About the Collection
Together with the Greek and Roman Galleries, Egyptian Art was one of the twin founding pillars of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the museum continues carefully curate its vast collection to both entertain and educate. This gallery contains some of the oldest objects in the museum, as well as its most popular (including the unofficial mascot of the Met) and is easily subject to highlight-bagging at the expense of fascinating details and hidden treasures. Beyond the dramatic tombs and photogenic statues lay the foundations of on the world’s most creative and influential cultures. Take the time to see the big and the little.
What You Will See
A thorough visit to the Egyptian galleries walks you through the long history of Egyptian culture with artifacts detailing religious, economic, political and family traditions. But many visitors skip the history lesson and just wander from giant ancient statue to giant ancient statue. Favorites include the hallway of hieroglyphics (also where the restroom line forms), the book of the dead, mummies, scarabs, statues to Osiris and other gods, and the colorful jewelry. The culmination of the collection is the Temple of Dendur--the museum’s most recognizable installation. Rescued from a dam project, the ruin is actually a Roman Temple built in a Greek style by Egyptian colonists covered by the graffiti of European explorers--the meeting of the Met’s great collections.
Why You Should Go
The Temple of Dendur is a natural draw. But there is much more to the Egyptian gallery beyond the museum’s most famous exhibit (which is not technically Egyptian). Interest in Egyptian art, style, and history has spiked periodically since the craze inspired by the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb and has experienced a recent and unwarranted waning as popular culture has shifted towards the exploits of Rome or Greece. But Egypt has a depth, color, and exoticism that the other great Mediterranean civilizations cannot match. Europe and America descended directly from Rome so its mysteries are more accessible. Egypt, despite its age, will always be new.
