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A Thousand Miles up the Nile
Amelia Edwards
"I have always liked and seeked out stories that had women who were strong and didn't need anyone to tell them who they are or what they should be. I chose Amelia Edwards because she was such a strong independent woman who lived her life her way.
She chose a life that was not favourable for women of the time. She never married, she chose to live her life how she wanted with her long time companion who just happened to be another woman, whom she lived and travelled with. They chose to spend the rest of their lives together, and they did just that."
Maxine (Visitor Team)
Amelia Edwards is a well-known and well-loved figure from the history of Egyptology. Although women’s involvement in Egyptology is nothing new to Manchester Museum, Amelia Edwards’ passion and standing within the academic environment at University College London paved the way for many ground-breaking and pioneering women in the field.
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In A Thousand Miles up the Nile, Amelia Edwards recounts her travels in Egypt and was the inspiration for many people's interests and passion for ancient Egypt. One of these was Jesse Haworth whose donations form a large part of Manchester Museum's Egyptology collection.
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Over the last few decades there has been increasing recognition of women throughout the history of archaeology. Amelia Edwards’ homosexuality has started to be acknowledged and celebrated rather than being hidden.