| The British
Museum |
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The collection of the British Museum is one of the largest
and most famous in the world. The range and variety of items
on display is impressive, although the damage sustained in the
original monuments when the exhibits were removed does not bear
thinking about. This section gives a small sample of the items
on display. |
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Granite Statue Of Ramesses II
When you first enter the lower Egyptian gallery you immediately
get some idea of the scale of Egyptian Monuments. The gallery
contains many columns and statues plundered from various sites,
none more imposing than this granite statue of the Pharaoh Ramesses II from his mortuary
temple, the Ramesseum in western Thebes. The hole in
the shoulder was drilled by French engineers in an earlier failed
attempt to move the statue.
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Head Of A Statue Of Amenhotep III
One of the most prolific builders in the Ancient Egyptian
world was the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep
III. The British Museum houses several statues of
this king. This head came from Karnak.
Amenhotep was the father of the Heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten.
For more information see the Akhenaten
Gallery
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Seated Statue Of Amenhotep III
The entrance to the Egyptian Statue gallery is flanked by
two life sized black granite representations of Amenhotep III.
This photograph of one of these statues shows well the detail
the ancient stone masons could work into a hard stone such as
granite with the simple tools available.
These statues were removed from their original location by
Belzoni, and one of the statues bears his name crudely carved
into the back of the foot.
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Many of the statues in the collection were moved from
their original locations by he Italian adventurer G.B. Belzoni.
Around the turn of the century most European countries had representatives
in Egypt attempting to remove as much as they could. The damage
done to the monuments at this time is incalculable. Statues and
Obelisks were shipped out in large numbers, and plasterwork and
reliefs were removed from several tombs, with the Valley of the
Kings being particularly badly affected. No one can visit the
tomb of Amenhotep II without being saddened by the large areas
of reliefs hacked out by French 'mining speculation'
See more items in the British
Museum Gallery
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