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City & Village Tours: 0208 692 1
Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds
with the Lost & Found Galleries Tour
City & Village Tours: 0208 692 1133
A thousand years ago two Venice-like island cities sank
beneath the blue waters of the Mediterranean coast
of Ancient Egypt. These lost worlds have only been
rediscovered by underwater archaeologists in the last
twenty years. Now precious artefacts from the sea bed,
from colossal statues to intricate gold jewellery, plus
important loans from Egyptian museums (the first since
the Arab Spring) are coming to The British Museum.
It’s the first time the museum has used the blockbuster
word since The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army
nearly ten years ago.
of the sofa of history for 4000 years, were recently found
on a Babylonian Cuneiform tablet.
▪ An intricate ivory carving from one of the first cities
on earth that Agatha Christie personally cleaned up with
her Ponds Cold Cream!
▪ The beautiful Benin Bronzes that astounded art critics
when they arrived in London in the 1890s.
Our galleries tour is light on the feet but very rich on the
senses. We do not walk too far and each gallery has some
seating for those who would like to rest.
The galleries tour will last for one hour and the anticip-
ated dwell time inside the Sunken Cities exhibition is
about the same although you can stay for longer if you
choose. From 12.30pm there is a free period to buy lunch
at the Great Court Cafes or eat your packed lunch and
visit the bookshop or some of the other galleries.
Make a day of it and visit
Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost
Worlds
with City & Village Tours. Our day combines
a visit to the exhibition with a galleries tour in the
company of one of our award winning Blue Badge
Guides. Book your coach to arrive at the British Museum
and meet the guide at 10.30am for time to buy
refreshments in the Great Court Cafes. The day will begin
with a very clear, digestible and interesting introduction
to Ptolemaic Egypt and what you are going to see in the
Sunken Cities exhibition.
Sunken Cities – Egypt’s Lost Worlds
tells the story
of the meeting of the Ancient Egyptian and Greek worlds.
After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC his
empire was divided among his generals. Egypt went to
the Greek general Ptolemy who would become the first
of fourteen Pharaohs from his family to rule Egypt
for the next 300 years until it was annexed by Rome
on the death of Queen Cleopatra in 30BC.
After the introduction one half of your group will enter
the
Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds
exhibition
while the other half stays with the guide to begin the
galleries tour. For our one hour tour we have chosen
the theme of
Lost & Found
. From the Great Court at
the heart of thirteen acres of the greatest museum in the
world we slip away from the crowds. Without walking
you too far we will take you (in a small group remember)
to discover some of the lesser known treasures of the
collection.
If you joined us for a Terracotta Army day I am confident
that you will remember how much fun this is.
Here are just a few of the artefacts we explore:
▪ A beautiful board game of lapis lazuli and limestone
from Ancient Mespotamia that was found in the 1920s
by the great archaeologist Sir Leonard Wooley. The rules
of the game, lost down the back
We gather once more at 2.00pm for new questions arising
from the visit to Sunken Cities before the second half
of your group go in. The remaining half stay with the
guide to enjoy the Lost & Found Galleries tour as
described. At 4.00pm we meet in the Great Court for
time to buy refreshments before returning to the coach
to head home at 4.45pm.
The Sunken Cities is supported by BP.
For more about Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds
please visit our website or see the February and March
2016 issues of
The Kettle.
Weekdays 19 May to 27 November 2016
Adults & Seniors: £28.00
Book now and pay for the tickets and tour just four weeks
before you go. The day is also available with a later start,
arriving for free time to buy lunch in the Great Court
Cafes at midday and heading home at 5.30pm
Booking Now On:
0208 692 1133
