EES on Tour at Ramses and the Pharaoh’s Gold
EES Team on tour at the Ramses and the Pharaoh's Gold exhibition. From left to right Neville Leslie (Staff), Guest of a Trustee, Meg Gundlach (Staff), Jenny Chong (Trustee), Adelaide Robinsmith (Staff), Charlotte Jordan (Staff), Edward Scrivens (Staff), Maia Nolan (Volunteer) and Kristine Reinhold (Volunteer).
In May, we were kindly offered a VIP Tour of the Ramses and the Pharaoh’s Gold exhibition. Our tour guide, Adrian provided us with a brilliant tour of the 180 objects filling these galleries, most of which are on loan from Egypt with a selection of highlights from other international institutions. Therefore, this is a fantastic opportunity to see some of Egypt’s most impressive artefacts outside of the country and in a slightly different setting than their usual museum home. This is a touring exhibition, which has already travelled around the world. It is produced by NEON with input from World Heritage Museums and Exhibitions to create the multimedia to support it, and the Houston Museum, where it started its journey, and in partnership with Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Getting there
Just a short walk from Battersea Power Station Tube station, and a stone’s throw from Battersea Power Station itself, you will find NEON’s exhibition space. If you are travelling from a distance or were planning on bringing a backpack, the venue does not have a cloakroom, so do prepare accordingly!
Touring the Galleries
As previously mentioned, nearly 200 objects fill the glass cases of this exhibition. They are complemented throughout by interactive elements, including the opening introductory film on Ramses’ life, 3D models and virtual reconstructions of ancient sites such as Abu Simbel and Piramesse, as well as immersive scene-setting with visuals and soundscapes throughout.
There is a diverse range of objects, but you are greeted with a colossal image of Ramses II (Egyptian Museum in Cairo, CG 643, see above), just in case you were not sure this was an ancient Egyptian exhibition! From the entrance, the first gallery explores a variety of topics relating to Ramses II’s reign, including Egyptian warfare and the Battle of Qadesh, his role as a builder at sites like Thebes and Abu Simbel. It then moves to more subjects relating to the general populace, including women and tomb builders.
Models of the Abu Simbel Temples built by Ramesses II
The exhibition then moves into the secondary part of its title through a jewellery quarter, featuring some incredible pieces made of gold, of course, but also many other precious materials. A beautiful example was a girdle of Princess Merit with double leopard heads of gold connected by beads of amethyst (Egyptian Museum in Cairo, JE 30879, see below). The gallery then has a section specifically focused on animal mummies with some very unique examples of coffins and depictions. A particular highlight for me was the ostracon depicting a cat herding a group of geese, which was discovered at Deir el-Bahari and is usually in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE 63801, see below).
Finally, the exhibition opens into the final gallery of Egyptian treasures, starting with the piece on the main poster: the mask of Amenemope. Various sarcophagi line this part of the exhibition. Of course, Ramses II’s wooden coffin is incredibly detailed and an impressive sight—do check out his knobbly knees (Egyptian Museum in Cairo, CG 61020, see below)! Other important examples are the silver sarcophagus of Shoshenq II (Egyptian Museum in Cairo, JE 72154), made even more impressive by the scarcity of silver in ancient Egypt. It was also a nice touch that one of the visuals specifically acknowledges the goat herder who originally discovered the royal cache at Deir el-Bahari. To close the exhibition, you are met once again by a colossal statue of Ramses (see below) with a videography backdrop, before you can descend into the very tempting gift shop!
VR Experience
The exhibition also features a VR experience at an additional cost. If you have not been to Egypt and have yet to visit the temples of Abu Simbel, this is a fantastic opportunity to experience them. A particular highlight is also getting a glimpse of the tomb of Nefertari (principal wife of Ramses II), who is your guide throughout the experience. This is especially nice, as the real tomb of Nefertari is now closed, so a great chance to visit the inside of her tomb, whilst they discuss the life of Nefertari, mentioning her intelligence as she is depicted as a scribe. For those of our audience who are fans of The Mummy (1999), you may be reminded of various scenes from the film as you are faced with a wrathful Ramses II, akin to Imhotep, at one point!
Don’t miss this incredible exhibition!
We highly recommend a visit to Ramses and the Pharaoh’s Gold. Not only is this a rare opportunity to see these objects in the UK, but it brings not only the life of Ramses II but the lives of the broader ancient Egyptian people to life! Remember, that we have an exclusive offer for EES Members. Any member booking a ticket can get a free audio guide narrated by Dan Snow, a Campaign Champion of our Building the Future project. Just use code RAMSES26 when booking your tickets.