Ancient Egyptian artefact handling at Birmingham Museum
he Egyptian morning in Birmingham Museum was fascinating, and we were very grateful to Phil Watson for teaching us so much about the lives of the ancient Egyptians in such a short time. We were able to handle museum exhibits, instead of just looking into glass cases, and Phil passed round a number of items, including amulets and statuettes, explaining the significance of each.
We admired Egyptian jewellery - necklaces of shell, faience, carnelian and lapis lazuli - and were given an insight into make up and perfume. Eye paint was a characteristic of Egyptian cosmetics, and we handled special palettes used for grinding and mixing it to a paste, a pot which had contained the paint (and indeed still contained traces) and the stick used to apply it to the eye lid. We learnt how to make a sort of perfume/deodorant made of scented herbs and flowers mixed with fat and worn on top of the wig. The heat would make the fat melt and release the pleasant smells! (We do not think we will be trying this out on ourselves!)
David Torvell
Excursions Secretary