Meet the ancient civilisations
2001-04-19 14:50
Pretoria û Some of the oldest artefacts in the possession of the National Cultural History Museum (NCHM) in Pretoria will go on show for its Ancient Civilisations exhibition which opens to the public on Friday, April 20.
Objects from Egyptian, Chinese and Peruvian civilisations will be on show for the next five years and the exhibit complements the school curriculum.
Some of the items are on loan from the those countries' embassies.
The 2000-year-old Fajum mummy will be exhibited for the first time in 11 years. It is housed in a glass case behind blinds. Lights behind the blinds can be illuminated for short periods by inserting coins into a slot machine.
NCHM adviser and Unisa African Centre chief Dr Chris van Vuuren officially opened the exhibition on Wednesday.
He said the exhibition serves as a link between several time zones, geographic locations and cultures not represented before in South Africa. The artefacts represent Africa, Asia and South America.
The exhibition will also serve as a preview to an upcoming main exhibition over the history of human achievements in Southern Africa, set to open next year.
Schools and other groups can book guided tours of the exhibition.