of these, thirty-six objects have been catalogued (EC1992–EC1996; EC2104–EC2134), with several of them now on display in the House of Life gallery.

  In February 2023, the Egypt Centre received a collection of 813 objects on loan from Harrogate Museums (The Royal Pump Room Museum). They will remain on loan for three years in order to be fully catalogued, researched and displayed: https://harrogate.abasetcollections.com/.

  Throughout the period discussed above, there have been occasional donations to the Wellcome Museum in Swansea, and post 1997 to the Egypt Centre of small groups of material.

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC

• Collection overview (Collection development policy)

  There are currently 6891 objects in the collection, which includes the 813 objects on loan from Harrogate Museums. All are now accessioned and available online on our searchable database at: https://egyptcentre.abasetcollections.com. Of the 6791 artefacts, c. 5335 are on loan to us, c. 4372 from the Wellcome Trustees, though of those, it is possible that the Armant group, which we had thought came via Wellcome, did in fact come from the Petrie Museum. Very few items are unused. A high percentage of objects (1902) are on display, others are used for handling sessions or consulted by researchers.

  The collection is the largest assemblage of Egyptological items in Wales, probably amongst the sixth largest in the UK. Partly because of the restricted nature of Egyptological collecting, some of these items would be considered of international importance. These include items from known excavations (see Geographical Coverage) as well as some unusual items such as a reserve head (W164).

  Timespan

  In time span, the Egyptian material largely covers the period c. 100,000 BC–AD 500. The earliest objects are difficult to date, being unstratified hand-axes and other flint tools. There are some 550 Predynastic items, mainly from Armant. The largest group (estimated 1234 objects) date to the period c. 700 BC–AD 100. There is a small group of c. 159 items, which date to the Christian and Islamic Periods.

  Geographical Coverage

  Most of the objects in the collection come from Egypt, though there are a few Classical and European items. Although Wellcome collected through purchases on the London market and elsewhere, some objects in Swansea derive from the Egyptian Exploration Fund/Society excavations at Amarna (c. 529 items), Armant, Tell el-Fara, etc. The collection of items from Armant cemeteries 1600, 1700, and 1800 is particularly important in comprising some 750 unpublished items. This excavation group is largely complete, though some items remain in the Petrie Museum and the excavation archive is in the Egypt Exploration Society headquarters in London.

  Excepting the Armant, Tell el-Fara, and Amarna artefacts, most items are largely unprovenanced. Sir Henry Wellcome tended to buy artefacts at auctions or through his agents, and establishing findspots was not a priority. The situation was exacerbated prior to 1997 when the Museum did not have a professional curator. Some labels that were attached to the artefacts were removed and no record kept. Additionally, cataloguing was incomplete, artefacts were washed or conserved by amateurs, which lead to further loss of information. Since 1997, continued attempts have been made to rediscover findspots through matching them up with archive material, published material, and through stylistic analysis. This is an ongoing process.

  The Egyptian items clearly conform to our mission statement as they are used extensively by students and researchers and are viewed by members of the public; 1902 artefacts are on display (out of a total of 6891).

  There are c. 115 non-Egyptian Classical items, most of which are part of the Wellcome collection. However, it should be noted that Egypt was part of the Classical world, and if one includes the Egyptian Graeco-Roman items as “Classical” this would increase the total to over 350 items. Some of these artefacts were recently (2021) put on display in a new case called Egypt and its Neighbours, which was a collaborative project between the Egypt Centre and colleagues in the department of History, Heritage, and Classics.

  Item Categories

  The Museum has a large collection of pottery vessels, (c. 935), of which c. 318 items date to the Predynastic Period; some 485 objects may be classified as amulets; 367 stone vessels; and 1456 items which may be classified as jewellery.

  Included in the collection is an archive of some 338 photographic slides, prints, and negatives. Most of these have been copied digitally. These largely comprise images of Egypt during or prior to the 1940s. There are also some items depicting Palestine, which came as part of the collection of L. Sgt. Johnston of Carmarthen. Most were collected by Welsh people. They are useful to encourage those who might not be interested in things purely Egyptian. So, for example, they have been used to help commemorate the end of World War I. These items do not take up a great deal of space and are the only significant area in which the collection has expanded since 1997.

  Several of the items are Victorian fakes or copies (seventy-one items). Copies could be classed as “documentation relating to archaeological material”. They are important in providing information on Victorian ideas of Egypt and collectors and collecting. Copies that are faithful reproductions of “masterpieces” in other museums can also be useful for traditional teaching. Because we consider our fakes and copies to be important, a case in the upstairs gallery has been given over to the collection, and a “fakes” trail produced for visitors to enjoy.

  Some of the items in the collection are unusual; the reserve head (of which only c. thirty-five are known internationally); the ꜣḫ i͗ḳr n Rꜥ stela (of which around eighty are known; the bed legs showing Taweret and Bes in painted form (we know of no other parallels); and a ring bezel with lute player (around six others are known internationally).

  Source: Collection development policy

  Date: 2024

  Licence: CC BY-NC