AMplify - Conversations at the Australian Museum Australian Museum

n the 1980s, a new wave of Egyptomania emerged in Australia with the first touring exhibition from Cairo, but Australia’s fascination with Egypt’s ancient past had begun in the 19th century. Our attraction to the ancient world endured throughout the political swings and design trends of the early 20th century, and grew as Egypt hosted ANZACs for deployment in both World Wars.

Come with us to ‘Ramses Street’ as we explore the legacy of Ancient Egypt in Australia and discuss the current shift to untangle and address colonial narratives in museums. Hosted by Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Twice a year, sunlight sweeps into the chambers of The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, illuminating the face of Ramses II and marking the beginning of the flood and growing seasons. Temples were monuments to the pharaohs and the gods, reminding all of Egypt’s wealth and prosperity. For modern visitors, these temples stand as examples of the ingenuity and scope of human endeavour.

In the fourth instalment of our Saturday Lecture Series, we explore some of these monuments’ key architectural features; how kings, such as Ramses II used them to define and portray power and - in the case of Abu Simbel – as a means to harness the sun. Following the lecture, join in the conversation with a Q&A hosted by Professor of Architecture, Restoration Australia’s Anthony Burke.

Five years into his reign, Ramses undertook his most ambitious military action, attempting to wrest control of Kadesh from the Hittites. Join Associate Professor Ockinga as he unravels the complexities of one of the most famous battles in the ancient world and asks whether history is necessarily written by the victors.

In the premiere event of our Saturday Lecture Series, Macquarie University Professor Malcolm Choat uncovers the history of KV7 - The tomb of Ramses the Great.

Tomb KV7 had a life that extended beyond a pharaonic burial chamber. Ancient tourists inscribed their names and impressions on its walls, Christian monks made their homes there and transformed the necropolis into a holy city. A thousand years later, a new wave of tourists from Europe began recording their impressions of Egypt. Join Professor Malcolm Choat as he takes us on a journey through time to explore how the “afterlife” of the tomb of Ramses II - and the Theban Necropolis - teaches us as much about Ancient Egypt as the New Kingdom does.

In this captivating lecture, hosted by the Australian Museum’s Chief Experience Officer Russell Briggs, learn what happened in the years between the interment of the great Pharaoh in the 18th Dynasty, and the contemporary excavation of the tomb in the 19th Century.

Come on a journey to the afterlife with archaeologist Dr Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek as we explore everything from beliefs and practices to tombs and funerary equipment.

‘I exist, I am alive, I am strong, I have awoken'.

Along with mummification, ceremonies and the creation of tombs, ancient Egyptians contrived hundreds of spells to safeguard their eternal existence.

Using key pieces from the exhibition Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, Macquarie University’s Dr Mourad-Cizek will explain how pharaohs, princesses, artists and others prepared to join the realm of the dead, to become eternally divine.

In the first instalment of the Australian Museum’s exclusive 'Egypt - In Conversation' series, curator and Egyptologist Dr Melanie Pitkin sits down with journalist and passionate Egyptophile Caroline Baum for 'An Introduction to Egypt'.

As the Senior Curator of the Nicholson collection of antiquities at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, Melanie shares insight into ancient Egyptians and their world view. Learn about key personalities, events and periods of pharaonic history to the interrelationship between religion and society.