Shanghai | Shanghai Museum "At the Pinnacle of the Pyramid: The Great Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Civilization"

💿 Exhibition Period: 7/19/2024 - 8/17/2025 📍 Location: Three exhibition halls on the first floor of the People's Building, Shanghai Museum. This exhibition features 788 precious artifacts, breaking the previous record of no more than 300 items loaned abroad by Egypt, with over 95% of the artifacts being shown in Asia for the first time. 【Preface】 My impression of Egypt comes from: 🎬 the movie "The Mummy" and the shoujo manga 📖 "Daughters of the Nile." Later, in history class, I learned that Egypt is one of the four great ancient civilizations. The pyramids, rumored to be built by aliens, the gift of the Nile's flooding, and mummification based on the belief in resurrection through judgment all sparked my strong interest in Egypt. This time, I specially rented an audio guide for ¥30, but the headphones became uncomfortable after a while, and not every exhibit had an explanation. Before visiting the exhibition halls, it’s good to understand ancient Egyptian beliefs and mythology. The Ennead and the Golden Family consist of 11 gods in total. Atum self-generated the wind god Shu and the moisture god Tefnut. They gave birth to Geb and Nut. The fourth generation included two daughters and two sons: Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. Osiris and Isis gave birth to Horus, who avenged his father by defeating Set, as well as the god of death Anubis. Additionally, Horus and the goddess Hathor had four sons, who are the four guardian gods of the canopic jars. 【History of Egypt】The timeline can be roughly divided as follows 🔽⬇️🔽 - Predynastic Period (5300 BC - 3100 BC): Early settlements and city-states, with hieroglyphics appearing around 3200 BC. - Early Dynastic Period (3100 BC - 2686 BC): The Narmer Palette records Menes unifying Upper and Lower Egypt, starting the pharaoh era. Capital: Memphis. - Old Kingdom, also known as the Pyramid Age (2686 BC - 2181 BC): The first pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, was designed by Imhotep. Fourth Dynasty: Giza Pyramids. - First Intermediate Period, about 150 years (2181 BC - 2040 BC). - Middle Kingdom (2040 BC - 1786 BC): The 12th Dynasty moved the capital to Thebes and used bronze tools. The local god Amun of Thebes became the supreme national god, with many temples and tombs built. - Second Intermediate Period (1786 BC - 1567 BC): Foreign chariot warriors, the Hyksos. Amenhotep I expelled them, established the 18th Dynasty, and moved the capital from Memphis to Thebes. - New Kingdom (1567 BC - 1085 BC). - Third Intermediate Period (1085 BC - 664 BC). - Late Period (664 BC - 332 BC). ✂️ Below are the three exhibition halls 👇 【The Realm of the Pharaohs】 Recommended to visit first. Ancient Egypt had 31 dynasties. Many pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom. During the Middle Kingdom (11th-12th Dynasties), Thutmose II reunified Egypt and moved the capital from Memphis to Thebes, beginning construction of the largest ancient Egyptian temple, the Karnak Temple, the worship center of the sun god Amun. The New Kingdom (18th-20th Dynasties), around 1550 BC to 1075 BC, saw pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings. Main exhibits include ancient Egyptian cosmology, sacred kingship, craftsmanship, belief systems, and burial customs. 【The Age of Tutankhamun】 Focuses on the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, his father Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), and their relatives. It covers the religious reform that overturned his father's monotheistic worship. 【Secrets of Saqqara ㊙️】 Saqqara, located south of the Giza pyramid complex, is the oldest burial ground used longest by ancient Egyptians. Since 2018, the largest animal mummy cemetery, the Bastet temple ruins, and newly unearthed painted wooden coffins have been discovered here. — — — — — — — 【🌟Overview of Artifacts】 ① Statue head of Senusret I in the hall, later repurposed by Ramses II. ② 🦛 Hippopotamus statue: symbolized chaos and destructive power in ancient Egypt, also fertility and regeneration. Legend says Menes of the First Dynasty died from a hippo attack. ③ Osiris: god of the underworld, judge of the dead and afterlife. His green skin represents life’s revival and the power of rebirth. ④ Isis: wife of Osiris. The Madonna figure is said to be modeled after Isis holding Horus. ⑤ Amenemhat III of the 12th Dynasty 🇪🇬 marked the peak of ancient Egypt. ⑥ Wesekh collar: worn by a princess’s mummy. Due to its large size and weight, a balancing counterweight was attached at the back. ⑦ The earliest country to invent brewing and bread-making. ⑧ Thutmose I: third king of the 18th Dynasty, campaigned in West Asia, expanded Karnak Temple, and was the first pharaoh buried in the Valley of the Kings. ⑨ Queen Hatshepsut: Egypt’s Wu Zetian, her statue was deliberately made in male form. After her death, her son Thutmose III succeeded her. ①⓪ Thutmose III: a great military leader who conquered Syria, known as the Napoleon of Egypt. ①① Ramses II: 19th Dynasty, lived over 90 years, the second longest-reigning pharaoh in Egypt. ①② Bastet: ancient Egyptian cat goddess, worship traced back to the Early Dynastic Period. ①③ Anubis: guardian of the dead, with a jackal head. ①④ Akhenaten: the most controversial pharaoh, religious reformer who worshipped the Aten. ①⑤ Canopic jars: four jars holding the deceased’s internal organs, lids shaped as Horus’s four sons. Falcon head: intestines / Baboon head: lungs / Human head: liver / Jackal head: stomach. ①⑥ Thoth: depicted with an ibis and baboon, god of the moon, medicine, and wisdom. ①⑦ Senusret I: second pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom. Led two Nubian expeditions and to the Western Desert oases. Strengthened the cult of Amun-Ra. There are many more exhibits, too many to introduce here! In the late Qing Dynasty, due to Duanfang, there was a wave of Egypt fascination. Duanfang was ordered to travel abroad and obtained rubbings of Egyptian inscriptions when passing through Egypt. Now, some drawbacks: When visiting, keep your EQ (emotional quotient) fully charged, because cutting in line and pushing forward happen frequently, instantly lowering your experience. With so many people crowded together, if you want to see the exhibits, you need to bravely push forward. Good luck! 📅 Visit Date: 11/13/2024 (Wed.) 09:00-10:00 🕰️ Opening Hours: 09:00 - 17:00 (Last entry at 16:00) Closed on Mondays except national holidays 💰 Ticket Price: RMB ¥135 📍 Address: No. 201 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu District, Shanghai