Under the two towers the splendor of a millenary and unique civilization that has always fascinated the whole world lives again: the Egypt of the Pyramids, of the Pharaohs, of the powerful and multiform gods, but also the Egypt of sensational discoveries, of enthralling archeology, of the most passionate collecting, of the most rigorous study. The story of beyond four millennia of Ancient Egyptian history through more than 500 works of inestimable beauty.
The exhibition Egypt, which opens at Civic Archaeological Museum di Bologna, is not only an exhibition of very strong visual and scientific impact, but it is also an operation that has no precedents on the international scene: the Egyptian collection of National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden in the Netherlands – one of the top ten in the world – and that of Bologna – among the first in Italy for the number, quality and state of conservation of its objects, will come together and integrate into an exhibition itinerary of about 1.700 square meters of art and history.
Will 500 the finds, which can be dated from the Predynastic Period to the Roman Age, which will reach the Bolognese museum from Holland.
And together with the masterpieces of Leiden and Bologna, the exhibition will host important loans from Egyptian museum di Torino and Egyptian museum di Florence, under the banner of a network which involves the main Italian museums.
For the first time, the masterpieces of the two collections will be exhibited side by side, works such as: the Stele of Aku (XII-XIII Dynasty, 1976-1648 BC), the "butler of the divine offering" whose prayer recounts the otherworldly existence of the deceased in a tripartite world between heaven, earth and the underworld; the gold attributed to the general Djehuty, who led the Egyptian troops victorious in the Near East for the pharaoh Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC), the great conqueror; the statues of Maya, Superintendent of Tutankhamun's royal treasury, e meryt, singer of Amun, (1333th dynasty, reigns of Tutankhamun-Horemheb, 1292-XNUMX BC), greatest masterpieces of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, which will leave Holland for the first time; and finally, among the numerous objects that bear witness to the extremely refined lifestyle of the wealthiest Egyptians, a Mirror handle (1292 BC) in the form of an eternally young girl holding a bird in her hand.
Finally, for the first time after 200 years since the rediscovery of his tomb in Saqqara, the exhibition offers the unique and unrepeatable opportunity to see the most important reliefs of Horemheb, commander-in-chief of the Egyptian army at the time of Tutankhamun and then the last ruler of the XVIII dynasty, from 1319 to 1292 BC, which Leiden, Bologna and Florence possess.
A multi-millennial history – that of a unique civilization – revealed in a major exhibition that brings together masterpieces from around the world and which tells of the Pyramids and Pharaohs, of great leaders and priests, of gods and goddesses, of characters who shaped Egypt's past and which thanks to discoveries, archeology and collecting never ceases to enchant, reveal itself, intrigue, fascinate and captivate generation after generation.
THE SEVEN SECTIONS OF THE EXHIBITION
The Predynastic and the Archaic Age – at the origins of history
The transition from raw material to form, from oral to written tradition, from prehistory to history, represents the founding moment of Egyptian civilization. The Leiden collection is very rich in materials documenting the central role of nature in this long cultural and artistic evolution. Many of these objects, of absolute stylistic modernity, will open the exhibition itinerary, including a vase from the Naqada IID Period (from the name of a site in Upper Egypt and datable to 3375-3325 BC) decorated with ostriches, hills and waters. The scene depicted on this vase takes us back to an Egypt characterized by a luxuriant landscape that climate change then transformed over time. Ostriches, here painted in red, together with elephants, crocodiles, rhinoceroses and other wild animals were then a regular presence in the Nilotic territory.
The Old Kingdom – a political-religious model intended for success and its weaknessesà
The historical period of the Old Kingdom (from the III to the VI dynasty, indicatively between 2700 and 2192 BC) is known for the pyramids and for the consolidation of a bureaucracy headed by an absolute sovereign, considered a god on earth and lord of all Egypt. This sense of the state and its very elitist earthly and otherworldly rules are well documented in the objects from a funerary context of which the Dutch collection is particularly rich, including a calcite (alabaster) offering table. The offering to the deceased was a fundamental part of the funerary ritual to ensure life after death. The peculiarity of this table that belonged to a high state official named Defdj is given by the circular, unusual shape, and by the repetition of the concept of offer as indicated by the written text, by the sculpted pottery in zenithal vision and, above all, by the central representation that matches the hieroglyph hotep (offer), or a table on which a loaf rests.
The Middle Kingdom – the god Osiris and a new perspective on the afterlife
The end of the Old Kingdom and the period of political disintegration that followed brought about major changes in Egyptian society, which recognized the single individual as having greater responsibility for his own destiny, even in the afterlife. Every Egyptian, capable of having a tomb built with adequate grave goods, can now aspire to eternal life. The god Osiris, lord of the underworld, becomes the most popular deity in the country. From his temple in Abydos, one of the most important places of worship in Egypt, come many steles now in Leiden and Bologna. Including that of Aku, butler of the divine offering who dedicates this stele to Min-Hor-Nekhet, the form of the ithyphallic god Min worshiped in the city of Abydos. The prayer that Aku addresses to the god tells of an otherworldly existence in a world conceived as tripartite: in the sky where the deceased is transfigured into a star, on earth where burial is the fundamental place for the passage from life to death and in the afterlife where Osiris grants eternal life to the deceased.
From the Middle to the New Kingdom - control of territory at home and abroad
The defeat of the Hyksos, "the princes of foreign countries" who invade and rule northern Egypt for a few generations, gives rise to the New Kingdom. A very aggressive foreign policy enriches the country which is experiencing one of its periods of greatest splendour. The social class of war professionals asserted itself to the point of reaching the top of the state and giving rise to some reigning dynasties. The wealth and prestige of these soldiers also materialize in the production of refined objects, such as the gold attributed to Djehuty, general of Pharaoh Tuthmosi III. The Egyptian goldsmith's art has bequeathed us jewels of great artistic value and economic value, such as a breastplate element on display. This jewel, attributed to the tomb of General Djehuty, the man to whom the sovereign Thutmosi III entrusted the control of foreign lands, represents a refined example. Figured as a blue lotus flower, a symbol of rebirth and regeneration, it was to serve as the central element of an elaborate numerous-stranded breastplate. The cartouche engraved on the back suggests that the jewel was donated by Thutmose III himself.
The Saqqara necropolis in the New Kingdom
The Museums of Leiden and Bologna can be considered "twins" because they preserve two important nuclei of antiquities from Saqqara, one of the necropolises of the city of Memphis. During the New Kingdom this ancient capital of Egypt once again became a strategic center for the expansionist policy of the rulers of the XVIII Dynasty. This is demonstrated by the monumental burials of high state officials who held administrative, religious and military positions there, including the tombs of the Superintendent of the royal treasure of Tutankhamun Maya and his wife Meryt, singer of Amun, and of Horemheb, commander in chief of Tutankhamun's army and crown prince.
The statues of Maya and his wife Meryt arrived in Holland in 1829 with the collection of Giovanni d'Anastasi. Only many years later, in 1986, an Anglo-Dutch archaeological mission identified the tomb of provenance southeast of the pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. These statues, which represent the greatest Egyptian masterpieces from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, will leave the Dutch Museum for the first time to be displayed in the exhibition.
It should be remembered that the aim of the Egypt Exploration Society of London and the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden when they undertook excavations southeast of Djoser's Step Pyramid in 1975 was to locate the tomb of Maya and Meryt. Great was the surprise to discover, however, the burial of general Horemheb who concluded an amazing political career becoming the last ruler of the XVIII Dynasty. His tomb, which has a temple structure, is characterized by a pylon entrance, three large courtyards and three cult chapels that overlook the innermost peristyle courtyard. Most of the reliefs conserved in Leiden and Bologna come from the latter, which tell of the most important military exploits of Horemheb conducted against the Asians, Libyans and Nubians, the populations bordering Egypt.
The New Kingdom – prosperity after the conquest
Refined furnishings, musical instruments, board games, jewels: these are just some of the luxury goods that testify to the widespread prosperity in Egypt following the expansionist policy of the rulers of the New Kingdom. Thanks to the refined objects it will be possible to relive moments of daily life, imagining being inside a royal palace or in the home of some high official. As for the mirror handle present here consisting of the graceful and sensual body of a girl, who is holding a small bird in her hand.
Egypt of the first millennium
The Egypt of the first millennium BC is characterized by an increasingly evident weakness of the central power in favor of local governors who assume the role of ruling dynasty. The loss of political and territorial unity weakens the ability to defend the borders of the country, which is conquered several times by Nubians, Assyrians and Persians. Strong centers of power remain the temples, which manage an important part of the economy and the transmission of knowledge, playing a role of political intermediation between the reigning power and the devoted population. Many of the masterpieces on display belong to the grave goods of priests and come from important Templar areas. Among these is the sarcophagus of Peftjauneith which, in the combination of case and lid, reproduces the features of the god Osiris, wrapped in a linen shroud and with a green face that evokes the concept of rebirth. The refined decoration of this sarcophagus confirms the high Templar rank of its owner, superintendent of the possessions of a temple in Lower Egypt. Of particular note is the scene inside the case which shows the goddess of the sky Nut swallowing the disc of the sun every evening (in the West) and then giving birth to it every morning (in the East).
The conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC closes the "pharaonic" phase of Egyptian history. With his successors, the Ptolemies, the Greek domination of the country began, which will have the famous Cleopatra VII as its last sovereign.
The golden decline of the country will continue for many other centuries, beyond the Roman conquest of 31 BC, until the Arab domination in the sixth century AD.
The dialogue between ancient and new, local and foreign, which distinguishes the Greek-Roman era, still allows the achievement of high artistic levels, as evidenced by the famous Fayum portraits, of which the Leiden Museum preserves valuable specimens on display.
The exhibition, Patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, is produced by Municipality of Bologna | Bologna Museums Institution | Civic Archaeological Museum and Arthemisia Group and edited by Paula Giovetti, head of the Museum e Daniela Peaks, curator of the Egyptian section.
