Another Swansea claim to fame!
An ancient Egyptian headrest residing at Swansea Museum has made it to our TV screens featuring as one of Charlotte and Elliot’s adventures in the new CBeebies series ‘Teacup Travels’.
The story goes like this…
Whenever Charlotte or Elliot visits their Great Aunt Lizzie, there’s always going to be a story and a cup of tea. Lizzie has the most extraordinary collection; every cup unique, each with a picture of an ancient artefact; a reminder of an adventure way back in the mists of time. She is so good at telling those tales, with descriptions so vivid, that Charlotte and Elliot can’t help but imagine themselves long ago and far away, in Great Aunt Lizzie’s old battered boots. Every object is inspired by a genuine museum artefact.
The Egyptian Collection in Swansea
The wooden headrest on display in Swansea Museum was found in a tomb in Thebes dating back to around 1400 BC. Headrests were placed close to the head of the mummy within the tomb to protect the head from being severed from the body after death and changed little throughout history. Most were made from wood, but some were made from stone. They were a form of pillow, to provide head support. Symbolically, the headrest was connected with the sun, which (like the head) was lowered in the evening and arose in the day.
You can see this very headrest and other ancient Egyptian artefacts, including the mummy identified as Hor (a clothier priest and scribe of the God Atum), at Swansea Museum’s Egyptian Gallery.
This post is also available in: Welsh