January 16, 2010 through 2011

See Nefrina like you've never seen her before.

Thanks to a sculpture created by world-renowned forensic sculptor and artist, Frank Bender, and based on the detailed physiological portrait provided by CAT scans made in 2003, this is the first time the public will come face-to-face with this 2,000 year-old woman from the ancient Egyptian town of Akhmim.

The sculpture is on view through 2011 in the Ancient Civilizations Gallery, accompanied by a new focus exhibition titled Nefrina's World. You’ll enjoy never-before-seen images of her CAT scans and fascinating new insights into the world in which she lived.

Nefrina lived approximately 250 BC, and made her journey to the Reading Public Museum in 1930, on loan from the University of Pennsylvania — later purchased by the Museum in 1949. In the intervening 80 years, she has achieved rock star status with generations of school students and visitors, and we’ve come to know her even better.

To see Frank Bender's amazing forensic facial reconstruction of Nefrina, click here!

Click here to watch three-minute video. (Quicktime Movie File)

Frank Bender photograph © Jenny Lynn