Antiquities at the Heart of the Revolution.

As the battle for the soul of Egypt continues in a tense standoff in Tahrir Square, Cairo, here at the very heart of the revolution the Egyptian Museum remains intact. 

The Egyptian Museum, Cairo

"The most important thing everyone needs to know is that the people in the streets defended the museums, monuments, and sites. When I came into work today, I had to pass through a checkpoint. When the men in the Popular Committees running the checkpoint saw me, they asked, “Sir, how is the museum?” These men may not know how to read or write, but they are worried about their cultural heritage."

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Minister of Antiquities

Dr. Hawass also said, "The monuments of Egypt are the heritage of everyone around the world." Here are just a few artifacts from the museum's collections representing various periods in Egypt's long past.

 Necklace, Faience and schist, 

Pre-Dynastic Period (Late 4th Millennium BC)

Receptacle in the Form of a Shell, Gold, 

Third Dynasty, Reign of Sekhemkhet, (2611-2603 BC) Old Kingdom

Necklace of Neferuptah, Gold, carnelian, feldspar, glass paste,

12th Dynasty, Reign of Amenemhet III (1844-1797 BC) Middle Kingdom

Bracelets of Ramesses II, Gold, lapis lazuli,

Nineteenth Dynasty, Reign of Ramesses II (1290-1224 BC) New Kingdom

Scarab, Glass and gold,

Ptolemaic era (Greek 332-30 BC)