AMplify - Conversations at the Australian Museum

Unceremoniously ejected from the Australian Museum 150 years ago, former AM Curator, Gerard Krefft, was Australia's first zoologist and helped foster a national understanding and appreciation for natural sciences.

Join us for a free and fascinating discussion on 'Gerard Krefft: A Saga of Science and Scandal', held on Saturday 21 September 2024.

Featuring AM Director and CEO Kim McKay AO; former Director Dr Des Griffin AM; and our Head of World Cultures, Archives & Library, Dr Vanessa Finney.

In this Eureka Talk, explore the wonderful diversity of Antarctica and learn how experts are fighting to save this region from the devastating effects of climate change. Hosted by Australian Museum Eureka Prize winner Dr Jackson Ryan, this panel discussion explores how the Antarctic landscape has changed over the past century, and the critical role of scientists, researchers and science communicators in striving to preserve our frozen continent.

In the 1980s, a new wave of Egyptomania emerged in Australia with the first touring exhibition from Cairo, but Australia’s fascination with Egypt’s ancient past had begun in the 19th century. Our attraction to the ancient world endured throughout the political swings and design trends of the early 20th century, and grew as Egypt hosted ANZACs for deployment in both World Wars.

Come with us to ‘Ramses Street’ as we explore the legacy of Ancient Egypt in Australia and discuss the current shift to untangle and address colonial narratives in museums. Hosted by Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Twice a year, sunlight sweeps into the chambers of The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, illuminating the face of Ramses II and marking the beginning of the flood and growing seasons. Temples were monuments to the pharaohs and the gods, reminding all of Egypt’s wealth and prosperity. For modern visitors, these temples stand as examples of the ingenuity and scope of human endeavour.

In the fourth instalment of our Saturday Lecture Series, we explore some of these monuments’ key architectural features; how kings, such as Ramses II used them to define and portray power and - in the case of Abu Simbel – as a means to harness the sun. Following the lecture, join in the conversation with a Q&A hosted by Professor of Architecture, Restoration Australia’s Anthony Burke.

Five years into his reign, Ramses undertook his most ambitious military action, attempting to wrest control of Kadesh from the Hittites. Join Associate Professor Ockinga as he unravels the complexities of one of the most famous battles in the ancient world and asks whether history is necessarily written by the victors.

In the premiere event of our Saturday Lecture Series, Macquarie University Professor Malcolm Choat uncovers the history of KV7 - The tomb of Ramses the Great.

Tomb KV7 had a life that extended beyond a pharaonic burial chamber. Ancient tourists inscribed their names and impressions on its walls, Christian monks made their homes there and transformed the necropolis into a holy city. A thousand years later, a new wave of tourists from Europe began recording their impressions of Egypt. Join Professor Malcolm Choat as he takes us on a journey through time to explore how the “afterlife” of the tomb of Ramses II - and the Theban Necropolis - teaches us as much about Ancient Egypt as the New Kingdom does.

In this captivating lecture, hosted by the Australian Museum’s Chief Experience Officer Russell Briggs, learn what happened in the years between the interment of the great Pharaoh in the 18th Dynasty, and the contemporary excavation of the tomb in the 19th Century.

Come on a journey to the afterlife with archaeologist Dr Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek as we explore everything from beliefs and practices to tombs and funerary equipment.

‘I exist, I am alive, I am strong, I have awoken'.

Along with mummification, ceremonies and the creation of tombs, ancient Egyptians contrived hundreds of spells to safeguard their eternal existence.

Using key pieces from the exhibition Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, Macquarie University’s Dr Mourad-Cizek will explain how pharaohs, princesses, artists and others prepared to join the realm of the dead, to become eternally divine.

In the first instalment of the Australian Museum’s exclusive 'Egypt - In Conversation' series, curator and Egyptologist Dr Melanie Pitkin sits down with journalist and passionate Egyptophile Caroline Baum for 'An Introduction to Egypt'.

As the Senior Curator of the Nicholson collection of antiquities at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, Melanie shares insight into ancient Egyptians and their world view. Learn about key personalities, events and periods of pharaonic history to the interrelationship between religion and society.

The future is female! We turn the spotlight on some of the incredible 2023 Eureka Prize winners and finalists who represent the future of science in Australia.

Listen to the last of our Eureka Talks Series, as Associate Professor Alice Motion chats with some of the incredible 2023 Eureka Prizes winners and finalists. We will sit down with Dr Stephanie Partridge, Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri and Scientia Associate Professor Kate Quinlan and delve into the unique challenges and achievements of these three remarkable scientists, whose research and inventions are literally helping to save lives.

The Eureka Talks Series shines a light on research and innovations changing the fields of Climate, Health and Science Communication. Hear from Australian Museum Eureka Prize winners, finalists and other science leaders as they share their experiences, challenges and discoveries in their particular fields of research. The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were established in 1990 to celebrate the work of Australian scientists, and how their contributions are producing world-leading results that can influence the lives of many across the globe.

Professor Kris Helgen, Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI) in conversation with Ron Lovatt, the Australian Museum's longest serving 'DigiVol' photographer. In this recording Ron talks about his early years and what prompted him to return to nature photography later in life. He discussed his techniques for producing the ultra-high resolution photography that he employed in the Australian Museum Citizen Science program DigiVol.

Recorded 6 September 2023 at the Australian Museum.