Spotlight Conversations is a regular series of events exploring thought-provoking ideas inspired by the Museum’s exhibitions and collections, featuring experts, knowledge holders, creatives and thought leaders.
Pompeii: After dark
Visitors discovered the grittier side of life in Pompeii through the city’s graffiti in this sell-out conversation on 27 March 2025.
While the city has been celebrated for its art and gardens, its graffiti tells a very different story – one that reveals the underbelly of Roman society and illuminates lesser-known aspects of everyday life.
The colourful language of love, desire and politics inscribed on the ancient walls of Pompeii reveal stories rarely mentioned in the formal historic records, giving voice to the city’s more colourful characters.
This fascinating conversation featured Professor Caillan Davenport, Roman historian and Head of the Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University, and Dr Lily Withycombe, Curator, National Museum of Australia.
Caillan Davenport
Professor Caillan Davenport is a Roman historian and Head of the Centre for Classical Studies at the Australian National University. He was awarded the Royal Historical Society Gladstone Prize in 2020 and has received fellowships from the Australian Research Council.
Caillan has written widely on Roman history for The Conversation and is a regular contributor to the Emperors of Rome podcast. His next book, Talking about the Caesars: How Romans Imagined their Emperors, will be published by Yale University Press.
Lily Withycombe
Dr Lily Withycombe is a curator at the National Museum of Australia. With a background in Roman archaeology, she has worked on major international exhibitions such as Rome: City and Empire, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes, Discovering Ancient Egypt and Pompeii.
She is particularly interested in making exhibitions relevant for Australian audiences and exploring how ancient pasts can illuminate the present.
Pompeii: A living heritage
Visitors joined us for a special conversation to mark the opening of Pompeii, in December 2024, for a discussion about the ancient past and the living legacy of this fascinating city.
Missed out or want to hear this conversation again? Keep an eye on ABC Radio National's Big Ideas in early 2025 for a special broadcast of this event.
It featured Virginia Trioli, journalist, broadcaster and author, in conversation with:
- Professor Steven Ellis, Classics and Roman Archaeology, University of Cincinnati
- Dr Sophie Hay, Press and Communications Officer, Parco Archeologico di Pompei
- Dr Lily Withycombe, Curator, National Museum of Australia.
Spirit of the Thylacine talk and film screening
Visitors joined us for an engaging conversation exploring the rich stories of the thylacine and its enduring significance for Australia and its First Nations peoples.
Pakana artist Vicki West from lutruwita/Tasmania and the makers of the documentary film Tiger on the Rocks, Cathryn Vasseleu and Pat Fiske, delved into these narratives in a discussion facilitated by Museum curator Martha Sear.
This enigmatic creature, whose story of extinction features in the Museum's Great Southern Land gallery, remains a powerful presence in culture and community.
This July 2024 event included a 40-minute conversation followed by a special screening of Tiger on the Rocks and an audience Q&A session.
Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse
Visitors joined us in the lead up to NAIDOC Week 2024 for a conversation with award-winning musicians Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse.
Gina and Guy use their music and performance to highlight one of the world’s most rare and beautiful languages, the Noongar language of the southern corner of Western Australia. They explored how First Nations peoples are reclaiming their stories, and the importance of language survival post-colonisation.
D’harawal man, climate advocate and former ambassador and high commissioner Gregory Andrews facilitated the conversation with Gina and Guy.
Egypt–Australian series
In early 2024, Spotlight Conversations featured Egyptian–Australians and ancient Egypt subject specialists, inspired by the Discovering Ancient Egypt exhibition.
Let's talk about ethics: Coming to terms with the past and collecting for the future
A global dialogue is taking place around the custodianship and display of culturally sensitive materials. Artefacts from Egypt form a major part of historical collections around the world, and museums are increasingly recognising the ongoing connection that the people of Egypt have with their dispersed cultural and ancestral heritage.
This conversation in May 2024, with researchers, museum professionals and the curators of the Discovering Ancient Egypt exhibition, explored issues such as historic collecting practices, evolving approaches to interpretation and display, the ethics of archaeology and the repatriation of Egyptian material heritage.
It featured Egyptologist Dr Melanie Pitkin, bioarchaeologist Professor Ronika Power, Egyptologist and exhibition curator Dr Daniel Soliman in conversation with National Museum of Australia senior curator Craig Middleton.
Living Egypt – Exploring contemporary expressions of culture, creativity and identity
From the deep past to the present day, Egyptians have fascinated and inspired people across the globe with their art, literature, music and architecture. Ongoing cultural connections and ancient traditions continue to inform and inspire contemporary life, both within Egypt itself and across the Egyptian diaspora.
This April 2024 conversation invited visitors to consider contemporary Egyptian cultural expressions, encompassing art, film, feminism and more. It explored how the creative practices and knowledge held by performers, artists, creatives and scholars can shape and interact with modern society and identity.
Enduring Egypt
Egypt has endured since antiquity, developing into a rich and sophisticated culture influenced by different belief systems, from ancient understandings of the afterlife to the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Islamic faith.
This March 2024 conversation explored the cultural and religious traditions that have shaped Egypt’s remarkable history from the ancient past to the present.
It featured historians Dr Lisa Agaiby and Professor Malcolm Choat and Muslim theologian Associate Professor Mehmet Ozalp in conversation with National Museum of Australia curator Dr Lily Withycombe.
Why does ancient Egypt continue to fascinate us?
People have long been fascinated by ancient Egypt, a complex and intriguing society and culture which spanned more than 3,000 years and created works of art and engineering feats that still amaze us today.
This February 2024 conversation explored why, from antiquity to the present day, we are so obsessed with ancient Egypt. The panel critically examined why ancient Egypt continues to hold a place in our collective imaginations and how the fascination with this society and culture has manifested itself in Australia and around the world over centuries.
With archaeologists Shahy Radwan, Ali Ibrahim and Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek and Egyptologist Julia Hamilton in conversation with National Museum of Australia senior curator Craig Middleton.
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