The Tomb: Ancient Egyptian Burial - National Museums Scotland

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Fri 31 Mar 2017 - Sun 03 Sep 2017

The Tomb is the National Museum of Scotland's latest free exhibition which tells the story of an excavated tomb built around 1290BC.

Although the exhibition itself isn't huge, it's really fascinating for all those interested in ancient Egyptian history, and all those wanting to learn more about this historical era. Presented chronologically, the Exhibition starts at the beginning of this Tomb's story, with its construction in the city of Thebes for the Chief of Police and his wife, shortly after the reign of Tutankhamun.

Following that, the Tomb was reused and looted for about 1000 years, meaning a collection of fascinating objects have been left behind from various eras. To give a brief idea you can expect to see Shabati boxes, Statues, Mummy Cases, Mummy Cloth, a Mummy itself, Shrouds, Amulets, Canonic jars, Papyrus, Bread and Fruit, and a Canopy. The Mummy Shroud is particularly one to look out for. Over 2000 years old, dating back to 9BC, this object was recently discovered in the National Museum of Scotland's Collection centre having been there since the 1940s wrapped in brown paper, it was recently discovered by curators and remains in remarkable condition. Remember not to use flash photography however, as these objects are extremely fragile.

What makes the exhibition really accessible is that it tells the story of one Tomb chronologically, which really helps guide you through this era of history, and explains clearly how burial in ancient Egypt changed throughout a thousand year time period. From its beginning, to its final use shortly after the Roman conquest of Egypt which saw the Tomb sealed up.

Today, the exact location of the Tomb is not known, but due to the constant reuse and looting of the Tomb, we're lucky enough to be able to find out more about its amazing, interesting history through the wide range of objects taken from it.

The exhibition is family friendly, offering a short video to watch, as well as some fun interactive exhibits that help kids (and adults) engage with the contents of the Exhibition. A couple of other fun things to do include the chance to pick up a thin strip of paper, choose your God, and emboss the paper with an image of said God, and an exhibit in which you can smell different aromas from the era. You can also complete 'Osiris' Challenge' which presents several questions to answer as you're wandering around the Exhibition, another great way to engage with the Exhibition and find out a bit more. The answers to the challenge can be found online on the Museum's website.

A very accessible and interesting Exhibition, perfect for all age ranges and abilities. If this era of history is something you're interested in, don't forget that the National Museum of Scotland will be opening its permanent Ancient Egyptian Galleries in 2018/19.

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!date 31/03/2017 -- 03/09/2017
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