Ancient Egypt this week: Amelia Edwards, Objects returned, Designer Egypt, Clothing, Tut the Movie, and Tut in Cape Town with videos

Who was Amelia Edwards?

Surprisingly few people have heard of Amelia Edwards. Archaeologists know her as the founder of the Egyptian Exploration Fund, set up in 1882, and the Department of Egyptology at University College London, created in 1892 through a bequest on her death. The first Edwards Professor, Flinders Petrie, was appointed on Amelia’s recommendation and her name is still attached to the Chair of Egyptian Archaeology

Archaeologist? Travel writer? Novelist? Journalist? Musician? Linguist? Fund-Raiser? Feminist? Amelia Edwards was more than equal to any task. I want to be Amelia Edwards when I grow up.

Swiss return ancient cultural objects to Egypt
Switzerland has returned 32 cultural treasures dating from the Pharaonic and Roman periods to the Egyptian Embassy in Bern, the Federal Office of Culture announced on Monday. The objects had been involved in a cantonal criminal procedure.

Exclusive first look: Christian Louboutin launches Scarabée limited edition collection
It's no secret that Christian Louboutin considers Egypt to be his unofficial second home, as he is drawn in by the iconography and mythology of this ancient land, and naturally the creative designer finds abundant inspiration here. The new Scarabée limited edition collection of nail-colours is another shining example his ability to translate worldly themes.

Some very cool photographs of perfume at ancient sites.

How do we know about clothing in Ancient Egypt?

At Petrie Museum you find one of the oldest garments from Egypt on display in the world, the Tarkhan dress (pictured below) made of linen from around 3000 BC. There is also a reconstructed bead net dress that may have been worn for dancing in Dynasty 5 (c. 2400 BC). A visitor who was fascinated by these two garments asked me: how do we learn about Egyptian clothing?

'Tut': Sir Ben Kingsley Previews the Epic Spike Miniseries

The past comes alive in this exclusive new trailer for Spike’s event miniseries, Tut, which chronicles the brief reign of one of Ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaohs, Tutankhamun. I'll be right there on July 19, although I am invariably disappointed in movies about ancient Egypt. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Tut exhibition opens in Cape Town

"'Tutankhamun - His Tomb and His Treasures'  opened in Cape Town. The exhibit includes a multimedia presentation introducing visitors to the stories of King Tutankhamun, archaeologist Howard Carter ,and ancient Egypt. Visitors will also get to explore "faithfully reconstructed the tomb of Tutankhamun" which has been created to scale and includes replicas of the artifacts found within the tomb. Visit the exhibition site, read another review, and watch the following video for the exhibit.