Exhibits
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Pharaohs
Egypt was ruled by a figure who was considered a God by the Egyptian people. Today we commonly refer to these rulers as Pharaohs which was one of the many titles used in reference to these rulers. Egyptian society and government was closely intertwined and dependant on their religion and the Pharaoh was not only the head of state, but more importantly, the head of their religion on Earth. Pharaohs did everything in their power to cultivate this assumption and used every tactic imaginable to elevate themselves to the status of gods among men. This is seen throughout Egyptian architecture, culture, art, and writing time and time again. This exhibit explores the ruling dynasties in chronological order and displays many busts and statues believed to be accurate depictions of the way these Pharaohs actually looked.
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Culture & Religion
Egyptian culture and religion cannot be separated as their religion permeated every aspect of their lives. Egyptian gods were depicted in carved reliefs such as this depiction of the god Horus, as well as in paintings and hieroglyphs just about everywhere throughout all of ancient Egypt. The gods played a crucial role in the coronation of a new Pharaoh since the Pharaoh was a god king, he must be appointed and approved of by the gods themselves. This exhibit explores the many different gods they worshipped and examines the surviving examples of Egyptian culture and art.
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Mummies & Tombs
For most of Egyptian history any Egyptian rich enough would construct a tomb to be buried in after their death and mummification. The pyramids were tombs as well but they were constructed by Pharaohs and only for a very limited period of the more than 1000 years of Egyptian history. The valley of kings is riddled with the more modest tombs that were used for most of that history. Most were long ago robbed and pillaged but occasionally one is found intact and these few contain priceless objects that provide a window into the lives and deaths of ancient Egyptians. This exhibit displays several mummies and teaches us the process of mummification as well as showing a number of tombs and the objects found inside.
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