Bloomsbury Summer School
Fascinated by ancient civilisations?
We offer anyone with any level of knowledge, inspiring short courses on ancient Egypt and other areas of the ancient world.
2025 Course timetable
Monday 14 July to Friday 18 July
PEOPLE, MATERIALS, AND TECHNOLOGY IN ANCIENT EGYPT: RESEARCH FROM URBAN AND DESERT LANDSCAPES (in person and online)
Course Co-Directors: Dr Elizabeth Bloxam (Northeast Normal University), Prof. Emeritus Paul Nicholson (Cardiff University), and Prof. Ian Shaw (University of Liverpool)
To be held in person at UCL Institute of Archaeology (31 - 34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY UK) and livestreamed online.
Monday 14 July
10:45* – 11:00
Participants gather in BSS Common Room on 6th floor / Students login to Zoom
11:00 – 11:30
BSS Director’s Welcome Address
11:30 – 13:00
1. Introduction to the Course
Welcome Lunch in BSS Common Room (14:00 Short optional tour of UCL with the Director)
14:30 – 15:45
2. Technology in Urban Contexts (Prof. Ian Shaw)
16:15 – 17:30
3. Understanding the Archaeology of Quarrying Sites (Dr Elizabeth Bloxam)
17:30
Non-BSS event: Get together with fellow students for dinner at Poppadom Indian Kitchen in the Tavistock Hotel
Tuesday 15 July
10:00 – 11:15
4. Arts, Crafts, and Pyrotechnology (Prof. Emeritus Paul Nicholson)
11:45 – 13:00
5. Pottery Technology (Prof. Emeritus Paul Nicholson)
14:15 – 15:30
6. Stone Procurement and Logistics (Dr Elizabeth Bloxam)
16:00 – 17:15
7. Gallery tour: Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology (Dr Elizabeth Bloxam)
17:15 – 18:30
**BSS Social on Common Room balcony
Wednesday 16 July
10:00 – 11:15
8. Woodworking (Dr Geoffrey Killen)
11:45 – 13:00
9. Faience Technology (Prof. Emeritus Paul Nicholson)
14:15 – 15:30
10. Investigating Quarrying and Mining Landscapes (Dr Elizabeth Bloxam)
16:00 – 17:15
11. Spinning, Weaving, and Textiles at the Petrie Museum (Prof. Ian Shaw)
Thursday 17 July
10:00 – 11:15
12. Materials, Technology, and the Emerging State: The role of textiles in the Pre- and Proto-Historic Nile Valley (Dr Alistair Dickey)
11:45 – 13:00
13. Warfare and Technological Innovation (Prof. Ian Shaw)
14:15 – 15:30
14. The Pyramid Age: A technological and social revolution? (Dr Elizabeth Bloxam)
16:00 – 17:15
15. Copper and Bronze Metallurgy (Dr Frederik Rademakers, British Museum)
Friday 18 July
10:00 – 11:15
16. Glass Technology (Prof. Emeritus Paul Nicholson)
11:45 – 13:00
17. Gemstones and Jewellery (Prof. Ian Shaw)
14:15 – 15:30
18. From Grinding Stones to Obelisk: How technological innovation transformed the desert landscape in Aswan (Dr Elizabeth Bloxam)
16:00 – 17:15
19. Q&A
17:15 – 19:00
End-of-Course Drinks Party on BSS Common Room balcony and on Zoom (link provided closer to the time) You are welcome to invite guests.
* All times are London UK time; Google Meet waiting room opens 15 minutes prior to the start; ** In-person participants only.
NB: Timetables, once published, are unlikely to change, but remain provisional until the first day of the course.
