Between Oedipus and the Sphinx: Freud and Egypt

Forming the largest part of Freud’s collection, Egyptian artefacts lie behind Freud’s ‘archaeological metaphor’ – one of his most productive methods for exploring the psyche and developing the practice of psychoanalysis.

Gathering the respective personal collections of Egyptian artefacts of Freud and his contemporary Flinders Petrie, the first UK Professor of Egyptology, “Between Oedipus and the Sphinx: Freud and Egypt” explores Freud’s less celebrated interest in Egyptian culture and the Egypt evident in Freud’s writings.