Bloomsbury Summer School & Academy
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.
2026 course timetable
Monday 29 June to 3 Friday July
Crime, Sorcery, and Scandal: A somewhat different view of ancient Egypt (in person and online)
Course Director: Dr Christina Geisen (British Museum)
To be held in person at UCL Institute of Archaeology (31 - 34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY UK) and livestreamed online.
Monday 29 June
10:30* – 11:00
Students gather in the BSS&A Common Room / login to Zoom
11:00 – 11:30
BSS&A Director’s Welcome Address
11:30 – 13:00
1. General Introduction
Welcome Lunch in BSS&A Common Room (14:00 Short optional tour of UCL with the Director)**
14:30 – 15:45
2. Law in Pharaonic Egypt (Alex Loktionov or CG)
16:15 – 17:30
3. Law in the Greco-Roman Egypt (Adrienn Almasy-Martin)
17:45
Non-BSS&A event: Get together with fellow students for a drink in the Woolf and Whistle Bar on the ground floor of the Tavistock Hotel**
Tuesday 30 June
10:00 – 11:15
4. New Kingdom Egypt
11:45 – 13:00
5. The Workman’s Village of Deir el-Medina
14:15 – 15:30
6. Crime in Deir el-Medina
16:00 – 17:15
7. Tomb Robberies
17:15 – 18:30
BSS&S Social on Common Room balcony**
Wednesday 1 July
10:00 – 11:15
8. Crisis of Values in the New Kingdom
11:45 – 13:00
9. Tour of the Ancient Egypt galleries in the British Museum**
14:15 – 15:30
10. Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Magic
16:00 – 17:15
11. The Power to Transform
17:30
Non-BSS&A event: Get together with fellow students for dinner at Poppadom Indian Kitchen in the Tavistock Hotel
Thursday 3 July
10:00 – 11:15
12. Murder in the Palace
11:45 – 13:00
13. Dealing with Struggles in Ancient Egyptian Literature
14:15 – 15:30
14. Scandal and Struggles in the Divine World
16:00 – 17:15
15. Overcoming Struggles in the Afterlife
Friday 3 July
10:00 – 11:15
16. Object Handling Session in the British Museum Group I**
11:45 – 13:00
17. Object Handling Session in the British Museum Group II**
14:00 – 15:15
18. Conceptualising a Museum Display on Crime and Sorcery
15:45 – 17:15
19. A Scandal for the Egyptians: The Amarna Period
17:15 – 19:00
End-of-Course Drinks (you are welcome to invite guests)
*All times are London UK time; **In-person participants only.
NB: Timetable, once published, are unlikely to change, but remain provisional until the first day of the course.
