São Paulo – There are no major Egyptian art collections in Brazil, nor is the country a leading hub of research into this field of Ancient History. Still, there is growing interest from local professionals in developing projects and studies on facts that took place 2,000 years ago. A case in point is Márcia Vasques, an Ancient History professor at the University of Rio Grande do Norte whose plans for 2014 include studying mortuary masks from the region of Fayum, in Northeast Egypt, from the 1st to 3rd centuries AD, during the rule of the Roman Empire.
The holder of a doctorate in archaeology with a specialization in Egyptian masks from the University of São Paulo, the professor is now getting set to further her studies on Egyptian techniques for manufacturing the masks of the dead.
While working on her doctoral thesis, from 2001 to 2006, Vasques utilized studies from international publications and the few masks available in Brazil. However, she claims most items in existence are in European museums and universities.
“We usually conduct these researches at European institutions, which have the most items and information. We might even travel to archaeological sites in Egypt, but the conclusion is usually dependent on the European collection,” says Vasques.
Vasques is currently preparing the bibliography for her postdoctoral thesis, which should be an in-depth research work based on her own doctoral studies. The masks studied by Vasques date back to the period when Egypt was a province of the Roman Empire, from 30 BC to 395 AD. They were made in the regions of Upper Egypt, Middle Egypt, Fayum, and the Kharga and Baharyia oases. In the next phase of her mask studies, Vasques will focus on objects found in the Fayum region.
“I will restrict myself to the Fayum region in order to observe in greater detail how those people used to live during the Roman rule, how they dealt with death, and what were their funerary beliefs in an environment of intense contact and cultural exchange,” she says.
Although Egyptian history is a far cry from the Brazilian reality and history, Vasques claims that the interest of researchers in other times and places help enrich education in the country. She says Brazilians are increasingly interested in the history of places other than Brazil itself.
“It is important for Brazil’s insertion into international academia. Whenever a country evolves, the scientific community follows, and there tends to be greater participation of Brazilian scientists in international projects. In the case of Egyptology studies in particular, they may come to be an important link between Brazil, the Arab world and North Africa in the future,” she says.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
