Ancient Egyptians Revived

By: Chelsea Blair

The ghost of an ancient temple and statues of Gods once worshiped in that temple during ancient Egypt times adorn the entrance to the new exhibit of the Egyptian Renaissance at the Museum of Fine Arts.

As 2008 marks “The Year of the Renaissance” in Hungary throughout the country in the recent months there have been, and according to the Renaissance Project Office, will be many more celebrations in the spirit of the renaissance, although a phone call to the communications director proved unfruitful in uncovering an exact number. The Social Patronage Board established for the year’s events, states on their website that the idea of this revival in Hungary is based around the notion that now is the time to shape the future and at the same time revive the past. There will be exhibitions and restorations of various cultural and historical points in Hungary, including the former study of Archbishop of Esztergrom, János Vitéz, and the collections at the National Széchenyi Library.

In the mood of the revival atmosphere, Budapest’s Museum of Fine Arts is showing a temporary exhibit “The Egyptian Renaissance.” The display centers on exploring how the ancient Egyptians revered their own way of life and how they made cultural connections between the different dynasties.

The show takes us through the history, albeit an abbreviated version, of the three kingdoms of the great Egyptian empire and examines how the civilizations transformed and built from each other in many areas of their culture, particularly art, architecture, and worship. The Egyptian Renaissance is said to have taken place in the middle of the 1st millennium B.C, mostly in the 25th and 26th dynasties. Egyptologists refer to it as the “Kushite and Sais Renaissance,” named after the rulers of the territory Kusha and the city of Sais who tried to revive and recreate the myths, artistic styles, language and literature of the rulers before them.

The exhibit’s curators are Egyptologist Francesco Tiradritti, the director of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Cairo, and Éva Liptay, the head of the Egyptian Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts and the literature provided at the exhibit explains in great detail that Egyptians believed that their culture was an unbroken sequence of kings. The Pharaohs thought that if they made strong connections with the past it would legitimize their rule. Even through the Persian occupation and Alexander the Great’s time in Egypt, known as the Late Period, artifacts on display prove that the culture was not totally masked by these domineering forces, and aspects of the Egyptian culture were still accepted and even respected.

Although it is hard at first to pin down what the ancient Egyptians have to do with Hungary, there is an interesting connection. The exhibit boasts a water jug of Egyptian origin from the Roman Imperial Period that was discovered here in Hungary, probably connected with Egyptian cults in the area. The fact that the jug was found in Hungary is a testament to how the Egyptian culture permeated through the world.

The show features several artifacts from the different dynasties such as statues with symbolic ritual purposes and the ever curious false doors from tombs, there is also a perfectly preserved mummified man on display. A well preserved tomb of a woman working as a wet nurse for a Pharaoh is the highlight of the show because of how intact it is and the special items that were also uncovered with it, such as four alabaster canopic jars which held all her internal organs for travel to the afterworld.

The show runs from 8 August to 9 November 2008
Budapest Museum of Fine Arts
Dosza Gyorgy ut. 41 XIV District.
Adults: HUF 2200 (advanced purchase – HUF 1800)
Students (with student card): HUF 1100 (advanced purchase 900)
Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00 – 18:00 Thursday 10:00 – 22:00
Closed Mondays