Revealed: What happened to Harrogate's incredible collection of rare 800 artefacts from ancient Egypt
A special event this week in Harrogate will provide a fascinating insight for anyone wondering what happened to Harrogate’s incredible collection of rare 800 artefacts from ancient Egypt.
Organised by Harrogate Civic Society, the talk at West Park URC tomorrow, Friday, will see Dr Ken Griffin gave an update on progress on the ongoing three-year collaborative project between Harrogate Museums and The Egypt Centre at Swansea University.
Held by Mercer and Pump Room Museum in Harrogate, the historic artefacts were originally donated by two local collectors, Benjamin Kent (1884–1968) and James Roberts Ogden (1866–1940), who had assembled their amazing collections in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As the Harrogate collection had been largely understudied, despite research and analysis of a selection of objects previously undertaken by Prof. Joanne Fletcher and Dr Stephen Buckley, the curators thought it might make sense to send it to the Egypt Centre at Swansea University on loan.
Discussions took place shortly afterwards, and May Catt, North Yorkshire Council’s Visitor and Cultural Services Manager, visited the Egypt Centre in September 2022 to see the museum and its storage facilities.
In 2023, more than 800 Egyptian artefacts arrived at the Egypt Centre with the aim of revitalising the collection through research, creating an online catalogue, and illuminating its acquisition history.
In particular, the project focuses on deciphering the names of associated ancient Egyptians, fulfilling the ancient aspiration of "causing their names to live."
The talk will see Dr Ken Griffin, who currently serves as the centre’s curator, present an overview of the collection, along with the background of Benjamin Kent and James Robert Ogden.
Dr Griffin has dedicated himself to researching the collection for more than two decades and works closely with the Royal Pump Room Museum and North Yorkshire Culture.
Harrogate Civic Society is presenting the talk, assisted by the Pump Room Museum and Harrogate Library, at West Park UR Church in Harrogate at 7.30pm on Friday, April 11.
Causing Their Names to Live: The Harrogate Egyptian Collection in Swansea is free to attend but, as space is limited, please book by emailing [email protected]