Ancient Beings was installed in the Tower Gallery at Eton College from November 2019 to April 2020. Despite its popularity, the exhibition closed significantly earlier than planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We felt it important to turn this event into an opportunity, and have recreated Ancient Beings as an online exhibition. This online exhibition captures the objects, interpretation and even the events which ran alongside the installation in the Tower Gallery – a very enjoyable part of the life-span of the exhibition.
This exhibition highlights 32 objects from the internationally renowned collection of antiquities at Eton College. Arranged into four themes: Gods, Plants, Humans and Animals, Ancient Beings explores the contemporary context and iconography of a variety of artefacts and offers a wealth of insight into ancient Egyptian culture.
Our understanding of these objects has been enhanced through collaboration with the Barber Institute of Arts, University of Birmingham and the Archaeological Museum at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, where, until recently, these items were on long-term loan from Eton College.