The Pharoaohs’ Birds – John Wyatt

12^th February 2008

It was a shame that attendance was a little on the low side for the return of John Wyatt who has given many excellent talks to the Group in the past as this was no exception. Different but still very entertaining.

In hind sight it reminded me of aspects of the TV programme ‘Time Team’. On that programme small items of pottery etc. are found and the viewers are shown pictures of what the whole item would have looked like based on similar finds etc. Here John was showing us pictures of birds that had been found in tombs, on papyrus and carvings and then leading us through the options of what those birds could have been with his own conclusions as to what they actually were. There were even mummified birds some of which had been placed in the tombs and not all containing the remains of the actual birds they were supposed to represent!

Egypt today was shown to be a very different land to what it was thousands of years ago and only a handful of cave drawings exist as most of them are now under the soil due to the Nile having flooded for thousands of years. Most of the drawings and artefacts were, therefore, dated from 4,500 BC and later.

Earlier investigations have been done on identification of birds depicted and one or two books written on the subject but John has, over the years, gained a vast knowledge of the birds of Africa and their migration habits passed and present. It is this knowledge which has enabled him to take a completely fresh look at the subject and we spent a fascinating evening sharing his knowledge and the identification conclusions which he has come to.

John Allan