 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 February 2000 Issue No. 468
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Sublime junk
By Jill Kamil
Egyptologists setting up an exhibition last week in Southampton, in southern England, were surprised to find a large fragment of a priceless Egyptian statue -- presumably so nondescript in appearance that it could not be immediately recognised as such -- being used by museum attendants as a basement bikerack. It just goes to show what can happen to Egyptian antiquities allegedly "saved" by the sheltering arms of museum collections; not all end up preserved and on display.The 27-inch free-standing statue is of the ancient Egyptian king Taharqa and is estimated to be some 3,000 years old. Taharqa is represented as a god in a striding stance, with his arms crossed over his chest and holding the emblems of authority and power. Only his feet, part of his left arm and the upper part of his crown are missing; his ears, nose and beard are damaged.
How the statue got to Southampton in the first place is anyone's guess. Karen Wardley, curator of the archaeological collections for Southampton City Council, suggests it may have been on display in the city's first civic museum, which opened in 1912. But that does not explain how it ended up thrown into a storeroom, where it provided suitable bulk on which to rest bicycles.
Taharqa was the third Pharaoh in the so-called Kushite Dynasty (750-656 BC), when Egypt was ruled by a strong family from the northern Sudan. The Kushites took control of the country after a period of decline, but during Taharqa's 26-year reign, Egyptian culture was reimbued with vigour. Taharqa undertook a considerable amount of construction, especially in the temple complexes of Karnak and Medinet Habu in Luxor.
The Assyrians --who bear the reputation of being the most militaristic and ruthless of ancient peoples-- put an end to Kushite rule. Under the Assyrian king Esarhaddon, the Egyptian capital of Memphis was overrun and conquered. Taharqa escaped, eventually ending his days in Napata, where he was buried in a pyramidal tomb at the royal cemetery of Nuri.
The newly-discovered statue shows Taharqa in his prime, but the comical unawareness of the statue's value points up the sad state of affairs for Egyptian antiquities abroad. How many more Pharaohs are serving as umbrella stands in some French bookshop? Cow troughs in the English countryside?
The statue in question is currently stored in the Civic Centre art gallery in Southampton pending a decision on its future.
