Egypt

The Ancient Land in Antiquities and Photographs at the Nelson-Atkins

KC Tribune (Steve Shapiro)

Before such superheroes as Iron Man and Batman crowded the imagination, truly super beings, bearing the names Osiris, Isis and Horus, strode tall and mighty—and why not? Ancient Egypt in its heyday was the equivalent of Russia under Catherine I, Britain under Queen Victoria or America under, well, Truman.

Tut, Ramses II, and Amenhotep III were deities; the pharaohs combined the powers of supreme rulers both in their lifetimes and afterwards (something Dick Cheney apparently hopes to achieve). Gods of fertility and of the afterworld were as common as celebrities nowadays, with the added emphasis on their magical link between the living and the dead.

The religious practices and everyday iconography of ancient Egypt still possess the aura of the ancient realm, as discoveries of tombs, hieroglyphics, funeral offerings and daily accessories over the last several hundred years have coalesced to attract the public’s fascination in a way that ancient Roman rarely has.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum, once known primarily for its ancient Chinese collection, has been developing its collections of art and artifacts of by-gone civilizations, from Native American to Colonial America. The recently unveiled Egyptian galleries, which lead into the Near Eastern, Greek, Roman, and European galleries, have an updated feel—and a priceless two thousand three hundred year-old coffin as a greeter.

- Modern Science Reveals Secrets Of 2,500-year-old Mummy
Digital Journal A powerful image of the face of a 2,500-year-old Egyptian mummy at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has been created by special agents/forensic artists from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as unveiled...

- Exhibit: Coffin Of Noblewoman On Display In Kansas City
Journal Star (L. Kent Wolgamott) With photo. Want to see some artifacts from ancient Egypt but not planning to head to Denver to catch the King Tut show? Then drive south to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and take a look at its newly refurbished Ancient...

- Opening Of Egyptian Galleries At The Nelson-atkins
InfoZine A spectacular 2,300-year-old collection of funerary objects from an Egyptian tomb will be the centerpiece of new Egyptian galleries that open May 8 at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Among the objects is an elaborately decorated, 7-foot inner...

- Ethical Questions Haunt Museums’ Acquisition Of Antiquities
KansasCity.com (Steve Paul) When the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art announced last year that it had acquired a colorful, ancient Egyptian coffin, officials presented a small sheaf of paperwork affirming that all was on the up and up. This was no back-door,...

- Nelson Gallery Acquires Ancient Egyptian Funerary Display
Kansas City Star The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has announced a prominent new resident. At 8 feet tall she could come to be known as a Wonder Woman, but don’t call her “Mummy Dearest.” The museum’s multimillion-dollar acquisition is a spectacular...

Egypt