Episode 1: Ordinary objects, extraordinary stories
UCL President and Provost Michael Spence meets Catriona Wilson, Head of the Petrie Collection of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology and Dr Anna Garnett, the Curator of the Petrie Collection. The museum’s extraordinary collection has more than 80,000 objects.
Unlike other museums focused on grand monuments, the Petrie celebrates everyday life through "ordinary objects that tell extraordinary stories": 5,000-year-old knitted socks, loaves of bread, love letters, and the world's oldest complete woven garment, The Tarkhan Dress.
The conversation addresses Flinders Petrie's complex legacy – he transformed archaeology into a science but was also involved in UCL's eugenics movement. The museum tackles this head-on, asking visitors from the moment they enter: "Should this collection be here?". The team maintains vibrant connections with Egyptian and Sudanese communities. The Sudan's Living Cultures project has partnered with Sudanese artists to create hopeful digital artworks during Sudan's current crisis. At the launch event, a Sudanese visitor shared how smelling familiar perfume immediately made her feel at home in the museum – a powerful moment of connection.
With 20,000 annual visitors, 300 visiting researchers, and pioneering online digitisation leading to 50,000+ hits yearly (many from Egypt), the collection serves as both a world-class research resource and a bridge between cultures.
As Catriona and Anna acknowledge, as "two white British women managing formerly colonially removed objects," they're committed to constantly trying, sometimes failing, and trying again to address power imbalances while making these collections meaningful to diverse audiences.
Credits:
Credits:
Presenter: Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost
Guests: Catriona Wilson, Head of the Petrie Collection of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology and Dr Anna Garnett, the Curator of the Petrie Collection of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology.
Produced by UCL Communications and UCL Educational Media
Creators and Guests
Host
Dr Michael Spence
Dr Michael Spence has been UCL’s President and Provost since January 2021. He is a long-standing champion of universities as crucibles for debate and dialogue, and an established voice on fostering constructive discussion around challenging issues. Recognised internationally as a leader in the field of intellectual property theory, he holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford and has a BA with first-class honours in English, Italian and Law from the University of Sydney.
Guest
Dr Anna Garnett
Anna is the Curator of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, UCL, with over two decades of work experience for Local Authority, National and University museums in the UK.
