Egyptian Sculpture Gallery, British Museum, London
The Egyptian Sculpture Gallery in the British Museum in central London is one of the museum’s most popular galleries. It is home to the world-famous Rosetta Stone and the Gayer-Anderson Cat.
The granite head of King Amenhotep III
Exhibits
The gallery displays statues and other artifacts from the fourth millennium BC until around 400 AD. Egyptian power came to an end which the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great and then Roman rule in the area.
As well as the Rosetta Stone which linguists used to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics, other highlights include the huge sculpture of Ramesses II from Karnak, the upper part of a seated statue, and the sarcophagus of Nectanebo II, Egypt’s “last pharaoh.”
Another huge sculpture is the red granite head of King Amenhotep III also from Karnak (Thebes). The statue was discovered in 1817. It has been in the possession of the British Museum since 1823, acquired from Sir Henry Salt, the British Consul General in Egypt at the time.
The Egyptian lion goddess Sekhmet
Access – Getting There
British Museum (britishmuseum.org)
Great Russell Street
London Borough of Camden
London
WC1B 3DG
Tel: 020 7323 8299
Hours: 10 am-5.30 pm daily; selected galleries until 8.30 pm Friday.
The nearest underground stations to the British Museum are Tottenham Court Road, Russell Square, and Holborn. Many London buses also pass near the British Museum including numbers #7, #8, #10, #14, #19, #24, #25, #29, #30, #38, #55, #68, #73, #134, #188. The nearest mainline stations are Euston and King’s Cross.
Exhibit with information on the Egyptian view of the afterlife
Accommodation
This part of London is a very popular place to stay for foreign visitors to the capital. Some recommended hotels are the Astor Court Hotel and also the Langham Court Hotel. Very close to the British Museum are the Charlotte Street Hotel as well as the luxury L’oscar London.
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