Price 50p INSCRIPTIONS The Newsletter of the Friends of the Egypt Centre, Swansea Issue 39 November 2014 In this issue: Next Lecture 1 A peep into the tomb of King Tut 2 by Anne Houlton The Continuing Adventures of Ianto the Tidy, the only Welsh Pharaoh... 2 by Anon About our contributors: Dulcie Engel 2 Editorial 3 41st BAFM Conference 3 by Sheila Nowell Memories of Claire 4 Dylan Thomas and Ancient Egypt 5 by Dulcie Engel Claire Edwards Next Lecture The Friends of the Egypt Centre send their sincere condolences to the family of Wednesday 3 December 2014 at 7 p.m., Fulton House Claire Edwards, long-time Volunteer at Kasia Szpakowska the centre and former Chair of the Friends, who died on 14 September. See Armed and Dangerous: Page 4 for tributes to this remarkable lady who touched the lives of many staff, An iconography of protective volunteers, friends and visitors. Middle and New Kingdom demons. © The Egypt Centre, Swansea 2014 — 1 — www.egypt.swan.ac.uk A peep into the The Continuing Adventures of Ianto tomb of King Tut the Tidy, the only Welsh Pharaoh... Tutankhamun’s tomb was left intact The excavation team have been hard at work revealing the final resting place of this tidiest of Pharaohs. After and not plundered until 1922 largely excavating through several strata of because, when the Valley of the coal and coal dust they chanced upon a Kings flooded, its entrance became door emblazoned with cartouches and silted up with sand and residue from an exhortation. It read the river. A recent television "Congratulations you have found the final resting place of Ianto, Ianto the programme stated this as a fact. Tidy... please leave a message after the When Howard Carter in 1922 opened beep as I am currently in a state of up the tomb wall he was filled full of ma’at and cannot be disturbed. Tidy." awe and amazement; and he famously Following excessive and correct said to his sponsor, the Earl of recording of every aspect of the tomb Caernarvon, that he saw “wonderful entrance, the team broke through the things.” He wrote: “At first I could door to be confronted by a strange see nothing as the hot air was guardian statue which featured an inscription which read: escaping from the chamber causing the candle to flicker, but presently "Ew name's not on the list, ew's not as my eyes grew accustomed to the coming in." light, details of the room emerged Hopefully by the next issue further news will be available. slowly from the mist, strange by Anon animals, statues and gold— everywhere the glint of gold.” About our contributors: Dulcie Engel The main inner chamber was [Inscriptions welcomes contributions right across the spectrum from humorous to crammed full of objects needed for erudite. We thank Dulcie Engel for her fascinating article on Ancient Egypt’s influence on Dylan Thomas, see pages 5-8. Here Dulcie introduces herself – Ed] use in the afterlife, as well as the sarcophagus. Wooden furniture and I was born in London in 1959, and studied languages (French & German) at Bristol University, then linguistics at MA and PhD level at Reading University, statues overlaid with gold, shabti specialising in the usage of French past tenses. figures, gold jewellery with lapis For most of my career I have been a teacher of some sort: mainly teaching lazuli, items made from alabaster, a French language and linguistics at university level, but also teaching English as a chariot, a bed and a wooden sennet Foreign Language to adult learners. board game were all included. The I have worked as a volunteer at the Egypt Centre since April 2014. I currently sheer number of items, their size come in 2 mornings a week and work as a gallery assistant in both ‘houses’. and opulence were indeed impressive. As a child, I was fascinated by Ancient Egyptian artefacts. I have very early memories of seeing mummies in the British Museum, and the Bolton museum Unfortunately, the sponsor of the (where my grandparents lived). In 1972, my mother took me to the Tutankhamun expedition, the Earl of Caernarvon, exhibition in London, I remember the queues and the gold mask quite vividly. In did not die from ‘the Pharoah’s curse’ turn, I went with my husband and children to the 2007 Tutankhamun exhibition at the O2. My daughter was passionate about Egyptology since doing a project at but more prosaically from an primary school; over the years I made quite a few visits to the Egypt Centre with infected mosquito bite. my children and my nephews. My daughter completed the Swansea Egyptology As Tutankhamun died in his teens, in MA in 2009, and her enthusiasm was wonderful. She gave me a fabulous commented tour of the Egyptological galleries at the Louvre. I have also made a recent years scientific tests on his point of visiting collections at the Ashmolean in Oxford, Harrogate Museum, skeleton have concluded that the Bristol museum, Brighton museum, and the Museum of Classical Art in Mougins. I physical injuries to his head and ribs have plans to visit the Petrie museum soon, and would love to go to Turin, Berlin, were most likely to be caused by him MOMA and of course Cairo! either falling from a horse, or from As a linguist, I am particularly interested in the writing systems of Ancient a chariot during a race. Egypt, and my childhood fascination with mummies persists, as illustrated in this article. I also love the intricacy of the amulets and jewellery. by Anne Houlton by Dulcie Engel © The Egypt Centre, Swansea 2014 — 2 — www.egypt.swan.ac.uk st Swansea's Industrial past. This was Editorial 41 BAFM very funny, interspersed as it was with Welcome to Issue 39 of Swansea City v Cardiff jokes, not to Inscriptions, the first in the Conference mention sheep jokes! After lunch 2014-2015 Academic Year. speakers were Garethe El Tawab of In two years from bid to the actual Swansea Museum, Jenni Spencer The Editor and his wife were conference the 41st Annual Davies of the Glynn Vivian Gallery deeply saddened to hear of the Conference and AGM of the British death of Claire Edwards, which and Steph Mastoris of the National Association of Friends of Museums Waterfront Museum, followed by our occurred while we were away on took place at the Marriott Hotel holiday. We remember Claire very own Syd Howells who spoke Swansea on 26th-28th September. fondly as a very charming and about the use of child volunteers. Syd The conference theme was "Keeping capable lady, passionate about was of course the best and had the all things Egyptian and Heritage Alive". most "groupies" around him brimming with energy for getting We arrived on the Friday about afterwards. We then left to take Syd things done. She will be sorely midday to set up in the foyer with back to the Egypt Centre in a blaze of missed by all connected with the literature and pop ups about the reflected glory. Egypt Centre. Egypt Centre and it was already a The evening started with a reception We will also shortly be saying hive of activity. I had expected to given by the Lord Mayor, Councillor goodbye to another inspirational accompany the tour to the Egypt Ceinwen Thomas, at the Brangwyn Chairman, but this time for a Centre but found I was also doing the Hall, followed by a quick peek at the happier reason. Ken Griffin, Richard Burton Archives and newly refurbished Brangwyn Panels who his currently in the hot Singleton Abbey. Being a tour guide and then a tour of the council seat, will be spending much of is now off my list for ever! Later the chamber, which was very impressive. the coming year abroad involved Deputy Leader of the City and County in various exciting digs, and has Then off to the gala dinner at the of Swansea, Councillor Christine Marriott. The after dinner speaker was decided he has to relinquish the Richards, welcomed delegates at a chairmanship. We extend our Dr Alwyn Humphreys who at the end reception hosted by Swansea sincere thanks to Ken for his of his talk conducted everyone in Museum, and Garethe El Tawab, the work as Chairman and wish him singing Calon Lan and We'll keep a every success in his excavations. curator, gave a tour. There followed a welcome in the hillsides. No tours for buffet at the Marriott. me on the Sunday morning! Another issue of Inscriptions is planned for the New Year, so we After registration on the Saturday, the I hope we succeeded in our aim of will be grateful for more Chair of BAFM welcomed everyone promoting the work of the Egypt contributions, whether chatty or and introduced the first speaker, Dr Centre especially with child scholarly! You can send it in David Fleming, Vice president of the volunteers and increasing the profile. hard copy or electronic form. Museums Association, who spoke on It was hard work, many meetings, Please address it to the Egypt how museums can preserve the past some fraught, but the feedback I Centre and mark it for my and the present for future generations have had was that it was a great attention. in view of the current cuts in public success and one of the best Mike Mac Donagh expenditure. After coffee Huw Bowen conferences ever. Many first time spoke on safeguarding the future of visitors to Swansea were so impressed that they said they would return for longer.