Photos by James Kellie
About Bloomsbury Summer School...
Since 1995, BSS has aimed to present the finest programme of summer courses on the history and archaeology of Ancient Egypt and the Near East available in the United Kingdom.
In 2012 we are offering another six intensive summer courses on Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. They are designed specially for enthusiastic adults, students wishing to broaden their studies, and sixth-formers perhaps considering further study in these subject areas.
We are also excited to be running two study days, one on Ancient Egypt and one on Pompeii and Herculaneum, and a BSS in Egypt course on Abydos this year.
Letter from the Deputy Director
Lucia Gahlin
Let me tell you a little bit about us:
- We offer a number of week-long courses in June/July at one of the U.K.’s most prestigious universities, University College London (UCL), in the heart of Bloomsbury, in central London.
- Although rooted in academia, we are informal and accessible to all-comers.
- Our courses mainly on Ancient Egypt and the Near East are taught by experts from museums and universities around the country.
- Although excellent lecturers and distinguished academics, they are also friendly and approachable, happy to socialise at BSS social events.
- Each course has 19 teaching sessions: mostly lectures, but also special-access museum visits, and practical work.
- BSS offers much more than well-taught courses in a range of exciting subjects, we also offer a stimulating social life to those who join us. These combine to create a rich learning experience, you will be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
- You are more than likely to go home after a week with us, not only inspired by a wealth of new material and ideas, but having made a host of new friends.
Here at BSS, we appreciate how privileged we are to have such special access to UCL’s facilities and stunning collections of antiquities. We are able to extend this access to BSS students in a way that no one else can. Our classes taught in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology offer privileged access to this internationally important collection of Egyptian artifacts. The opportunity to handle an object from ancient Egypt is not one to be missed – it is a rare and special experience. Our central London location also means that we can incorporate teaching sessions in the British Museum just down the road from us.
In response to popular demand, our BSS in Egypt course in 2012 will be on the ancient sacred landscape of the region of Abydos taught by Dr Stephen Harvey, an archaeologist who has spent many years excavating at this site.
We are also staging two of our ever-popular study days: a day with John Romer entitled Ancient Egypt: Myth and History on Saturday May 12th, and another in September (exact date tbc) on Pompeii and Herculaneum with Dr Paul Roberts, curator of a major exhibition on these sites to be staged at the British Museum in 2013.
To add to our varied annual programme of events we are planning to launch a new venture in 2012 - a weekend school - but more news of that anon.
I hope to welcome you to BSS in 2012.
Warmest wishes,
LUCIA GAHLIN, Deputy Director
View our 2012 Summer School programme
Programme and facilities
BSS courses offer the following unique combination of features:
- Expert tuition provided by university lecturers and museum staff.
- Classes in the Petrie Museum, British Museum and elsewhere (where relevant).
- Refreshments and excellent university facilities.
- Social events designed to enrich the BSS experience. These include a buffet welcome lunch, an evening reception with wine and soft drinks in the Petrie Museum or Institute of Archaeology, and an end-of-course party.
- Accommodation (if required) in reasonably-priced en suite rooms in University Halls of Residence located close to BSS.
Location
BSS is ideally located in the heart of Bloomsbury, within walking distance of many of London ’s best-known museums and galleries, and of the theatres and cinemas of the West End.
Finding us
BSS is easily reached by public transport. It is within walking distance of three mainline stations (Euston, St. Pancras and King’s Cross), and of several underground stations. There is however no car park in UCL nor is there free parking nearby. Contact BSS for advice on transport or parking.
Accommodation
If you wish to book accommodation in Bloomsbury you are expected to make your own arrangements.
We recommend three Halls of Residence: Canterbury Hall in Cartwright Gardens; Connaught Hall which overlooks the gardens of Tavistock Square; College Hall, which stands between the Vanbrugh Theatre and Waterstone’s Bookshop on Malet Street (N.B. College Hall is being used by the Olympic Committee in 2012 so availability will be limited). These halls are located within five minutes walk of BSS. It is always worth mentioning BSS at UCL when you make your booking.
There are of course plenty of other halls of residence and hotels in the area. Contact BSS for advice on this matter.
Catering
Complimentary teas, coffee, cold drinks and biscuits are available in the BSS common room, virtually all day, every day, as well as a buffet lunch on the Monday. You can also make use of the inexpensive catering facilities on the UCL site. These serve everything from breakfast to sandwiches and hot meals through till the early evening. Alternatively, you may wish to take your lunch alfresco in Gordon Square Gardens, or enjoy a range of local pubs, cafés and restaurants recommended on the first day of the course.
Contact BSS if you would like suggestions of places to eat in advance of the start of your course.
