O Museu egípcio, no Cairo, foi criado em 1835, pelo governo do país.O edifício que actualmente alberga o museu, da autoria do arquitecto francês Marcel Dourgnon, foi construído em 1900.Apesar de muitos objectos de interesse científico e histórico terem sido desviados para museus do ocidente, nomeadamente de Inglaterra e França, do acervo do museu fazem parte cerca de 120.000 objectos.O site do museu, em Egyptian Museum, tem as seguintes secções:· Informações para o visitante, com localização, preços e livraria.· Colecções, com sub-divisão por Ourivesaria, Esculturas, Tutankhamun e Colecção Funerária. Algumas das peças, destas quatro colecções:A ourivesaria do antigo Egipto é fascinante, quer pelas formas harmoniosas, quer pelas combinações de cores, fruto decerto de um alto nível de profissionalismo na sua execução. A maioria das peças combina ouro e peças semi-preciosas, sendo rara a utilização da prata.Category Jewelry Material PIGMENT Floor upper Room 4 C.G. 22/11/21/1 A escultura egípcia tinha principalmente uma função religiosa e destinava-se a perpetuar determinadas situações para a eternidade, estando as estátuas situadas em templos ou túmulos.Name FIGURINE OF A FEMALE BREWER Category Sculpture Date Old Kingdom , 5th Dynasty Material Painted Limestone Floor ground Room 47 JE 66624 Description Servant figures at work were usually depicted in relief but this particular example gains its importance from being executed in the round. The earliest limestone statues belonged to the 4th Dynasty but the majority belongs to the 5th Dynasty. Private funerary statuary is enriched by the inclusion of figures belonging to the milieu of the master's household which will thus continue to contribute their daily services in the netherworld.Apesar de na prática ter tido muito pouco poder, Tutankhamun, cujo reino durou 9 anos, passou à história pelos tesouros que deixou. É interessante que seja até aos nossos dias um dos mais falados e conhecidos, apesar de a nível da história do Egipto ser dos faraós mais obscuros!Category PECTORAL King Name TUT-ANKH-AMUN Date New Kingdom Provenance VALLEY OF THE KINGS Material BREAD Material2 PIGMENT Floor upper Room 3 CARTER 61893 T.R. 342 The Egyptians formulated definite ideas about the soul and its immortality. Their conception of the human personality was rather complicated. The 'Ba' which is loosely translated as the soul, and the 'ka', or the essence of life ,together with the individual's name and body united to form a human entity. Consequently, the preservation of these elements insured the immortality of a human being . Keen as they were to live forever, the Egyptians thus directed all their efforts to the enhancement of their funerary equipment.The body was mummified elaborately, placed in a well-suited sarcophagus which was placed within the tomb. It was within this tomb that both the 'Ba' and the 'Ka' united to cause a man to thrive after his death . Perhaps the most outstanding feature of their beliefs was the definite conviction of the persistence of life after death. This laid the foundation for the complete and elaborate funerary system of the ancient Egyptians.Name LID OF THE COFFIN OF MAAKARE Category Tomb Equipment King Name Pinedjem I Date 3rd Intermediate, 21st Dynasty Material Painted Wood, Gilded Wood Floor upper Room 46 JE 26200 CG 61028 Description Maakare seems to have been the first of this dynasty of princesses who was sworn to celibacy. These princesses devoted themselves exclusively to the service of the god Amon, while retaining all the royal privileges, and they came to play an important political role. The funerary ensemble enclosing Maakare's mummy was found at Deir el-Bahari. The exterior coffin, whose lid is shown here, is the most elaborate part. The body of the coffin is decorated with intricate scenes of gods and goddesses protecting the " Ba " of the deceased. This proliferation of images compensates for the extensive funerary programs that was once represented on tomb walls and the repertoire of funerary equipment.· História do Museu.· Mapa do Museu.· Visita virtual.· Principais peças. Destaco entre as quase 200 peças desta secção, a seguinte:Name SMALL STELA WITH EARS Category ARCHITECTURAL Date New Kingdom , 19th Dynasty Material Painted Limestone Floor ground Room 15 JE 43566 Description This stela with ears belongs to a category of votive objects which were dedicated by private persons to a particular divinity, in this case to " He-who-listens-to-prayers ". This practice flourished since the New Kingdom, as the relationship between the individual and his god became more direct and close. This sculptured and painted example is dedicated to the " Good Ram " of Amon. Its upper part has the god depicted in the form of a ram wearing tall feathers with two symmetrical inscriptions identifying him as Amon-Re. The lower register is vertically divided into two parts. On one side, Bai is kneeling, while the other side has three pairs of ears painted and incised.· Restauração.No museu também se procede à restauração de peças encontradas em mau estado, nomeadamente quando faltem algumas partes. Aqui um exemplo da restauração/montagem de um conjunto com 4 metros de altura, de God Amun & goddess Mut from Karnak .Destaco o facto de os fragmentos encontrados serem montados nas posições que se achou serem as originais, sem que sejam colocados acrescentos. Apenas são colocadas estruturas, mais escuras, das partes que faltam!· Deuses Faraónicos. Cerca de dúzia e meia de deuses. Aqui, o deus Horus:Horus:He was the god of Edfu, son of Osiris and Isis. He is usually shown with a falcon’s head. Usually depicted as a hawk or as a man with the head of a hawk. Horus was not only a god of the sky but the embodiment of divine kingship and protector of the reigning pharaoh gradually the cults of other hawk gods merged with that of Hours and a complex array of myths became associated with him. According to one of the most common myths, he was the child of the goddess Isis, and in this role ”later known as Harpocrates”. he was usually depicted in human form with the side of youth and a finger to his mouth, often being seated on his mother’s lap.· Eras Faraónicas.Resumindo: vale mesmo a pena explorar este museu!