Liverpool museum spotlights ancient Egypt beyond the mummies

Dr Criscenzo-Laycock said she hoped the free exhibition would “build up a picture of the natural environment” of Egypt and Sudan – where the White Nile and Blue Nile unite after flowing from Tanzania and Ethiopia respectively.

“While we have borders, animals do not – we’re looking at the area as an ecosystem,” she said.

She said there was a misconception that those living around the Nile were “obsessed with death but actually they were obsessed with life”.

“They conceived the afterlife as an idealistic version of real life.”

The display showcases pottery etched with animal-inspired designs and their incorporation in hieroglyphic writing.

It also highlights how creatures were a source of food, with remnants used for clothing, tools and jewellery.

Some animals were hunted to extinction, while other wild species moved due to environmental change and increases in human and livestock population.