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Maura O’Neal

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Traveling exhibition explores 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian culture.

DENVER— The exhibition “Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs,” opens Friday, Feb. 25, at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and transports you to the distant past to explore ancient Egyptian culture and the land of pharaohs.

Over 5,000 years ago, Egypt became a state that unified many cities and towns along the Nile River. Since then, ancient Egypt’s powerful pharaohs, phenomenal pyramids and extraordinary art have captivated peoples’ imagination all over the world.

Experience everyday life in one of the most storied cultures in human history—the private, public and secret spaces—through hundreds of artifacts, stunning artwork and engaging interactives for insights into ancient Egyptian people and their impact on our own culture.

"Ancient Egyptian culture is captivating for so many reasons: religious beliefs and practices, architecture and human capacity for engineering and construction, and the landscapes that support such rich and layered ways of life,” Senior Curator of Archaeology Stephen E. Nash said. “We hope guests will enjoy this exhibition and come away with an appreciation for this period of human history.”

In the exhibition, you will experience ancient Egyptian culture and see how it flourished along the banks of the Nile through themes, including:

• Landscape and Climate: Explore how the Nile Valley’s reliable seasons and fertile landscape played into the rapid success and long-term prosperity of the Egyptian empire through time lapse videos, hands-on displays and a film about the region’s animals and plant life.
• Religion and Gods: Discover the role religion plays in everyday life, the power of the gods and their relationships to each other and the people.
• Script and the Emergence of State: Learn how the written word, in this case the invention of hieroglyphic writing, made mass communication, record keeping and the organization of a state possible.
• The Pharaohs: Traverse through ancient Egypt’s history to examine the power and responsibilities of the pharaohs.
• Sacred Spaces: Enter into the earthly houses of the gods – temples that resembled villages and bustled with activity to sustain gods with wine, bread, prayer and sacrifices, with everything from priest training and administrative offices to bakeries and vineyards.
• Private Spaces: Step into the living quarters of ancient Egyptians from different social strata and get a sense for how people of different ranks lived and worked together.
• Personal Adornment: Examine makeup vessels, jewelry and fine textiles to get a sense for how much ancient Egyptians value and appreciate beauty and the ways in which grooming, clothing and accessories signal one’s station and role in society.
• Secret Spaces: Explore the secret spaces of ancient Egypt through ancient texts, elaborately decorated coffins and tombs, and embalming practices and mummification rituals.

Plus, Museum volunteers will help you explore the mummification process, decipher hieroglyphics, guide you through a bird’s-eye tour of Aten Temple model and help answer questions the experience brings to the surface.

The exhibition has been produced as a joint venture between Lokschuppen Rosenheim, the University of Aberdeen Museums, the Roemer-und-Pelizaeus Museums Hildesheim and MuseumsPartner Austria, and is presented in Denver by Chevron.

To learn more about the exhibition and purchase tickets, visit dmns.org/egypt.

Media Preview
Reporters on assignment at invited to schedule preview tours Feb. 22-24 by contacting [email protected]. For more information, photos and videos, visit the online press kit.

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About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science 
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region’s leading resource for informal science education. Our mission is to be a catalyst and ignite the community’s passion for nature and science. The Museum envisions an empowered community that loves, understands and protects our natural world. A variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the wonders of Colorado, Earth and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum, visit dmns.org or call 303.370.6000. Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Connect with the Museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.