The Stuff of Legend: Heinrich Schliemann's Life and Work
American School of Classical Studies in Athens

This digital exhibition explores the life of German excavator Heinrich Schliemann, the Homer-obsessive who is known for his excavations at Troy, Mycenae and Tiryns in the late 19th century. The exhibition draws on his extensive archive.

Website: schliemannlegend2022.gr/index.php/en/

Mapping Collections Histories: Barbados and Britain
University of Reading

An exhibition mapping connected archaeological collections histories between Barbados and Britain, mainly in the 19th century. A joint University of Reading and British Museum partnership project output, as part of "Narrating the Diverse Past" project.

Exhibition website: collections.reading.ac.uk/explore/online-exhibitions/mapping-collections-histories-barbados-and-britain/

Project website: collections.reading.ac.uk/narrating-the-diverse-past/

Greece Re-Created: Classical Inspiration at Belsay Hall
Great North Museum: Hancock

An exhibition on the collector Charles Monck (1779-1867), who lived at Belsay Hall in Northumberland, featuring extracts from his diary of his honeymoon in Greece and artefacts from the Shefton Collection.

Exhibition Website: greece-recreated.com/
Great North Museum: Hancock Website: greatnorthmuseum.org.uk/ 

Mediterranean Threads: 18th and 19th Century Greek Embroideries
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
12 Sep 2020-Feb 2021

This online exhibition is part of the Ashmolean's Museum from Home series. It focuses on 18th and 19th century textiles from the Mediterranean in the Ashmolean's collection. Many of these were collected by noted early 20th c British archaeologist John Linton Myres, who spent time travelling and excavating in Greece and Cyprus.

See the exhibition here.

The British Museum
Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London

The British Museum has recently re-launched an enhanced edition of the "Collecting Histories" trail, which had been developed in 2019.  The "Collecting and Empire" trail showcases the imperial/colonial histories of 15 artefacts on display in the British Museum, including objects collected from Greece, Egypt, Turkey, Sudan, Nigeria, Virginia, Canada, Java and China.

Download the trail here.

Egypt in Reading: Stories from the Liverpool Collection
Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology
University of Reading, Edith Morley Building
26 February - 5 May 2020

An exhibition exploring the history and legacy of British excavations in Egypt, via a collection purchased for the Museum in 1923.  A digital exhibition complements the Museum display.

FINDING FRANKS: Augustus Wollaston Franks and the British Museum (1851-97) - Some lesser known sources
Marjorie Caygill
Thursday 27 February 2020
6-7 pm, UCL Institute of Archaeology Room 209

Chronicling the life of British Museum Keeper Augustus Wollaston Franks and his importance to the history of the Museum.

From Shells to Ivory: Hugh Nevill's colonial collecting in Sri Lanka
1 May 2019, 6-7pm
Room 612, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Sushma Jansari (The British Museum) will discuss the life of Hugh Nevill, a 19th century collector of artefacts from Sri Lanka. Some of Nevill's collection is now held in the British Museum.

​Meira Gold (Cambridge) discusses the role of geology in early Egyptology through mid-19th century excavations at Memphis and Heliopolis.

Disruptors & Innovators: Journeys in gender equality at UCL
until February 2019
Daily, 9am - 7pm
Octagon Gallery, University College London

An exhibition highlighting key women at UCL in the 19th and 20th centuries and their activities, including suffrage and Egyptology.  

Admission free. Further details here.

Rodin and the art of ancient Greece
until 29 July 2018
The British Museum
Bloomsbury, London

An exhibition on how the art of classical Greece, particularly the Parthenon Marbles at the British Museum, influenced the work of late 19th century French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

​Tickets required; webpage here.

From skull measurements to ancient DNA: putting John Thurnam’s collection of antiquities in their prehistoric and archaeological context
24 April 2018, 6-7pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Neil Wilkin (The British Museum) explores the life and intellectual context of 19th century antiquarian and physician John Thurnam, whose collection of artefacts relating to the prehistory of Britain was sold after his death to the British Museum. Through his interest in ancient human remains, he drew conclusions about race and identity; a history that reflects an enduring interest in the DNA of ancient peoples and how that interest ties into modern concerns.

Neil Wilkin's blog post discussing various strands of the talk can be found here.

In the footsteps of maverick Orientalists: Exploring the Royal Asiatic Society Archive

13 March 2018, 6-7pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Nancy Charley (RAS archivist) and Ed Weech (RAS Librarian) discuss key British Orientalists: Thomas Manning (1772-1840); Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890) and Lady Isabel Burton (1831-1896); and Oscar Eckenstein (1859-1921).

An Introduction to the Central Archive at the British Museum
Francesca Hillier (Archivist, The British Museum)
22 February 2018, 6-7pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Francesca will discuss the Museum's Central Archive, housing important documents relating to the Museum's history and the history of its collections.

The Kentucky Mummy: Encountering Antiquity in 19th Century America
9 November 2017, 6 pm –7 pm
Room 209, UCL Institute of Archaeology

James E. Snead (California State University, Northridge) will discuss the history of an iconic find, and how it affected both the beginnings of scientific archaeology and popular culture in the United States.

What does it mean to be human? Curating Heads
2 Oct 2017 - 28 February 2018
9am - 7pm daily
Octagon Gallery
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT

A free exhibition about the ethics and implications of human remains. Featuring the work of archaeologist Flinders Petrie, and a discussion of his request to leave his head to science. Further details here.

The Lost City of London
3-29 October 2017
Paternoster Square
London

A free photography exhibition charting excavations in the City of London after the Second World War.  Details are here.

The Discovery of Roman London
11 September 2017-5 January 2018
Library opening hours listed here.
Guildhall Library
Aldermanbury
EC2V 7HH

An exhibition charting the history of Roman archaeology in London, and the sites and artefacts relating to Roman London. It highlights the pioneering work of London antiquary Charles Roach-Smith, and illuminates the history of the Museum of London's predecessor, the Guildhall Museum.  Further information and a list of associated events can be found here.

Adventures in Egypt - Mrs Goodison and Other Travellers
23 September 2017 -10 March 2018
10-4 Mon-Sat; during School holidays 11-4 Sun
The Atkinson
Lord Street
Southport

An exhibition highlighting the life of Victorian collector Amelia Goodison and her engagement with ancient Egypt through artefacts, letters and sketches. The exhibition is free, further details here.