Please check back for regular updates.

Two of the Hancock Museum's most unusual residents are about to make their television debut. Bakt en Hor an ancient Egyptian mummy dating from 1070 - 712BC and a mummified human head from around 600BC will feature on a special program about mummies on The History Channel.

The six part series called Mummy Forensics is being led by Dr Joann Fletcher, who along with a team of scientists, historians and Egyptologists including Gill Scott from Tyne & Wear Museums, use an impressive array of techniques to analyse every detail of mummies from around the world.

Bakt en Hor, the Hancock's famous female mummy will feature on the programme on Sunday (9 March) at 8pm. She was a major challenge for the team because she is still within her cartonnage coffin and was completely inaccessible to the team. At a loss, the Mummy Group turn to the archives to find out more and find fortune within the original records of the mummy's examination dating back to 1821. The discovery of fragments of resin-soaked linen from the mummy's feet allows for minute samples to be taken - and the results are amazing.

On Sunday (6 April) at 8pm, the gruesome tale of 'The Missing Body' will be revealed. The team investigates the head belonging to a male who died when he was around 25 years of age sometime during the Late period of ancient Egyptian history (c. 600BC). Chemical tests revealed that he was embalmed using very good quality materials, which could indicate that he was a high status individual.

Egyptologist Gill Scott explains

"The results of the scientific analysis of the mummified head are amazing considering what we had to work with. Perhaps the most beneficial thing is being able to display the individual in the Museum in a sensitive manner and being able to say something significant about him which brings us a little bit closer to this amazing ancient civilization."

Both Bakt en Hor and the mummified head can be seen as part of the Land of the Pharaohs exhibition which is currently on show at Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend. The exhibition is on loan from the Hancock Museum, which belongs to the Natural History Society of Northumbria while it is closed for redevelopment. The mummies are set to return to the new Egyptian display which will form part of the £26 million Great North Museum project.

When the Great North Museum project is completed it will be a major new attraction for tourists and local people alike, standing alongside the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, The Sage Gateshead and Discovery Museum. The new museum which is expected to attract over 300,000 visitors a year opens in 2009. For more information visit: www.greatnorthmuseum.org

Media Contact: Caireen Hart

Telephone: (0191) 277 2169

Email: caireen.hart@twmusuems.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Gillian Scott is available for interview upon request.

The Great North Museum project

The Hancock Museum, which closed its doors to the public on 23 April 2006, is being transformed into a world-class visitor attraction as part of the £26 million Great North Museum project.

When the new museum opens in 2009, it will be a flagship visitor attraction incorporating collections from the Hancock Museum and Newcastle University's Museum of Antiquities, the Shefton Museum and the Hatton Gallery.

Highlights of the new £26million museum will include a large-scale, interactive model of Hadrian's Wall, major new displays showing the wonder and diversity of the animal and plant kingdoms, spectacular objects from the Ancient Greeks and mummies from Ancient Egypt, a planetarium and a life-size T-Rex dinosaur skeleton.

The Great North Museum project is a project led by Newcastle University in partnership with Tyne & Wear Museums, Newcastle City Council, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Great North Museum project has been made possible with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, TyneWear Partnership, One NorthEast, the European Regional Development Fund, Newcastle University, Newcastle City Council, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Wolfson Foundation, The Northern Rock Foundation and numerous other trusts and funders.

www.greatnorthmuseum.org

Bakt en Hor

The mummy of Bakt en Hor was found in a tomb at Gourneh in Thebes (modern day Luxor). She dates from around the late 21st to the early 22nd dynasties of ancient Egypt (c. 900BC). She lies concealed within an inner coffin (or cartonnage) which was placed in a wooden sycamore coffin. The cartonnage is beautifully decorated with vibrant colours and images of ancient Egyptian protective deities. She has lotus flowers in her hair which are a rare type of decoration. In the past she has been referred to as a princess, although this is unfounded and unlikely.

Her name is mentioned only once and it appears on the centre panel of her cartonnage. A scribe would customise the coffin by writing in the name of the individual in the space provided surrounded by magical spells and offerings to the gods. It is possible that the scribe made a mistake on her coffin, giving her incorrect titles and spelling her name wrong. Instead of Bakt Hor Nekht, the name should read simply 'Bakt en Hor' meaning 'servant of Horus'. This does not indicate that she was a priestess however; as children were often given names incorporating those of the gods in order to protect them from misfortune. She is also described as the 'neb per' meaning Lord of the House- an incorrect title which should instead say 'nebet per'- Lady of the House.

Tyne & Wear Museums is delighted to announce the appointment of Agenda Design Associates to develop the brand identity for Great North Museum project.

Agenda Design, who specialise in destination branding, have been chosen to create the brand identity and launch campaign for what will be one of the UK's most significant new visitor attractions in 2009.

The Great North Museum project will bring together the world-renowned natural history collections and archaeological treasures that were housed in the Hancock Museum and Museum of Antiquities and Shefton (Greek) Museum at Newcastle University into one flagship museum for the region.

The new museum will include a diverse range of exhibits and attractions ranging from the historic to the contemporary, and will also encompass the Hatton Gallery at Newcastle University.

Lindy Gilliland, Great North Museum project manager, says:

"We chose Agenda because of their expertise in creating successful brands for museums and visitor attractions. Their creative approach and excellent track record make them the perfect team for the job. The company has strong links with the region, the majority of its employees originating from the north east of England, which is something that is important to us."

Founded 16 years ago by creative director Paul Davis, Agenda has worked with most of the UK's leading museums and galleries, building an enviable reputation for creative excellence and strong commercial acumen.

Paul Davis, creative director, Agenda, says:

"We are very excited about working with the team at the Great North Museum. Coming from Sunderland, I have always had an affinity with the Hancock Museum and it is fantastic to be part of this exciting new development. We always relish the opportunity to meet challenges with enthusiasm and sensitivity and we believe that we can play an integral part in building a highly successful and dynamic new destination, not just for the UK but internationally."

Agenda Design Associates will start developing the brand identity for the Great North Museum project straight away.

A new museum, which is set to become one of the region's flagship visitor attractions, has joined the Regional Image campaign.

The former Hancock Museum in Newcastle is being transformed into a world-class visitor attraction as part of the £26 million Great North Museum project.

The development site is now proudly displaying a huge "Passionate about museums" banner showing the museum's support for the campaign, led by One NorthEast.

The Regional Image campaign aims to raise the profile of North East England as a fantastic place to live, work, visit, study, do business and invest. The new museum will help to put the region firmly on the cultural map and is expected to attract 300,000 visits a year.

One NorthEast via the Tyne and Wear Partnership has invested £5million to the project which is set to open in 2009.

The museum will incorporate collections from the Hancock Museum and Newcastle University's Museum of Antiquities, the Shefton Museum and the Hatton Gallery.

Geoff Hodgson, vice-chairman of North East Tourism Advisory Board said: "It's fantastic the Museum is now supporting the Regional Image campaign. Together we can promote the region which is increasingly becoming known as a cultural hotspot."

"The Great North Museum will be a fantastic asset for the region and will add to the impressive list of award-winning attractions we have on offer here."

"It will create a tourist attraction that will encourage visitors to North East England from across the UK and beyond."

Lindy Gilliland, project manager for the Great North Museum, said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with One Northeast and to support their Regional Image Campaign."

"The campaign aims to create strong perceptions about what the North East has to offer regionally, nationally and internationally. Becoming involved helps us to reinforce the message that the new museum is set to be a flagship visitor attraction when it opens in 2009, attracting visitors from not only the region, but also from the rest of the UK and around the world."

For more information on how to get involved in the campaign go to www.northeastengland.co.uk

PR Contact: Hayley Beattie, PR Officer at One NorthEast, 0191 229 6852, hayley.beattie@onenortheast.co.uk

Caireen Hart, Communications Officer at Tyne and Wear Museums, 0191 277 2169, caireen.hart@twmuseums.org.uk

Note to Editors:

One NorthEast is leading the Regional Image campaign for North East England. The campaign harnesses the region's best assets to position North East England as a great place to do business, live, work, study and visit. Aiming to create strong and positive new perceptions about the North East regionally, nationally and internationally, the "Passionate people. Passionate places" campaign features the very best the region has to offer through its people and the key areas of history and heritage, coast and countryside, city culture and innovative business. For more information please visit www.northeastengland.co.uk

The Great North Museum project is a partnership between Newcastle University, Tyne & Wear Museums, Newcastle City Council, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Great North Museum project has been made possible with funding from a range of sources including the Heritage Lottery Fund, TyneWear Partnership, One NorthEast, the European Regional Development Fund, Newcastle University, Newcastle City Council, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Wolfson Foundation and The Northern Rock Foundation.

For more information about the Great North Museum project visit: www.greatnorthmuseum.org