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Special Collection: Alexander Henry Rhind

28th April 2017 | Categories: Publications, Up and coming events

This May, the Society is celebrating all things Rhind.

On May 8, Dr Margaret Maitland will be delivering a lecture titled The Tomb Uncovered, in which she will shed new light on the stories and artefacts featured in the National Museum of Scotland’s new exhibition, The Tomb: Ancient Egyptian Burial. Visit https://www.socantscot.org/event/rhind-and-egypt/ for more information.

Later in the month, Professor Roberta Gilchrist will deliver a series of six lectures on ‘Sacred Heritage: Archaeology, Identity and Medieval Beliefs’ in our annual Rhind lectures, delivered in commemoration of Alexander Henry Rhind, who bequeathed money to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland to endow the lectures which bear his name. Visit https://www.socantscot.org/event/sacred-heritage-the-archaeology-of-medieval-beliefs-rhind-lectures/ for booking information. Remember you can re-watch the Rhind lectures from 2009 onwards by visiting our Resources page and typing ‘Rhind’ in the search box.

As well as donating finds from his excavations in Scotland and Egypt to the National Museum of Antiquities (later given to National Museums Scotland), Rhind was a prolific contributor to the Society’s annual Proceedings. To whet your appetite for a month of Rhind-related activities, we’ve collected his contributions to the Proceedings below. You can also enjoy free access to Claire Gilmour’s 2016 article on the life and work of Alexander Henry Rhind throughout May.

Rhind, A Henry 1851-4 ‘An attempt to define how far the Cymric encroached upon the Gaelic Branch of the early Celtic population of North Britain’

Rhind, A Henry 1851-4 ‘An account of an extensive collection of archaeological relics, and osteological remains, from a ‘Pict’s House’ at Kettleburn, Caithness’

Rhind, A Henry 1855-6 ‘British Primeval Antiquities: Their present treatment and their real claims’

Rhind, A Henry 1855-6 ‘On one of the simple forms of Burial in use among the Ancient Egyptians, observed in a recent excavation at Geezeh’

Rhind, A Henry 1855-6 ‘Notes of excavations of Tumuli in Caithness, made in the summer of 1856’

Rhind, A Henry 1857-9 ‘The Law of Treasure-Trove: How it can be best adapted to accomplish useful results’

Rhind, A Henry 1857-9 ‘On the use of bronze and iron in Ancient Egypt, with reference to general Archaeology’

Gilmour, C 2016 ‘Alexander Henry Rhind (1833-63): a Scottish antiquary in Egypt’ (available to all throughout May 2017)

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