Papyrus for the People exhibition

Your first chance to see many papyrus and ancient written texts from the Petrie collection, in this free exhibition at the museum.

With support from Arts Council England, over 500 pieces of papyrus have been translated into English, offering insights into everyday life in ancient Egypt. These objects from the collection have undergone careful conservation and are now rehoused in new exhibition cases, dedicated to temporary exhibitions.

The first exibition in 2018 looks at the role of women outside the home. Much of what we know already has focused on the role of the male in ancient Egypt but this insight gives us more knowledge about the kind of work women undertook, from high priestesses to temple musicians.

This display also features over 200 shabti figures, which ancient Egyptians placed in tombs to perform tasks on behalf of the deceased in the afterlife.

Find out more about the research behind the display here, and a blog by Anna Garnett, Curator of the Petrie Museum here.