PI-Ramesses (Egypt)

Coordinator/Mission Manager

Henning Franzmeier

Field of research and classifications

Archaeological disciplines from prehistory to the medieval age

ERC: Area 10

ERC: SH 6, The study of the human past: archaeology, history and memory

SDG: 4) Quality education

Prevalent type of public engagement

Organising concerts, theatre performances, film festivals, sporting events, and exhibitions

Description

The exhibition will be held both online and at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and will be presented in three languages (English, German and Arabic). The virtual exhibition focuses on various themes distinguishing the history of the city of Piramesse, the capital of ancient Egypt in the late Bronze Age, and provides a general overview of the site. The exhibition at the Cairo museum aims to present the history of the excavations based on both finds and archival materials.

The goals of the exhibition are to provide, for the first time, a summary of what we currently know about this ancient city with the aim of addressing both Egyptian and foreign visitors.

Choosing both a digital platform and a physical venue (the Egyptian museum in Cairo) ensures a greater impact and the engagement of more visitors. The virtual exhibition can also be used to educate the local population of Qantir about their past and history.

The tools that will be used to obtain feedback on the exhibition include tracking the number of online visitors and evaluation forms provided to the museum in Cairo.

Locations and periods

Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Permanent 01/05/2023 - 30/06/2023

Collaborators and Partners

Unibo

Egyptian Museum Cairo

Humboldt University Berlin

Roemer- und Pelizaeus Museum, Hildesheim

Berliner Antikekolleg

Objectives and target audiences

Given its connection to biblical history, the Pyramesse site has suffered from numerous unscientific interpretations that are widespread and rampant on the web (both Western and non-Western platforms). The exhibition thus aims to provide accurate historical information about the importance of the city and its function. The exhibition also seeks to help the local community of Qantir become more aware of its history by offering an Arabic version. The involvement of the Egyptian museum in Cairo helps in offering a non-Western point of view on the role of Piramesse in pharaonic history.

Target audiences: citizens (adults, adolescents, children); schools at various levels (students and teachers).

Impact and evaluation tools

The number of visitors to the Cairo museum is around 2,000-5,000 people per day, so it is estimated that at least 20-30% of these will linger to visit the temporary exhibition on Piramesse.

The number of visitors for the virtual exhibition is difficult to determine but, since this exhibition will be permanent, its future impact can be considered long term.

The Cairo museum’s educational services will use the exhibition (both virtual and physical) to convey its content by adapting it to the various audiences visiting the exhibition. In particular, since many Egyptian school children will visit the exhibition, it will provide an opportunity to disseminate new knowledge about one of the most important cities in Late Bronze Age Egypt and thus provide a new perspective on the ancient history taught in schools.

Qualitative evaluation tools: evaluation questionnaire and feedback from the Cairo museum’s educational services. Contact form on the website.

Quantitative evaluation tools: evaluation questionnaire, website access and engagement tracking, attendance tracking, number of posts on social media pages.

Key words

Egypt, Ramesses II, Pi-Ramesse, Qantir