Photos by James Kellie
Testimonials
"I’ve been to BSS every year since 1994 - the chance to immerse myself in Egyptology for a week or two, with great teachers and friendly fellow students, is something I absolutely treasure." Mick Oakey
"I have attended 16 courses in the last nine years, but Bloomsbury Summer School is more than just attending the course, it’s about meeting friends from previous courses, meeting up with lecturers again, visiting the Petrie & British Museums, having a drink with colleagues - in short having an enjoyable week." Barry F
"As an overseas student, it's the highlight of my year - the unique combination of Learning, Sharing, Focussing for a whole week on a chosen topic in a friendly & approachable environment, renewing old Friendships, and the added privilege of lectures by people who are household names in Egyptology & Ancient Near East circles, is what keeps me coming back." Gill R
"BSS - where else could I actually handle objects created and used by the Ancient Egyptians, except in the Petrie Museum as part of a BSS class? Brilliant!" Kay Fox
"My favorite course was "Egypt and the Natural World", where 10 real experts came and told us about everything from birds to bread and beer making - brilliant talks, and now I can put faces to some of the experts whose works I've read". Kay Fox
"BSS Summer School IS my summer holiday, not only do I "go" to Egypt , I "go back" thousands of years in time."
Gwyn Ashworth-Pratt
"It's a terrific opportunity to learn more about the ancient world in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere - no pressure and great fun." Esmond Lindop
"I have been on courses at the Bloomsbury Summer School for three years and will do so again this year. I love the courses. They are informative and fun! My knowledge of Ancient Egypt has progressed a great deal and I am even able to read some hieroglyphs, although I am not a good student! The whole Summer School set up is wonderful. I always feel welcome and, as I currently live abroad, I regard coming to Bloomsbury as coming 'home'. There is always a good supply of drinks and biscuits. The lecture rooms are good and a room is set aside to relax in during breaks. If the weather is fine then Bloomsbury is a great area to relax in and use the bookshops and, of course, the British Museum. If you are thinking of attending a BSS course don't hesitate ....sign up now!!" Dave Ansell (of Surrey & Kuwait)
BSS in Egypt 2011
"I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the whole trip and the expert tuition of both Robert Morkot and Lucia Gahlin. Nothing was too much trouble for them or our local guide, Galal." Margaret Jackson
“Returned exhausted and with my head full from the BSS in Egypt 2011. The most amazing fun and knowledge-feeding, busy study trip (just how I like it) with a great group of people (Lucia and Robert seemed just like the rest of us but with more knowledge and exceptional energy!). Galal, our guide ensured everything went smoothly and he was as interested in the course as the rest of us. So we were one very happy group. Visited places new to me and found out so much more about sites I thought I already knew, especially Elephantine and the Kalabsha Temples. The welcome from the local Egyptians was so warm, I'm so glad I went.” Gwyn Ashworth-Pratt
"This was my first visit to the Aswan area and I could not have wished for a better introduction. The BSS policy of having one base from which to visit the area worked extremely well, with the minimum time spent travelling. It was fun to spend so much time in boats, too. The area provides a broad range of fascinating sites, from rock-cut tombs, centuries of history on Elephantine Island, the wonderful rescued sites of Philae and New Kalabsha Island, not to mention Abu Simbel. It was a bonus to have Robert Morkot with us on every visit. His detailed knowledge of the area provided much additional information and points of detail to add to his clear and informative lectures. It was such a shame that there weren’t more of us to take advantage of such an enjoyable and well-organised trip.” Malcolm Dennes
BSS in Egypt 2010
"Thank you so much for the amazing week in Luxor. You were marvelous - it was all so dazzling."
Pamela Stewart
"Having returned to earth (but still remembering that incredible balloon trip!) I just wanted to thank you so much for a wonderful holiday. You worked very hard to make it a special event for everyone and I know all of us were extremely grateful that we all came away enlightened (and much fitter!).
For me it was my first experience of such a trip and I can understand why people return year after year - I certainly shall! You made sure everyone enjoyed it to the full and "thank you" seem two very small words to express the extent of my gratitude."
Denise Wiggins
"The whole week was terrific and I do thank you for all the organisation you put into it."
K.G.
"I have been telling everyone what a fab time we all had, once again great sites, great company and we all felt very well looked after. John was especially good in his talks and his tales as we went round the sites, it certainly paid to be within earshot, fabulous. I look forward to finding out what your plan is for the next BSS in Egypt."
Ave Anderson
"Many thanks for organising such a splendid BSS week in Luxor. It was marvellous to have John as our Director, and to get to know him. He is an excellent anecdotal speaker with a detailed broad-based, hands-on knowledge of the West Bank. We enjoyed his questioning approach to everything, and so appreciated what he had to tell us on site, especially on the walk. It was also a great pleasure to have Hani as our guide again. And we appreciated everything that Galal did for us behind the scenes; as far as we could see there were no obvious problems even in getting Seti I tomb open. We really enjoyed the leisurely pace of all the site visits which allowed ample time to see all that we wanted to."
Anonymous by request
"Thanks for arranging such a good trip/course to Luxor. It was fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable."
Esmond Lindop
BSS in Egypt 2009
"A very interesting course. To have Barry Kemp, Mr Amarna himself, lecturing to us on Akhenaten's City in detail was wonderful - he made what on the face of it could be considered just some mud bricks in the desert come alive. It was also great to see and visit sites that are not on the normal tourist trek, particularly the tombs. Thanks for a most enjoyable week - when's the next BSS in Egypt coming up?" G T Mamott
"I was very pleased with the trip in general, and we were just so fortunate to have the excavator there to expound his life work, at a site which it would be rather difficult to understand in the absence of that." P. Allsworth-Jones
"In my opinion this was the best organized trip to Egypt in my nine personal experiences, through the great resourcefulness of Lucia Gahlin, her tireless vigilance of the smallest details and her kindness, coupled with the excellent work of both Sinusret Travel, the English company, and Gat Tours, the local company. Congratulations."Maria Vallès
