About this Event
About the Event
Ancient Egyptian wooden funerary figures are a component of wooden funerary model scenes (c. 2300–2181 BCE) that are often poorly documented and dispersed across museum collections. This presentation explores Sam’s PhD research, which developed a new approach to studying 1,850 figures from 67 UK collections, including the Petrie Museum. Using a bespoke online catalogue, visible features were systematically recorded to separate objective observations from interpretation. These data were used to establish stylistic profiles and analyse similarities between objects using a specially developed algorithm, the “Profile Proposer”. The research demonstrates how a transparent, reproducible approach can reveal patterns across collections, helping researchers make sense of fragmentary objects with limited information about their origins and providing new opportunities for the study and interpretation of dispersed archaeological material.
The free lunchtime talk will consist of a 30 minute presentation followed by a 15 minute audience Q&A. Book now or simply drop-in to the museum on the day.
About the Speaker
Sam Powell completed her PhD in Egyptology at the University of Birmingham in 2026, researching ancient Egyptian wooden funerary figures and developing an “object-first” approach to recording and classifying these often-overlooked objects, many of which are now dispersed across museum collections worldwide. Sam also holds an MA in Egyptology from Swansea University and an MA in Archaeology from UCL. She has been a volunteer at Swansea University’s Egypt Centre since 2003. She is also director of Abaset Collections Ltd, which develops bespoke online cataloguing software for museums and collections. This work focuses on improving the systematic recording, accessibility and research potential of cultural heritage collections.
About Research in Focus
The Research in Focus series platforms current research into UCL’s Museums and Collections through a programme of regularly researcher-led public talks.
UCL’s museums and collections encompass artefacts, specimens, artist works and more telling the history of living species in global contexts spanning thousands of years. The collections are used for teaching, public engagement and research, all of which contribute to our understanding of the world around us.
The Research in Focus talk series provides a platform for researchers to share their investigative enquiries through public engagement. We are proud to showcase how knowledge production is supported across varied collections.
The museums and collections are:
- Grant Museum of Zoology
- Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology
- UCL Art Museum
- Science Collection in the Object Based Learning Lab
- Pathology Museum at the Royal Free Hospital
The collections allow for interdisciplinary approaches as well as singular focus, reflected in the talks in this series. Criticality and recognition of local knowledge sources are encouraged, especially when working with contested histories and knowledge production through epistemological violence.
Access
The Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology is located on a first floor, with lift access available to visitors via the adjacent Science Library. The nearest Changing Places toilet facility is located on the ground floor of the Science Library and is accessible via a radar key
.
Finding us
We are located in Bloomsbury, in the heart of central London. The nearest tube stations are Euston Square (Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City), Goodge Street (Northern Line), Warren Street (Victoria Line), and buses 18, 30, 73, 134 and 205 stop 3-5 minutes away on Euston Road.
Event venue & nearby stays
Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, Malet Place, London, United Kingdom
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.