Monday 9th June 7:45pm (GMT+1)

This Monday we are going way way back in time for our monthly lecture!

Michelle Scott

Rethinking Predynastic Egyptian identity and embodiment through broken figurines and fragments.

Anthropomorphic figurines have long been seen to constitute an extraordinary class of material culture. They are iconic in their presentation and representation of the human form in miniature. Within museum displays, these figurines play an active role in producing and communicating ideas about the past. The conception of the Neolithic body recognises fragmentation as a regular and deliberate treatment of the dead. Yet museums typically prioritise completeness: the whole over the fragment. The breaking of the body is often obscured by its remaking through curatorial decision-making and compounded by reconstructive conservation. Drawing on case studies from Naqada and el-Ma’mariya, as well as the so-called ‘Painted Ladies’, this talk invites a rethinking of what it means to be whole. Framed by questions of difference, disability and identity, it asks: whose story it is that museums are telling?

Dr Michelle Scott is an archaeologist, researcher, and museum professional specialising in Predynastic Egypt and the politics of museum storytelling. They recently completed their PhD at the University of Manchester, which traced anthropomorphic figurines as sites of narrative, identity, and embodiment from antiquity to the present. Michelle brings an imaginative and socially engaged approach to museum practice, with a particular focus on identity, inclusion, and ethics of care. At Manchester Museum, they have led award-winning public engagement initiatives, co-curated exhibitions, and developed digital content that reimagines how the past is presented and performed.

All welcome! MAES members free (emailed link). Guests can book via Eventbrite here:

(Please note the slightly later start time.)