Grenoble bound
Egyptologists from all over the world are heading to France to attend their ninth international congress. Nevine El-Aref previews the big event
Grenoble, in France, the home of renowned Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion, is currently being prepped to host some 1,500 Egyptologists from around the world. The hometown of the man who -- via the Rosetta stone -- broke the mysterious hieroglyphic code and as a result is often recognised as the founder of Egyptology, will play host to the ninth International Congress of Egyptologists (ICE) -- a global forum for the latest archaeological theories and studies in the field -- from 5 to 12 September.
Preparations for this major event are in full swing. Portriats of Pharaohs have been placed all over the city. Large posters featuring statues from Karnak line the walls of Grenoble's metro and train stations, as does the current congress's logo -- a montage of Champollion with a bust of King Amenhotep III in the background.
While the congress's main events -- the lectures, presentations and discussions on diverse subjects such as new discoveries and conservation, linguistics, museums, marketing and religion -- will be taking place at the city's ALEXPO building on Avenue D'Innsbruck, several other functions will also be held on the sidelines.
Two of these are exhibitions paying homage to two of France's most distinguished Egyptologists -- Georges Legrain and Champollion. The Legrain exhibit is called "Egypt's Treasure: Karnak Cachet". Taking place at the city's Dauphinois Museum, it features 26 artefacts carefully selected from the Egyptian Museum's Karnak collection.
Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said that Georges Legrain discovered the objects in the courtyard of Karnak's Amun Temple between 1903 and 1905. Dating back to the late Pharaonic period, they feature a collection of limestone statues of top Pharaonic officials and high-ranking military figures, some of which are represented in sphinx-like form, while others are adorned with Ancient Egyptian deities. The exhibit, which will run for six months, is expected to generate $100,000 in revenue. The objects have been ensured to the tune of $39,050,000.
The other exhibit, entitled "In the footsteps of the Brothers Champollion", opens on 6 September; being held at the Champollion brothers' house in the city's Vif neighbourhood, the show will feature the family's souvenirs, portraits of Champollion and other family members, as well as the famous Egyptologist's desk, bedroom, and library. His documents and notes will also be on display at the exquisite house that has remained intact, with its unique 19th century architectural design, since the brothers Champollion lived there in 1807.
According to Fathi Saleh of Egypt's CULTNAT, a third exhibition being held at Grenoble will include rare photos symbolising the different types of burial methods discovered by famous Egyptian archaeologist Selim Hassan in Giza. Hassan's family gave the collection to CULTNAT, which is sponsoring the exhibit, called "Selim Hassan discovers his ancestors."
Conference participants won't be spending all their time talking about the past, however. The evenings will be filled with Oriental-inspired entertainment and delicacies. A documentary film narrating the life of Kutchuk Hanem, a famous 19th century Cairene dancer, will also be screened.
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/706/eg9.htm