THE MEH INAUGURATES THE EXHIBITION 'AÍDA. ANCIENT EGYPT' WHICH SHOWCASES THE STUDY OF ONE OF THE MOST DAZZLING CULTURES IN HUMAN HISTORY

The exhibition brings together more than 150 archaeological pieces, books, documents, replicas, photographs and audiovisuals from various institutions. It can be visited until September in the Temporary Exhibitions Room of the Museum, with free admission.

 

MEH

 

The Museum of Human Evolution (MEH), under the authority of the Regional Government of Castilla y León, has inaugurated the exhibition 'Aída. El Egipto soñado' (The Egypt of Dreams), an exhibition that brings together more than 150 archaeological pieces, books, documents, replicas, photographs and audiovisuals from various institutions. It can be visited until September.

 

'Aida. El Egipto soñado', under the curatorship of José Manuel Galán, draws attention to the interest and fascination that Egyptian culture aroused in the 19th century in the West and that is at the genesis of Egyptology. In this sense, the exhibition includes the beginnings of Egyptology, in 1798, the date on which Napoleon undertook his famous Egyptian campaign, the results of which would be reflected in the books 'Description de l'Égypte', published between 1809 and 1829. One of the volumes can be seen in this exhibition, in which there is also a reproduction of the burial chamber of the tomb of Sennedjem, made by the Egyptologist Wolfgang Wettengel.

 

Another important milestone included in the MEH exhibition is the opening of the Suez Canal, one of the largest engineering works in history and in whose planning and development Spanish engineers were involved. In fact, its inauguration in 1869 was presided over by Eugenia de Montijo, whose Chantilly lace mantilla is displayed.

 

Eduardo Toda, who was the Spanish consul in Egypt from 1884 to 1886, is also one of the protagonists of this exhibition, as some of the pieces he brought back in the second half of the 19th century, such as the lid of the coffin in polychrome wood from the Necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna or the figure of Ptah - Sokar - Osiris in polychrome wood,  illustrate the Egyptian archaeology section of the exhibition.

 

They also appear in 'Aída. El Egipto soñado' spots dedicated to Tutankhamun and Cleopatra. In turn, the opera 'Aída is represented by pieces from Hugo de Ana's stage design, loaned from the Teatro Real in Madrid.

 

The 'Djehuty Project', led by the exhibition's curator, is also shown in an adjoining room in the exhibition. 'Djehuty' began in 2001 with the aim of excavating, restoring, studying and publishing Djehuty's tomb-chapel and other adjoining funerary monuments.

 

For 'Aida. El Egipto soñado', pieces from different institutions are added: Teatro Real of Madrid; National Archaeological Museum; National Library; Museum of Romanticism; Prado Museum; Thyssen Museum; Victor Balaguere Museum; Granada Science Park; Embassy of Egypt in Spain; Naval Museum; Museums of the Complutense University of Madrid; Casa de Alba Foundation; Polytechnic University of Madrid; Wolfgang Wettengel; The Griffith Institute; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

The opening hours of this temporary exhibition at the Museum, which will be open until September, are the same as the Museum as a whole. Admission is free, and there are guided tours at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday.