Interest in Ancient Egypt remains unabated and London provides a wealth of opportunities to view Egyptian artefacts. Here are just some of the places you can immerse yourself in Ancient Egypt whilst in the capital.
The British Museum
The British Museum features the largest collection of Egyptian objects outside Egypt. The most famous artefact is the Rosetta Stone. The stone, which was made using granodiorite, features three different scripts: hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek and was the key to deciphering hieroglyphs.
Another impressive artefact is a papyrus from an ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead featuring the Egyptian god Anubis. It depicts illustrations and hieroglyphs telling the story of the spells, which according to legend, helped provide guidance to the deceased as they embarked on a journey towards eternal life.
Anubis, who is known variously as the god of mummification, the afterlife and the underworld, is generally portrayed with the head of a jackal on the body of a man. Despite his appearance, Anubis was not an evil god, on the contrary, he actually aided lost souls and the helpless.
The Ancient Egyptian god Anubis is a highly-popular figure in the public consciousness and has featured prominently in a wide range of films such as Gods of Egypt, starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Brenton Thwaites, and Gerard Butler and The Pyramid, starring Ashley Hinshaw, Denis O’Hare and James Buckley.
In addition, the use of Egyptian gods and myths has extended to other areas of the entertainment industry. The popularity of Ancient Egypt in general and Anubis, in particular, is demonstrated by the prevalence of Egyptian-themed slots on online casinos and bingo clubs. The slot Rise of Anubis features the god of mummification with the Eye of Horus symbol appearing prominently. Ancient Egypt’s widespread influence across entertainment sectors is also highlighted by Anubis featuring in video games such as Overwatch, League of Legends and also the popular strategy board game Catan.
Evidently, Anubis is such a popular figure that the Egyptian god is not only an attraction in museums, the character is also used in the entertainment industry.
The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology features over 80,000 Ancient Egyptian and Sudanese artefacts from pyramid texts and Hawara mummy portraits to pot burials. As the name suggests, the Egyptians also buried the dead in ceramic pots or the pots were placed over the bodies in graves. Visitors to the museum have the opportunity to view a skeleton that was originally discovered in a pot. Later this year, the museum will feature an exhibition of Tutankhamun’s childhood, celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of the ancient tomb.
Horniman Museum and Gardens
The Horniman Museum and Gardens features an impressive collection of Ancient Egyptian artefacts including sarcophagi, scarab amulets and mummified animals such as cats and birds. The museum provides an Ancient Egyptian workshop that allows school pupils to experience ancient artefacts up close. Entry to the Horniman Museum is free for all.
Cleopatra’s Needle
Cleopatra’s Needle is the name of the obelisk located on the Thames Embankment. It was gifted to the British Government by the Sultan of Egypt and Sudan in 1819, but due to the difficulty of transporting them over the 200-ton obelisk from Egypt, it did not arrive in London until 1877. At 3,500 years old, it is London’s oldest standing structure There are also two sphinxes located beneath the obelisk, which were created by the Ecclestone Iron Works in Pimlico in 1881.
Many will be surprised at the wealth of Ancient Egyptian artefacts on display in London. Hopefully, this guide will provide you with some inspiration to visit these impressive examples of the ancient civilization in the capital.
