Events & Entertainment, History, Swanage | Posted on March 9th, 2026 | return to news

Ancient Egyptian artefacts discovered at Durlston Country Park

An evening talk is being held on Thursday 19 March at Durlston’s Learning Centre for those who want to know more about the finds.

A volunteer at Durlston Country Park in Swanage has discovered internationally significant Egyptian artefacts whilst cataloguing the archaeological collection of a world-renowned spider expert.

Durlston resident volunteer and qualified archaeologist Eddie J B Stirzaker has been ‘rationalising’ the collection of the late Dr Peter Merrett, a highly regarded arachnologist with an interest in many areas of science.

Dr Merrett’s ‘cabinet of curiosities’, given to Durlston by his family, contains artefacts including meteorites, Zulu weapons and cannonballs from the Franco-Prussian War, as well as Neolithic axe heads and Bronze Age arrowheads.

Most surprising, however, was Eddie’s discovery of Egyptian artefacts from the Old Kingdom period, including rare stoneware and even suspected wall fragments from the temple complex of the Pharaoh Khafre, dating back to the 4th Dynasty Old Kingdom, 2450BC.

This assertion is supported by other objects in the collection, such as fragments of the unique alabaster flooring from the Khafre temple complex, and the ‘Shen Ring’ inscription from the hieroglyphic writing on the wall fragment.

The wider ‘Stones of the Pharaohs’ collection has many varied pieces of rare Egyptian stone such as green granite, used for smaller statues from an ancient quarry in Aswan in south Egypt, and even fragments of the ‘Bekhan Stone’ used by the elite of Egypt for luxury items, originating from Wadi Hammamat in the eastern desert of Egypt.

The collection also contains a lathe-made alabaster bowl fragment that specialists want to record and recreate using 3D printing and AI technology.

Eddie said: “I am not by training an Egyptologist, but a Neolithic and Bronze Age British Isles specialist, so far visiting and recording 583 stone circles across the United Kingdom.

“However, due to my earlier work at Kendal Museum, I recognised that these were Old Kingdom Egyptian artefacts, and that we might have a broken fragment from a wall in the Khafre mortuary complex.”

Katie Black, senior ranger for Durlston Country Park, said: “We are deeply appreciative of Dr Merrett’s family for their generous donation of his archaeological and entomological collections, and delighted to discover the significance of these artefacts.”

On Thursday 19 March at Durlston’s Learning Centre, Eddie will deliver ‘Stones of the Pharaohs’, an evening talk on his findings and wider archaeological research, with select artefacts on display. There is a 7.30pm start and no booking is required. £3.50 per person, but free to ‘Friends of Durlston’ members.