Work

‘A selection of minor antiquities’: a multi-sited view on collections from excavations in Egypt

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: This article draws upon the ‘Artefacts of Excavation’ (2014–17) project, which is investigating the worldwide distribution of finds from British-led excavations in Egypt between 1880 and 1980. The departure point for the present article is the earliest phase of these distributions. The potential for multi-sited ethnographic approaches to illuminate the history and significance of such collections is explored. It is argued that, through such analyses, it is possible to chart shifting tensions in the status of objects as they were collected, circulated and re-evaluated between the field and the museum. The article concludes by suggesting that multi-sited frameworks may also be able to re-animate ‘orphaned’ archaeological collections, some of which could be at risk from commercial sale.

Source: World Archaeology

DOI: 10.1080/00438243.2016.1165627

Authors: Alice Stevenson, Emma Libonati, Alice Williams

Institutions: University College London, University of Oxford

Language: English

Topic: Ancient Egypt and Archaeology

Subfield: Archeology

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: University of Pittsburgh, University of Oxford, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Institute of Archaeology, University College London

Awards: Artefacts of Excavation: the international distribution of Egyptian finds from British excavations 1880-1980, G5508430462