Ancient Egypt

In February 2019, the Museum opened a very special exhibition featuring more than 200 objects from Egypt with a behind-the-scenes vantage point. Ancient Egypt: From Discovery to Display traces the objects’ journey from excavation to exhibition, inviting visitors to learn more about ancient Egypt and about the process of excavating, storing, and conserving objects for display.

The first gallery space introduces visitors to life in ancient Egypt through objects representing gods, royalty, and everyday individuals. Visitors follow artifacts through their journeys to the Museum in the next space, which shows objects from the Old Kingdom (from 2613 to 30 BCE) in “visible storage.” Finally, the exhibition concludes in The Artifact Lab, where conservators are at work on Egyptian artifacts.

This special exhibition echoes what is going on behind the scenes as the Museum plans new galleries of ancient Egypt and Nubia (targeted opening 2023).

Ancient Egypt: From Discovery to Display was curated by Jennifer Houser Wegner, Ph.D., Associate Curator, Egyptian Section.