The Egyptian Museum in Cairo houses the world’s most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. Explore the museum’s history, highlights, and some of the most famous exhibits that can be found there.
This cosmetic vessel would have been used to store scented oils, unguents, or ointments. In ancient Egypt, such vessels were highly prized for their function in both personal hygiene and religious rituals. They often held oils used for perfumes, hair care, and skin care, essential in a society that placed high importance on cleanliness, beauty,...
This stele was dedicated by artisan Bay to Amun-Re and comes from the workers’ village of Deir el-Medina. It still retains its vivid colors, in particular the three pairs of ears painted blue, yellow, and green on the left side. These represent the ears of the god that “listens to prayers”. This form of Amun-Re...
The stele depicts Nit-Ptah, his wife Seni, and their family: two males alternating with two females to create a pleasing chromatic contrast as a result of the different colors of their skins. Men were painted in ochre and women in light cream wash. The head of the family, Nit-Ptah, is shown on the right, wearing...
This marble bust of Thutmose III was found at Deir el-Bahari in two pieces. The head that you see here is original, and was found during excavations in 1964, whereas the body is a cast of the original piece, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The colours of the royal nemes-headdress are very strong,...
Queen Hatshepsut is the most famous female ruler of ancient Egypt. This head, which is one of the masterpieces of 18th Dynasty sculpture, was part of a statue that once represented the queen in the shape of the god Osiris. Queen Hatshepsut, who reigned during the 18th Dynasty (around 1479–1458 BC), is often depicted in...
The Eye of Re Pectoral is associated with ancient Egyptian symbolism, where the Eye of Re represents protection, royal power, and divine authority, often depicted with a rearing cobra, symbolizing the violent aspect that defends against chaos. The necklace, on which this pectoral was suspended in the layer of amulets nearest to the king’s mummy,...
This small statue, which depicts King Akhenaten making offerings, was discovered in a house in the residential area of Tell el-Amarna. This type of statuette served as a figurative embodiment of the human pharaoh, enabling the magic rituals in the celebration of religious rites connected with Aten. Akhenaten was a pharaoh who reigned during the...
The necklace of Khenmet is surmounted by a strand of gold beads of increasing diameter towards the centre, consisting of six rows of gold beads. Four rows are formed by the succession of the hieroglyphs ankh, was, djed, symbolising life, power, stability respectively. At the ends of the necklace are attached two exquisite gold falcon...
Several headrests were found among the treasures in Tutankhamun’s tomb. This carefully carved ivory one depicts the god Shu holding up the celestial vault. If one goes to sleep on one’s side, then one’s head ends up a few centimetres above the surface one is lying on, a distance equal to the breadth of one’s...
This vulture pectoral of Tutankhamun is a stunning piece of ancient Egyptian jewelry that was found in the tomb of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun. This pectoral, or chest ornament prominently features the goddess Nekhbet, the patroness of Upper Egypt. The vulture pectoral was found in a box within the treasury. It is unusual in that,...
