Long Gone, Not Forgotten

Yesterday I strolled into the Australian Museum here in Sydney ostensibly to view the recently opened exhibition "Egyptian Treasures: art of the pharaohs". Ofcourse as the entrance fee included general admission to the rest of the museum, I decided to browse the other exhibits contained therein.

Since a young age I've always had a curiosity regarding egyptian artifacts and history. Ofcourse the curiosity is not quite strong enough to stir a desire to visit modern day Egypt, so when a travelling exhibition appears in my town the train ride into the city seems of little sacrifice. It may be worthwhile mentioning that even though the title of the exhibition mentions "pharaohs" there seemed to be a dramatic shortage of artifacts with direct connections to the pharaohs. Instead the displays appeared to have belonged to people who held fairly lofty social positions at the time. No matter, it was still quite an interesting experience to take a close look at these items and if a little marketing is required to get punters to support these shows, I'm all for it.

I can't remember the last time I actually saw a real mummy, but I saw one yesterday. I've plum forgotten it's name (I'm not very good with names) but in some ways it was rather unspectacular as it was fully wrapped. Of more interest was a mummified cat that peculiarly had it's nose sticking out from the bandages, clear for everyone to see. Perhaps not best viewed by cat lovers.

For people who have an interest in jewellery and other items of body decoration, there is quite a good display of these to give an insight into what was worn during the time. Others will appreciate it I'm sure, but for me the items looked fairly similar to the things people wear today. In fact, some information text on the display made the comment that much of the jewellery of the time wouldn't look out of place today. Well, maybe some of the more extravagant pieces might.

My favourite displays were the large stoneworks that thankfully are part of the exhibition, as I bet they are a bitch to transport. Many of these would have come from the ancient temples, and the workmanship on them is stunning. Considering the technology of the day, I find it amazing that such detailed and precise work was possible. Perhaps it's my strange imagination, but there is one item that is the size of a large coffee table, rather weather beaten but you can clearly make out that it is a carving of a fingernail. According to the information plate, they believe it is a piece from a full size carving at a temple. My mind runs wild with just how big that carving must have been when intact.

The other exhibits of the museum deal mainly with the natural world (animal/vegetable/mineral) and are quite extensive. Perhaps a little too detailed for a general browse, but it's actually comforting knowing that there is some knowledge and expertise of these subjects that can be accessed by the general public. Ofcourse, no visit to the Australian Museum is complete without a visit to the dinosaur exhibition. Everyone knows that they were big creatures, but it's only when you stand beside the cast skeletons that you get an idea of just how big. Amazing and terrifying.

I've written before about how historical buildings in Sydney are important because they provide "beacons of history" and "anchor points" for the stories of our past. Exhibitions such as the above serve the same purpose. I hope they can keep travelling the world so people can experience them

By the way, the entrance fee is $22, which considering the artifacts are priceless seems a pretty good deal to me.