Egyptology Scotland

About the society

Egyptology Scotland was formed on December 12, 2000 with the objective of promoting the study and understanding of Ancient Egypt in Scotland. The society is based mainly in the Burrel Museum in Glasgow's south side, although it also ventures to other venues in cities such as Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

The society's motto is a quote from the ancient Egyptian wisdom text 'The Instruction of Ptahhotep'. It translates as 'Speaking to the future is good - it will listen.'

Egyptology Scotland's annual lecture programme aims to provide members with access to the latest developments in the field of Egyptology and events include group visits, members’ nights and hieroglyph workshops etc.

However, the society is not the first to explore the world of ancient Egypt in Scotland. In 1906, the British School of Archaeology of Egypt, based in University College, London established the Egyptian Research Students’ Association. Branches were set up throughout the country, including Glasgow and Edinburgh. ‘Lantern lectures’ and ‘demonstrations’ were given and the branches survived on an irregular basis into the 1920s. However there was never an individual society in Scotland until the establishment of Egyptology Scotland.

Dr Bill Manley

Bill Manley is Honorary President of Egyptology Scotland. He was appointed Research Associate at the National Museum in Edinburgh in 1995, and Senior Curator of Egyptian Scripts in 2006. He is an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Liverpool, at which he has taught Egyptology. He spent many years shaping and developing the Egyptology programme offered by DACE at the University of Glasgow. Bill has been involved with archaeological work in Palestine and Egypt, most recently at Mo’alla, and his publications include three best-selling books, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Egypt (1996), How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (1998, with Mark Collier) and The Seventy Great Mysteries of Ancient Egypt (2003).

Dr Angela McDonald

Angela McDonald is Chairperson of Egyptology Scotland. She is currently a Tutor in Egyptology at the University of Glasgow, and has taught at the Universities of Oxford and Liverpool. Angela took part in a study of Canaanite pottery in Akhenaten’s capital, Tell el-Amarna, for two seasons for the Egypt Exploration Society, and she regularly accompanies tours to Egypt as guest lecturer. She has published a range of articles on the Egyptian language, as well as The British Museum Pocket Dictionary of Egyptian Animals (2004).