Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London: a piece of Egypt in the UK

The Egyptian Archaeology Museum in London overflows with ancient Egyptian treasures.

Here's what you need to know to plan your trip.

Egypt Museum in London: article summary

What is the Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London?

The Petrie Museum is named after Flinders Petrie, UCL's first professor of Egyptology and a renowned archaeologist.

In fact, Petrie himself found a large part of the More than 80,000 objects make up the museum's collection.

Egypt Museum, London: what can you see inside the museum?

The Petrie Museum traces the development of Egyptian culture from the Paleolithic to the Islamic period.

While there are many impressive exhibits, the museum's greatest achievement is to bring to life a civilization about which we know so many facts, but so little knowledge.

He achieves this with a breathtaking display of everyday objects. Objects that people would have used in their everyday lives, as well as other expensive items that you traditionally associate with archaeological finds.

Why should you visit this place?

The Petrie Museum itself may be small, but it's packed with ancient Egyptian and Sudanese artefacts. It's undoubtedly one of the best places in London to get a good look at these ancient civilizations.

There are two main rooms. The first is packed with objects of all shapes and sizes, from a pair of ancient pliers to a rat trap, from hieroglyphic plaques to mummy coffins.

The second room is less exciting. It's mainly devoted to pottery. But even pottery tells a story. Petrie was one of the first to recognize the important role pottery could play in archaeological dating.

A small but comprehensive museum

There are so many exhibitions that the museum simply doesn't have enough space to display them all.

They even requisitioned one of the staircases to display part of the collection. It's certainly one of London's most unique exhibition spaces.

Egypt Museum in London: the many things to see

It's a small museum, so you won't need a whole day to explore it. But there are some things you should spend more time on.

One of the museum's best-known pieces is a large relief of the fertility god Min, who, as you'd expect, is shown with a rather alarmingly large penis.

Min is depicted with a lettuce leaf, which the Egyptians believed contributed to fertility, as it secreted juice when rubbed.

See the beautiful pearl net dresses

Another not-to-be-missed exhibition showcases the fashions of ancient Egypt. The pearl net dress dates from around 2,400 BC. It was designed so that it trembled when it moved.

Whoever wore it is thought to have worn it over linen underwear, but we can't be sure.

Learn more about shabtis: post-mortem slaves

The Egyptians believed they had to perform manual labor in the afterlife, but were not at all impressed by the idea of spending eternity doing things like polishing silver. So they created these shabtis, who were buried with them in the tomb.

The idea was that the shabtis would perform the menial tasks and that the the deceased could simply live out his or her life in paradise.

How did London's Egyptian Museum come into being?

The museum was founded to provide a practical resource for students of archaeology in the newly created department at the University of London.

The museum's first objects were provided by a bequest from the pioneering writer and Egyptologist Amelia Edwards, who also funded the Edwards Chair of Egyptology, a professorship that still exists today.

It moved into its current premises, a former stable, in the 1950s.

What are the opening hours?

To visit the museum, you can go to :

• Tuesday to Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Egyptian Museum in London is a must-see if you want to learn more about Egypt. If you want to find out more, you can also visit the British Museum which also has an important collection.

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