World Culture Galleries

Galleries of Africa: Egypt

Level 3, Philosophers' Walk Wing

Explore nearly 5,000 years of Ancient Egypt history through an impressive collection of objects depicting all aspects of Ancient Egyptian life.  Spanning 4,000 BC to AD 400, the Galleries of Africa: Egypt draws from some 30,000 artifacts that represent the ROM’s Egyptian collection, the most important in Canada!

Trace the development of the culture through the artistic and technical evolution of the astounding and ordinary objects they created.

Slide Show

The granite bust of Cleopatra is one of the highlights of the Galleries of Africa: Egypt and a ROM Iconic Object. Collected in the early 20th century by the Dr. Charles Trick Curelly, the first director of the Royal Ontario Museum, this piece wasn't identified as Cleopatra until 2001.

EGYPTIAN COFFIN AND MUMMY The mummy Djedmaatesankh died almost 3,000 years ago of a tooth-ache! She had a massive dental cyst which probably burst, poisoning her. Remember to thank your dentist at your next appointment! See more TOP 10 FAVOURITES (PDF)

Video Podcasts

Iconic Statue of Sekhmet
March 19, 2009
Dating to the reign of King Tutankhamun's grandfather, this Egyptian sculpture is a very fine example of one of the oldest known Egyptian deities, the lion-headed warrior goddess also known as Mistress of Dread and Lady of Slaughter. On display in the Galleries of Africa: Egypt, the statue is one of the Museum's iconic objects.

Video Podcast (16.9MB, 2m 27s)
Written Transcript (PDF)

Iconic Cleopatra
March 19, 2009
This granite bust is most likely a representation of one of history's most famous women Cleopatra and is on display in the Galleries of Africa: Egypt. An iconic object in the ROM's collection, only three pieces of Ptolemaic sculpture like this exist in the world today.

Video Podcast (18.2MB, 2m 38s)
Written Transcript (PDF)

Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead
February 27, 2009
Travel to Egypt, the land where the Book of the Dead of Amen-em-hat was written over 2,300 years ago and uncover the story of this mystical scroll. Acquired in the early 20th century, this beautiful papyrus scroll was recently restored and temporarily brought out of the vaults for display. Visitors can still see fragments of the Scroll and this video installation in the Galleries of Africa: Egypt.

Video Podcast (28.34MB, 1m 28s)
Written Transcript (PDF)