Bloomsbury Summer School & Academy

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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.

24/09/2026

Day 3 of our Türkiye study tour began with another thought-provoking lecture by Dr Christoph Bacchuber, this time on "Hittite Rock Monuments". 👨‍🏫

We then headed out to Beyșehir. 🪨🏺 As we drove through the landscape to the west of Konya, our Türkiyish guide, Akın Aykurt and Christoph explained the ancient and modern cultural and historical significance of these spaces and places.

At Eflatun Pınar, a Hittite spring sanctuary, we admired the monumental sculpture, encountered friendly cats and a tiny snake, and sipped the cool, clear spring waters.

Our fabulous driver managed to expertly drive our bus offroad to visit a massive stone statue of a Hittite storm-god near the village of Fasıllar. We even undertook a successful expedition to find a "sphinx"! 🔎👀

Every day is full of learning, discussion, debate, and enjoying each other's company and passion for our love of the Türkiyish past and appreciation of Türkiye overall! 🇹🇷🤗💜

23/09/2026

Day 2 of our study tour here in beautiful Türkiye including an introductory lecture 👨‍🏫 by Dr Christoph Bachhuber and a magical visit to the renowned Neolithic archaeological site of Çatalhöyük! 🏺A dream made reality for so many of us! 🤩✨️💜

Again, with thanks to our guide Akın Aykurt and Leyla Cakır Ozer of Fonte Travel. 🙏🫶

22/09/2026

We are thrilled to be kicking off our first BSS&A course in Türkiye! 🇹🇷 🎉 We are gathered here in beautiful, historic Konya. 🕌🏺 With 13 participants from the UK 🇬🇧 Germany 🇩🇪 and 🇪🇸 led by the wonderful Dr Christoph Bachhuber and our Turkish guide, Akın Aykurt, with logistics support from Fonte Tours, we are incredibly excited for the week ahead of lectures and museum and site visits. 👨‍🏫🏛🏺💜

07/08/2026

🏺 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE MUSEUM CASE DISAPPEARS?
EXCLUSIVE-ACCESS BRITISH MUSEUM OBJECT STUDY SESSION

With Dr Christina Geisen & Dr Kelly Accetta Crowe — British Museum Curators
📅 Friday 13 November 2026
🏛️ British Museum – Department of Egypt and Sudan Study Room

For a limited number of participants, BSS&A is offering exclusive access to the Department of Egypt and Sudan Study Room, where you'll join British Museum curators Dr Christina Geisen and Dr Kelly Accetta Crowe for a special object-study session.

Step beyond the galleries and experience ancient Egyptian objects in a very different way—at close quarters, guided by the specialists who work with museum collections.
🔍 Look closer.
💬 Ask questions.
👩‍🏫 Learn directly from two British Museum curators.

And importantly:
You do NOT need to be attending Saturday's Study Day to book the Friday session. Places are open to anyone, but numbers are limited.

If you've ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of one of the world's great museum collections, this is your opportunity to find out.

⏳ Limited places available – early booking recommended.
👉 Full details and booking via BSS&A.
(Photo Credit, Authors own)

05/08/2026

🏛️ HIEROGLYPHS: THE NEXT STEP.

Course Director: Mr Kit Devine (MPhil Oxon)

📅 Saturdays & Sundays: 21–22 and 28–29 November, plus Saturday 5 December 2026
💻 Online (and video recorded)

Already mastered the basics of Egyptian hieroglyphs? Now it's time to take the next step.

Join Kit Devine for this engaging five-day online course as you move beyond introductory reading and begin exploring the rich complexity of Middle Egyptian texts.
Designed for those who already have a foundation in hieroglyphs, this course develops your skills through practical reading sessions featuring increasingly sophisticated monuments created for kings and high officials.
Along the way you'll discover how the ancient Egyptians spoke about:

👑 The king and royal ideology
🙏 The gods and religious language
⏳ The past, present, and future
✍️ More advanced grammatical constructions, including negative statements

Each session will deepen your understanding of Egyptian writing while expanding your ability to read authentic inscriptions with greater confidence.
Whether your ambition is to read temple walls, museum objects or funerary monuments for yourself, this course provides the perfect bridge from beginner to confident reader.

📚 Places are limited. If you've completed an introductory hieroglyphs course—or have equivalent experience—now is the perfect time to continue your journey.

👉 Full details and booking can be found on the Bloomsbury Summer School & Academy website: https://bssac.uk/bssa-programme-2026.htm -next-2026-2

(Photo Credit, Kit Devine, BSS&A
Stela of the Gatekeeper Maati. Ob Nm 14.2.7 metmuseumonline)

03/08/2026

📜 A TASTE OF COPTIC.

Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (University of Uppsala)
📅 Sunday 22 November 2026

💻 Online | Video Recorded

Booking now open!

Did you know that the ancient Egyptian language didn't end with the pharaohs?
Join Dr Luigi Prada for this fascinating one-day introduction to Coptic—the language of early Christian Egypt and the final phase of the ancient Egyptian language.

Perfect for complete beginners, this online course will introduce you to the Coptic alphabet, basic grammar, and the historic world in which Coptic texts were written.

By the end of the day, you'll be reading words and short phrases while exploring a remarkable literary tradition that ranges from biblical texts to documents of everyday life. Specially prepared teaching materials are included, and no prior knowledge is required.

Whether you've previously enjoyed hieroglyphs or simply want to discover another chapter in Egypt's extraordinary linguistic history, this is the perfect place to begin.

⏳ Places are now available.

👉 Visit the Bloomsbury Summer School & Academy website for full details and booking.

(Photo Credit,
Dr Luigi Prada, BSS&A.

• Apa Shenoute (Inv. IV.4475), Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst.

• Coptic limestone ostracon (Acc. no. A.1956.318), National Museum of Scotland.

• Funerary stela of Apa Pachom (EA 1533), © The Trustees of the British Museum.)

31/07/2026

🏛️ EXPLORING THE FIRST SETTLEMENTS, STATES, AND EMPIRES IN TURKEY: FROM THE NEOLITHIC TO THE HITTITE PERIODS

Course Director: Dr Christoph Bachhuber (University of Oxford)
📅 21–29 September 2026

✨ Places are booking now, so don't miss the opportunity to be part of this unique archaeological adventure.

Join BSS&A on an exciting new learning journey through Turkey with Dr Christoph Bachhuber.

Discover the remarkable world of the Hittites and explore some of the world's most famous Neolithic sites, including Göbekli Tepe, Çatalhöyük, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hattusa. Through lectures, museum visits and guided exploration, you'll experience the archaeology of one of the world's earliest civilisations firsthand.

This is BSS&A's first-ever course in Turkey, following successful overseas programmes in Egypt, Italy, and France.

👉 Full itinerary, prices, and booking information are available on the BSS&A website: https://bssac.uk/turkey.htm

29/07/2026

🏺 S*X IN THE CITY: THE EROTIC WORLD OF ANCIENT THEBES.

What did the ancient Egyptians really think about love, desire and s*xuality?

Far from being a taboo subject, s*x lay at the heart of Egyptian ideas about creation, regeneration and the celebration of life itself. Their gods loved passionately, their poetry was surprisingly romantic—and often wonderfully erotic—and their art reveals a playful sense of humour that still feels remarkably modern.

Join Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University) for this brand-new BSS&A tour in beautiful Luxor, where daily lectures are combined with visits to extraordinary ancient sites.
Explore famous monuments alongside places rarely opened to visitors, including special access to the palace complex at Malqata and the royal "Harem" at Medinet Habu, while Lloyd accompanies the group throughout to share his expertise and answer your questions.

This isn't simply a holiday—it's an immersive journey into one of the most fascinating and least understood aspects of ancient Egyptian civilisation.

📅 15–22 March 2027
📍 Luxor, Egypt

For the full itinerary, accommodation and booking details, visit the Bloomsbury Summer School & Academy website: https://www.bssac.uk/egypt-spring.htm

(Photo Credit, Cardiff University & Egypt tours)

27/07/2026

🏺 Back to the British Museum... and behind the scenes once again!

One of the highlights of this summer's Bloomsbury Summer School wasn't just the fascinating lectures—it was the unforgettable opportunity to step behind the scenes into the British Museum's Department of Egypt and Sudan Study Room, where ancient Egyptian objects could be examined up close under the guidance of expert curators.

It was a privilege to see archaeology come alive in a way few people ever experience. Now, you can enjoy a similar experience yourself at our autumn BSS&A Study Day:

MATERIALITY OF THINGS: THE HIDDEN POWER OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN OBJECTS

Join Dr Christina Geisen and Dr Kelly Accetta Crowe, both curators at the British Museum, for an inspiring Study Day at UCL exploring the hidden power of ancient Egyptian objects. Through remarkable case studies—including underworld papyri, Horus stelae, magic, materiality and cutting-edge scientific research—you'll discover how the very substance of an object shaped its meaning and power in the ancient world.

✨ Special opportunity!

For a limited number of participants, there's an exclusive behind-the-scenes object study session in the British Museum's Department of Egypt and Sudan Study Room on Friday 13 November—a rare chance to work closely with museum curators and ancient Egyptian artefacts.

📅 Study Day: Saturday 14 November 2026
📍 In-person at UCL Institute of Archaeology, London
💻 Live-streamed online

If this summer reminded us of anything, it's that the greatest discoveries often begin by looking at familiar objects in entirely new ways.

Come and discover the hidden stories ancient Egyptian objects still have to tell.

(Link in Bio to book Study Day and Object study Session)

👩 Dr Christina Geisen
👩 Dr Kelly Accetta Crowe
📜 Book of Two Ways inside the coffin of Sen (EA 30841)
📜 Papyrus of Ani (EA 10470,3)
🪄 Hippopotamus ivory wand (EA 18175)
🛡️ Horus cippus (Horus Stela) (EA 36250)
Images © The Trustees of the British Museum

Address

University College London, Gower Street
London
WC1E6BT

Website

http://www.bssac.uk/, https://www.bssac.uk/study-days-on-video.htm, https://www.bssac.uk/egypt-spring.htm, https://www.b

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