Beth Asbury | University of Oxford (original) (raw)

Publications by Beth Asbury

Beyond the Binary Object Trail

Council for British Archaeology Wessex News, 2021

This walking trail starts and ends at Shaw House. It explores the Shaw House and St Mary’s Church... more This walking trail starts and ends at Shaw House. It explores the Shaw House and St Mary’s Church Conservation Area, and Shaw House’s Grade II Registered Park and Garden. It includes an academy called Trinity School.

You may park in the car park at Shaw House (www.what3words.com ///riders.drama.dairy), but please note that the grounds and car park are locked when the House is locked. Please check the website for Shaw House’s opening times first: www.westberkshireheritage.org/shaw-house/plan-your-visit.

Members of the public are welcome to wander around Shaw House’s grounds when the car park is open, but please be aware of any events taking place at the house, such as weddings and wakes. Please be sensitive to the presence of any guests or requests from members of staff.

During school term time, you may want to take into consideration school dropping off and collection times. Trinity School’s term dates are listed on its website: www.trinitynewbury.org. St Mary’s Church and churchyard are also likely to be busy on Sundays, during Christian holidays and on Armistice Day (11 November). For more information, please visit: www.shawchurch.org.uk.

This trail was prepared by West Berkshire Council’s archaeology service. One of the archaeology service’s jobs is to look after West Berkshire’s Historic Environment Record or HER. The HER is a database of buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas and landscapes of archaeological, architectural, artistic and historic interest. More information about it can be found here: https://info.westberks.gov.uk/her. Links to the HER’s records are included in the trail.

You can give feedback on the trail here (please select Archaeology Service from the dropdown list): www.westberkshireheritage.org/feedback-form or contact us at archaeology@westberks.gov.uk.

Council for British Archaeology Wessex News, 2021

Interpretation Journal, 2020

Archaeology: The Newsletter of the Berkshire Archaeological Society

Welcome to Out in Oxford, the University of Oxford’s first cross-collections trail! This booklet... more Welcome to Out in Oxford, the University of Oxford’s first cross-collections trail!

This booklet is the result of ‘Celebrating Diversity’, a project funded by the Arts Council England via Oxford University Museums Partnership and created with the LGBTQ+ community. Nearly fifty volunteers who identify as LGBTQ+ or are allies have been involved writing the interpretations to be found within these pages and co-curating its launch events. Through these interpretations we strive to celebrate diversity and highlight LGBTQ+ experiences. The items included here have been identified with the help of staff from each collection represented. Through Out in Oxford, we hope to offer alternative insights into our shared, queer heritage.

This project is a response to a lecture given by Professor Richard Parkinson, author of 'A Little Gay History', Professor of Egyptology at the Faculty of Oriental Studies and a Fellow of The Queen’s College, Oxford, during LGBT History Month, February 2016 (https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/great-unrecorded-history-lgbt-heritage-and-world-cultures). The lecture highlighted the demand for more explicit, not implicit, LGBTQ+ representation within museum displays. We are proud to be launching this trail a year later during LGBT History Month 2017. 2017 is an auspicious year as it is the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.

Collections are listed in order of a suggested route, giving a round tour of Oxford city centre. Address, website and admission information is listed and a map is provided on the back page. If you have specific requirements or accessibility needs, please check these details before planning your route.

Check the relevant gallery guide inside each building to find out where the items are displayed. The locations of each item are correct at the time of going to press in January 2017, but displays do sometimes change - ask gallery staff for help if you cannot find what you are looking for. For more information and to discover further items from each collection, visit the trail's webpage: www.glam.ox.ac.uk/outinoxford.

The Friends of the Pitt Rivers Museum

Proceedings of the First Birmingham Egyptology Symposium, University of Birmingham, 21st February 2014, 2014

As part of the Rethinking Pitt-Rivers Project, staff at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford were inv... more As part of the Rethinking Pitt-Rivers Project, staff at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford were invited to write object biographies about items in the museum’s founding collection. I was drawn to an Early Dynastic Period ripple-flaked knife published by Pitt-Rivers himself in an article for the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland in 1881 after a trip he made to Egypt earlier that year. His paper was significant because it established that there was a Palaeolithic Period of Egyptian history when the existence of a prehistoric phase there had not yet been accepted. In a footnote, Pitt-Rivers wrote that he acquired the knife from “Mr McCallum, the artist” in 1874. Although his name is spelled differently in different places, I am convinced this was Andrew MacCallum (1821-1902), the “Painter” with whom Amelia Edwards famously sailed a thousand miles up the Nile in the same year. MacCallum was a landscape painter who wanted to paint the Ramesses Temple at Abu Simbel and, while there, discovered a shrine or painted chamber, which Edwards dedicated a whole chapter to.

The Friends of the Pitt Rivers Museum, Jun 17, 2013

The Archaeologist

A u t u m n 2 0 0 8 N u m b e r 6 9 C Contents Editorial From the finds tray Publicising the IFA ... more A u t u m n 2 0 0 8 N u m b e r 6 9 C Contents Editorial From the finds tray Publicising the IFA Kathryn Whittington Labouring in Archaeology: Profiling the Profession 2007-08 Kenneth Aitchison Changes to the validation procedure Kathryn Whittington Who should pay for training? Roger White Barriers to entry and accreditation of archaeologists Gerry Wait A u t u m n 2 0 0 8 N u m b e r 6 9

The Archaeologist

Improving archaeologists' pay p7 Training: investment in our future p16 The setting of cultural h... more Improving archaeologists' pay p7 Training: investment in our future p16 The setting of cultural heritage features p44 Institute of Field Archaeologists SHES, University of Reading, Whiteknights PO Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB tel 0118 378 6446 fax 0118 378 6448 email admin@archaeologists.net website www.archaeologists.net

Beyond the Binary Object Trail

Council for British Archaeology Wessex News, 2021

You can give feedback on the trail here (please select Archaeology Service from the dropdown list): www.westberkshireheritage.org/feedback-form or contact us at archaeology@westberks.gov.uk.

Council for British Archaeology Wessex News, 2021

Interpretation Journal, 2020

Archaeology: The Newsletter of the Berkshire Archaeological Society

Welcome to Out in Oxford, the University of Oxford’s first cross-collections trail! This booklet... more Welcome to Out in Oxford, the University of Oxford’s first cross-collections trail!

The Friends of the Pitt Rivers Museum

Proceedings of the First Birmingham Egyptology Symposium, University of Birmingham, 21st February 2014, 2014

The Friends of the Pitt Rivers Museum, Jun 17, 2013

The Archaeologist

Morals encourage cooperation between individuals, which is useful for community survival. The Anc... more Morals encourage cooperation between individuals, which is useful for community survival. The Ancient Egyptians' answer to this was a belief in Maat, originally an abstract concept that became a deified entity in about 2350 BC. Documentary sources show the range of behaviour that people aspired to in order to live up to Maat but as a pragmatic society, the Egyptians did not always live up to their ideals, and historical texts also shed light on how they dealt with their criminals.

This topic was the subject of Beth’s MPhil dissertation at the University of Birmingham.

Are you interested in the archaeology of West Berkshire? Have you seen or found anything of histo... more Are you interested in the archaeology of West Berkshire? Have you seen or found anything of historical interest?

Join West Berkshire Council’s Assistant Archaeologist Beth Asbury and Berkshire Finds Liaison Officer Philip Smither to find out about what’s known about our district, what to look out for and how you can play a part in helping to collect information about the history of this area.

To celebrate LGBT+ History Month this February, join Beth Asbury, West Berkshire Council’s Assist... more To celebrate LGBT+ History Month this February, join Beth Asbury, West Berkshire Council’s Assistant Archaeologist and former project manager of Out in Oxford (www.glam.ox.ac.uk/outinoxford), as she dips her toe into this under-researched subject. From Roman Boxford to royal visits, the Bloomsbury Group and The Bricklayers Arms, attendees will be invited to suggest further LGBTQIA+ places and people who deserve recognition in the district’s Historic Environment Record.

What do General Pitt-Rivers, Edward VII and 'Egypt's Sherlock Holmes' all have in common? They ha... more What do General Pitt-Rivers, Edward VII and 'Egypt's Sherlock Holmes' all have in common? They have all contributed Egyptian artefacts to the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford. Find out how the 'Father of Scientific Archaeology' bumped into the 'Father of Egyptology' on a hot day in Giza and what happened next. Meet 'the Painter' and 'Miss Mummy', and the man without whom Howard Carter estimated barely 10% of the contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb would have reached Cairo fit for exhibition.

Two little glass vials full of blue grains on display in the Pitt Rivers Museum caught my eye a f... more Two little glass vials full of blue grains on display in the Pitt Rivers Museum caught my eye a few years ago, modestly labelled ‘d.d. A. Lucas 1926’. Alfred Lucas (1867-1945) is one of Egyptology’s unsung heroes, without whom Howard Carter estimated barely 10% of the contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb would have reached Cairo fit for exhibition.

This is a combined talk about some of the recent projects undertaken by staff at GLAM (the Univer... more This is a combined talk about some of the recent projects undertaken by staff at GLAM (the University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums), using technology to make the collections more accessible to more diverse audiences and disabled visitors. The Joint Museums Education Service has been working with the RNIB to introduce tours for blind and partially sighted people and help them engage with objects through audio description; the Pitt Rivers Museum is inviting volunteers to write new interpretations of its collections via a new app platform (http://oxfordstories.ox.ac.uk); and finally, Out in Oxford, is the University's first cross-collections trail and GLAM's first LGBTQ+ project (www.glam.ox.ac.uk/outinoxford), which is available in both paper and - soon - digital form.

The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford is not well-known for its extensive Egyptology collection, as th... more The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford is not well-known for its extensive Egyptology collection, as the museum’s exhibits are arranged in a typological manner where items from one civilisation or geographical area can be located in different parts of the museum, which can be rather confusing for the visitor. It is for this reason that Beth’s particular interest in Egypt is useful in bringing things into focus and helping to bring the collection to life. The collection does, however, comprise some 12,500 objects from Ancient Egypt and the Sudan, and includes gems such as the 'Oxford Bowl', one of the rare letters to the dead, and a mysterious mummy brought back to England by Edward, Prince of Wales, in the C19th.

In April 2016, a team from the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, was awarded funding by t... more In April 2016, a team from the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, was awarded funding by the Arts Council England via the Oxford University Museums Partnership’s Innovation Fund for the creation of the University’s first cross-collections trail, Out in Oxford: An LGBTQ+ Trail of the University of Oxford’s Collections. The project was a response to a lecture by Professor Richard Parkinson of the Oriental Institute (previously of the British Museum and author of A Little Gay History), which he gave during LGBT History Month that year. The lecture called for more explicit, not implicit, LGBTQ+ representation in museums and can be watched here: https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/great-unrecorded-history-lgbt-heritage-and-world-cultures. The outcomes of the project are a free booklet, webpages and a trail app featuring items from each of the University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums group (GLAM): the Ashmolean Museum, Bodleian Libraries, Botanic Garden, Museum of the History of Science, Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Bate Collection in the Faculty of Music. The items featured have been identified by the collections’ staff, but the interpretations have all been written by volunteers who identify as LGBTQ+ or allies. Forewords were kindly provided by Richard Parkinson and Stephen Fry. The trail was launched with a series of spectacular and well-attended events co-curated by the project’s volunteers during LGBT History Month 2017. The project was shortlisted for a Museums + Heritage Award and University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor’s Diversity Award. It can be accessed here: www.glam.ox.ac.uk/outinoxford.

In 2016 the Pitt Rivers Museum became a site of queer encounters. Communities, artists, curatoria... more In 2016 the Pitt Rivers Museum became a site of queer encounters. Communities, artists, curatorial and academic colleagues came together to rethink the University of Oxford’s collections through a queer, collaborative lens. The catalyst was a funding award for Out in Oxford: An LGBTQ+ Trail of the University of Oxford’s Collections. The trail is available as a free booklet (also available online and with audio content for visually impaired visitors): www.glam.ox.ac.uk/outinoxford. The items featured were identified by the collections’ staff, but the interpretations were written by volunteers who identify as LGBTQ+ or allies. It was launched during LGBT History Month 2017 and shortlisted for a Museums + Heritage Award. It is popular not only within the LGBTQ+ community, but with non-LGBTQ+ parents and school groups, and work is being done to embed its legacy into the Pitt Rivers Museum’s ongoing programme of engagement, research and collections activity.

In April 2016, a team from the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, was awarded funding by t... more In April 2016, a team from the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, was awarded funding by the Arts Council England via the Oxford University Museums Partnership’s Innovation Fund for the creation of the University’s first cross-collections trail, Out in Oxford: An LGBTQ+ Trail of the University of Oxford’s Collections. The project was a response to a lecture by Professor Richard Parkinson of the Oriental Institute (previously of the British Museum and author of A Little Gay History), which he gave during LGBT History Month that year. The lecture called for more explicit, not implicit, LGBTQ+ representation in museums and can be watched here: https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/great-unrecorded-history-lgbt-heritage-and-world-cultures. The outcome of the project is a free booklet featuring items from each of the University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums group (GLAM): the Ashmolean Museum, Bodleian Libraries, Botanic Garden, Museum of the History of Science, Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Bate Collection in the Faculty of Music. The items featured have been identified by the collections’ staff, but the interpretations have all been written by volunteers who identify as LGBTQ+ or allies. Forewords were kindly provided by Richard Parkinson and Stephen Fry. The trail was launched with a series of spectacular and well-attended events co-curated by the project’s volunteers during LGBT History Month 2017. The project was shortlisted for a Museums + Heritage Award and can be accessed here: www.glam.ox.ac.uk/outinoxford.

In April 2016, a team from the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, was awarded funding by t... more In April 2016, a team from the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, was awarded funding by the Arts Council England via the Oxford University Museums Partnership’s Innovation Fund for the creation of the University’s first cross-collections trail, Out in Oxford: An LGBTQ+ Trail of the University of Oxford’s Collections. The project was a response to a lecture by Professor Richard Parkinson of the Oriental Institute (previously of the British Museum and author of A Little Gay History), which he gave during LGBT History Month that year. The lecture called for more explicit, not implicit, LGBTQ+ representation in museums and can be watched here: https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/great-unrecorded-history-lgbt-heritage-and-world-cultures. The outcome of the project is a free booklet featuring items from each of the University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums group (GLAM): the Ashmolean Museum, Bodleian Libraries, Botanic Garden, Museum of the History of Science, Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Bate Collection in the Faculty of Music. The items featured have been identified by the collections’ staff, but the interpretations have all been written by volunteers who identify as LGBTQ+ or allies. Forewords were kindly provided by Richard Parkinson and Stephen Fry. The trail was launched with a series of spectacular and well-attended events co-curated by the project’s volunteers during LGBT History Month this year. The project was shortlisted for a Museums + Heritage Award and can be accessed here: www.glam.ox.ac.uk/outinoxford.

Beth will share an OUMP Innovation Fund project to create a printed trail across the collections ... more Beth will share an OUMP Innovation Fund project to create a printed trail across the collections providing new perspectives on some of their objects written by volunteers from amongst Oxford’s LGBT+ community. This is a response to a lecture by Professor Richard Parkinson of the Oriental Institute calling for more explicit, not implicit, representations of the LGBT+ experience in all museums.

The Pitt Rivers Museum is one of seven museums and collections within the University of Oxford an... more The Pitt Rivers Museum is one of seven museums and collections within the University of Oxford and was founded in 1884. Although not well-known for its Egyptology collection, it actually holds nearly 12,500 objects from Egypt and Sudan, around 230 of which were collected by Pitt-Rivers himself, mostly on a ‘Cook’s Tour’ in 1881. The General gave a significant paper as a result of this trip, which established for the first time the existence of a Palaeolithic period of Egyptian history, something which had not yet been accepted even by Mariette. His paper also showcased an attractive Early Dynastic period ripple-flaked knife, which he acquired from “Mr McCallum, the artist”. Andrew MacCallum (1821-1902) was “that indomitable Painter” with whom Amelia Edwards famously sailed a thousand miles up the Nile in 1874 and who would not even let the discovery of a painted chamber at Abu Simbel get in the way of his lunch.

"The Institute for Archaeologists (IfA, formerly the Institute of Field Archaeologists) was found... more "The Institute for Archaeologists (IfA, formerly the Institute of Field Archaeologists) was founded in 1982 and is a professional body for all of those who are engaged with the study and care of the historic environment. It has a wide-ranging membership, not all of which is UK-based, and is gaining increasing international interest.

The Institute is an independent association, which promotes best practice through its Code of conduct and other by-laws, Standards and guidance and professional papers. Members are vetted by peer review for their ethical and technical competence, and its Registered Organisations scheme is the only quality assurance scheme of its kind in the country.

Past discussion on the Egyptologists Electronic Forum of a code of practice and the Supreme Council of Antiquities’ rules to restrict archaeological work to experts shows there is an interest in developing standards of work and competency criteria within Egyptology. The five principles of the IfA’s Code of conduct will be discussed in this light to the backdrop of the, some say ‘pre-Egyptological’, adventures of Belzoni in order to demonstrate their applicability to the professional development of today’s discipline."

Philosophical models show that morals form an intrinsic part of society because they encourage co... more Philosophical models show that morals form an intrinsic part of society because they encourage cooperation between individuals, which is useful for community survival. In Egypt, these ideas became embodied in their concept of Maat, so important it became deified in about 2350 BC and was even central to Akhenaten’s ‘heretic’ reign. Elite literary sources show the range of behaviour that people were supposed to aspire to in order to live up to Maat and have a chance at an afterlife, but historical sources, for example, from Deir el-Medina, show a very different picture. ‘Moral particularism’ means that some extremes of behaviour can be justified, but realistically, state organisations also need mechanisms by which to deal with those who not ‘conform’ and Egyptian texts also shed light on how they dealt with their criminals.

One of the ways in which societies try to curb inhumanity is by having a system of morals. The an... more One of the ways in which societies try to curb inhumanity is by having a system of morals. The ancient Egyptians' answer to this was a belief in 'Maat', originally an abstract concept – apparently the oldest in the world - that became a deified entity in about 2350 BC. Documentary sources show the range of behaviour that people aspired to in order to live up to Maat (and have a chance at an afterlife), but its role in religion also bolstered social inequality and gave kings special dispensation. As a pragmatic society, the Egyptians did not always live up to their ideals, however, and historical texts also shed light on how they dealt with their criminals.

‘King Tut’ and his ‘wonderful things’ were exposed to the world in a media frenzy in 1922. The re... more ‘King Tut’ and his ‘wonderful things’ were exposed to the world in a media frenzy in 1922. The resulting ‘Tut-mania’ has barely ever subsided, but why is this unimportant 18th Dynasty king so controversial to the modern mind in relation to his illustrious New Kingdom contemporaries?

Ancient Egyptian civilisation is not only one of the oldest in the world, but also one of the ear... more Ancient Egyptian civilisation is not only one of the oldest in the world, but also one of the earliest to use writing. To the ancient Greeks, it was ‘hieroglyphic’ - a sacred script - but its use provides a wonderful corpus of source material and an unparalleled insight into Egyptian lives.

The tombs of the kings of ancient Egypt, especially the pyramids, were conspicuous and easy to ro... more The tombs of the kings of ancient Egypt, especially the pyramids, were conspicuous and easy to rob. That was until Thutmosis I of the 18th Dynasty ordered his architect, Ineni, to find a safer burial place, ‘no one seeing, no one hearing,’ and the Valley of the Kings was born…

Rome: today a bustling, modern European capital, and yet still unmistakably the ancient hub of an... more Rome: today a bustling, modern European capital, and yet still unmistakably the ancient hub of an incredible empire whose history has left an indelible mark on this exciting city. All you need for a city break, this is a whistlestop tour from the practicalities to the politics of Roman architecture.

Don’t know your asp from your elbow? Or are you an avid armchair Egyptologist who wants to brush ... more Don’t know your asp from your elbow? Or are you an avid armchair Egyptologist who wants to brush up on the basics? Then this is for you! This course will introduce you as a student to all the background knowledge of ancient Egypt that you wish you already knew!

How do archaeologists use burial evidence to build a picture of how people lived? The ancient Egy... more How do archaeologists use burial evidence to build a picture of how people lived? The ancient Egyptians mummified their dead, but how did they do this? How does anthropology help us make sense of such burial practices? What are the ethical issues surrounding excavation of the recently dead? This multicultural dayschool explores these and other issues.

Beth Asbury is the Assistant Archaeologist at The Historic Environment Record (HER) at West Berks... more Beth Asbury is the Assistant Archaeologist at The Historic Environment Record (HER) at West Berkshire Council. In this lighthearted interview, Beth discusses her role and events available to the public. Her role involves a register of all known archaeological and historical sites in the unitary authority of West Berkshire. The database, with linked digital mapping includes an index of fieldwork and excavations, bibliographic references and found archaeological objects. It also contains information on designated assets (Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings, Registered Parks & Gardens and Registered Battlefields) and the West Berkshire Local List of Heritage Assets. The HER holds details of characterisation projects in the District (Historic Landscape Characterisation, the Newbury Historic Character Study and Historic Environment Character Zoning) and there is a library of reports, journals and books which can be consulted by appointment in offices in Newbury.

A short interview on behalf of the Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society about the Tutankhamun exhi... more A short interview on behalf of the Thames Valley Ancient Egypt Society about the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

Council for British Archaeology ‘A Day in Archaeology’ blog post, Jul 29, 2021

As part of the HLF South East England Team’s focus on LGBT+ Heritage, we welcome Beth Asbury, the... more As part of the HLF South East England Team’s focus on LGBT+ Heritage, we welcome Beth Asbury, the project manager for Out in Oxford, to have a chat with us.