Egyptian exhibit opens at Washington College

The Elm (Emily Salladale)

What will you be leaving behind when you die? The Ancient Egyptians, whose civilization was one of the greatest of the ancient world, left behind many amazing things that have caught people’s attention throughout the world with their beauty and mystery.

The Washington College community is lucky enough to have a beautiful exhibit with some of these priceless artifacts right within walk¬ing distance. The exhibit is entitled, “For Now and Forever: Funerary Artifacts of Ancient Egypt.”

The exhibit’s curator is Fatma Ismail, a lecturer in Art at WC. Ismail is also teaching the course,“Reading Egyptian Temples: Stone Wall as Mythology, Theology and Ideology.”

The exhibit, located in Kohl Gallery in the Gibson Center for the Arts, does not contain the artifacts people have come to associate with ancient Egyptian burials. There are no mummies or elaborate masks made of gold or jewels on display. Rather, these funerary artifacts have a quieter beauty, and they speak volumes about Ancient Egyptian culture, their unique religious beliefs and funeral practices.