Royal BC Museum Brings Ancient Egypt to Canada

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The Royal BC Museum in Victoria is hosting a major new  exhibition, Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs, from May 18 to Dec. 31.

Our collective fascination with Egypt may centre on the pyramids, intricate death rituals and glittering treasures of the pharaohs, but much of the rest of ancient Egyptian life has remained shrouded in mystery.

Now, recent advances in archaeology have uncovered information about how everyday Egyptians lived. This exhibition offers a new understanding of what life was like for all ancient Egyptians, from the street peddler to the pharaoh.

“Egyptian pharaohs were perceived as gods, the earthly embodiment of the sun god, whose public appearances were compared to the rising sun,” says Royal BC Museum CEO Jack Lohman. “This exhibition brings together significant and rarely seen Egyptian treasures and masterpieces from collections in Europe highlighting the superhuman nature of Egyptian pharaohs.”

This is the first time a North American audience can see this exhibition, featuring priceless ancient original artifacts like a monumental bust of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, the box coffin of Nakht and an ornate gold and garnet necklace from the Ptolemaic period.

With more than 300 original artifacts, some up to 4,500 years old, this exhibition transports visitors back to a time when civilization first emerged along the Nile, pyramids dotted the skyline and people believed the gods walked among them. 

The exhibition is created in partnership with MuseumsPartner, University of Aberdeen Museums, the Lokschuppen Exhibition Centre and the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum Hildesheim.

A complementary film, Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs, will play at the IMAX Victoria Theatre for the duration of the exhibition.

Source: Royal BC Museum