This case study details a Compulsory module at Swansea University for the MA in Ancient Egyptian Culture small seminar group: seven students (2009-10). Collecting Egyptian Antiquity explores the issues surrounding the formation of collections of Egyptian antiquities. It includes the creation of public museums and private collections. There are aspects of professional responsibilities such as publication and the use of the web interfaces for archaeological projects and museums. There is a strong ethical element that looks at the impact of looting on the archaeological record (‘material consequences’) and its interpretation (‘intellectual consequences’). The course also considers the display of human remains and the issue of creating forgeries.
The module is assessed by three pieces of continuous assessment. One aspect of the assessment relates to the analysis of recent (post-1998) sales of Egyptian antiquities at a major New York auction house. The students study the collecting histories (‘provenance’) of the pieces to see how much material being offered for sale was documented prior to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. It also gives them an opportunity to research the collectors behind the sales.
This case study is written in both English and Welsh.
