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Ancient Egypt

The Oriental Museum has two galleries dedicated to Ancient Egypt - the Thacker Gallery and the Wolfson Gallery. 

The Thacker Gallery of Ancient Egypt is home to the highlights of our Ancient Egyptian collection. It is named after the man responsible for founding the Oriental Museum, Professor TW Thacker. 

Make sure you don’t miss: 

  • The world-famous statuette of the servant girl which defies all the normal principles of ancient Egyptian art 
  • The mummy of a lady dating to the Ptolemaic Period (332-30 BCE) who has a false left hand 
  • A granite obelisk of Amenhotep II, standing more than 6 feet high
  • A perfume container once owned by the female Pharoah Hatshepsut. 

The Wolfson Gallery of Ancient Egypt has been designed to introduce our younger visitors to the wonders of ancient Egypt. Displays cover the topics taught in schools such as food and farming, writing and beliefs.  Labelling has been designed to help parents and teachers guide younger visitors but there is plenty here for everyone to enjoy. 

While younger visitors are playing with the toy pyramid and temple or trying out a word search, others can enjoy looking at amulets, animal mummies and exquisite jewellery. You can also try out our giant game of senet, played by the ancient Egyptians. 

Make sure you don’t miss: 

  • The perfume vessel in the shape of a duck made from the rare stone blue anhydrite
  • A false door for the god Thoth  
  • The mummy of a boy of about 15 years of age from the Roman Period 
  • A rare 18th dynasty mummy mask dating to around 1500 BCE 

Vocal Eyes

Enjoy an audio description of our famous servant girl statuette, one of 25 audio-described sculptures from around the UK created by Art UK.  

View of displays of ancient Egyptian objects around the edges of the Wolfson Gallery of ancient Egypt with white board on end wall, dressing up and game board marked out in tiles on the floor

Wolfson Gallery

View of display cases in the Thacker Gallery of Ancient Egypt with mummy and her coffin in the foreground and other funerary equipment in the display cases behind

Thacker Gallery