An exhibition to rediscover the voices of those who shaped the past
In the rooms of the Egyptian Section of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence rest hundreds of stelae, reliefs and statuettes that today’s visitors risk perceiving as mere inert “works of art”. For those who commissioned them, however, they were magical-ritual instruments designed to ensure the survival of their name and identity beyond death. The photographic exhibition Ancient Voices was created to give a voice back to their owners, answering the ancient appeal the deceased addressed to the living: to speak their name and recite an offering for their Ka.Far removed from the traditional history of pharaohs and pyramids, the exhibition is grounded in microhistory: none of the objects belonged to kings or members of the royal court. The protagonists are provincial scribes, craftsmen, priests, farmers, mourners, singers, fathers, mothers – the “middle class” that formed the backbone of the country. In the details of the objects’ decoration, such as a wife’s embrace, offerings of bread and beer, or animals crouched beneath chairs, we glimpse an Egypt of domestic affections, bereavements and personal devotions, in which visitors can recognize themselves.
Since many of the deceased have left us only their names, or not even that, the Egyptologists chose poetic language to give them a voice. In ancient Egypt, poetry was a structural and sacred element of life, used to speak with the gods and to express the most intimate human feelings. Ancient Voices thus shows that great History is the sum of small individual lives, and reaffirms the universal value of memory.
The exhibition, carried out by CAMNES and the Archaeological Museum of Florence, in collaboration with Lorenzo de' Medici Institute and LdM Gallery, is curated by Anna Consonni (Archaeological Museum of Florence), Massimiliano Franci, Irene Morfini and Valentina Santini (CAMNES).
The opening will take place on October 22, 2026, starting from 5pm, at the LdM Gallery (via de' Pucci 4, Florence).
The curators will be present.
Free access.
Title: Ancient Voices
Place: LdM Gallery, via de' Pucci 4, Florence
Curators: Anna Consonni (Archaeological Museum of Florence), Massimiliano Franci, Irene Morfini, Valentina Santini (CAMNES)
Dates: from October 22 to November 13, 2026
Opening hours: Mon, Tue & Thu: 10AM-2PM; Wed: 10AM-2PM and 4-7PM; Fri 3-7PM