The University of Liverpool’s Ancient Worlds Summer School returned for its fourth year attracting more than 80 students over two weeks.
A range of courses were offered, reflecting the expertise of staff and postgraduate students in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology.
Research in Egyptology
The first week of the summer school introduced the current research in Egyptology, with experts bringing their research to life through a series of lectures and object handling sessions in the Garstang Museum of Archaeology.
A three day course in Latin and Greek was also available for sixth formers who wanted to experience one of these languages but had not had the opportunity to do so at school.
The ‘Approaches to the Ancient World’ course, in the second week, took participants through the various avenues of study available to archaeologists. Experts from the department demonstrated how to investigate the past through a series of sessions. Many speakers employed a ‘hands-on’ approach, using the world class facilities in the Central Teaching Laboratories to demonstrate flint-knapping and cave painting.
Hieroglyphs
The popular Hieroglyph courses were well attended, and participants were taught how to read fascinating and rewarding genuine Ancient Egyptian funerary inscriptions from scratch.
The Summer School attracts a wide variety of attendees, including students preparing to start undergraduate courses within the department in the coming academic year.
Former Go Higher student Lee Marriott, who will be starting a BA in Egyptology this year, said: “The summer school was the natural progression after Go Higher and before starting my degree in September. It gave me the opportunity to hear first-hand from enthusiastic individuals about the subjects that they are clearly passionate about. The mix of speakers in the first week fleshed out the subject and made me realise I had picked the right degree for me.
“The opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of museum collections and on-site digs was enlightening and brought Egyptology to life. The second week, hieroglyphs, was just as engaging as the first week and I hope has provided me with a head start come September.’
Plans are already underway for next year’s Summer School and organiser, Dr Glenn Godenho, is working with other departments to broaden its scope to incorporate other Humanities and Social Science subject areas.
