Natural history museum to open ‘Egypt on the Nile’ exhibit in 2027
Carnegie Museum of Natural History will be opening the exhibit “Egypt on the Nile” on May 1, 2027.
“Egypt on the Nile” will explore ancient Egyptian relationships with the Nile River and the surrounding landscapes. Informed by a collection of roughly 5,000 objects in the museum’s care from the Paleolithic through the Byzantine periods, the exhibit highlights how the climate, landscape, and natural world were foundational to the development of ancient Egyptian society.
“The significance of the river to life in the Nile Valley is a message that connects deeply to Pittsburgh, a city proudly defined by its three local rivers. It is our hope that, by approaching ancient Egypt from new perspectives, the exhibition will provide visitors with a richer understanding of the past and an appreciation for the eternal connection between nature and culture,” said Dr. Lisa Haney, curator of “Egypt on the Nile.”
By focusing on the intersection of natural and human history, “Egypt on the Nile” provides new insight into ancient Egyptian society, daily life, religion, and funerary traditions. The exhibit will showcase more than 400 objects spanning over 5,000 years of Egyptian history. The exhibit will also incorporate hands-on activities, immersive media experiences, and sights, sounds, and smells of ancient Egypt to help visitors imagine life there.
Highlights of “Egypt on the Nile” will include:
A 4,000-year-old funerary boat
One of only four of its kind preserved today, the Dahshur boat has been in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s care for 122 years. For the first time since the 1950s, visitors will be able to view the boat from all angles, inviting a new perspective on a significant object. Visitors will learn about the boat’s construction, use, and excavation, and see how cutting-edge scientific techniques have helped us better understand the boat’s journey.
A recreation of the tomb of Menna
Menna was an overseer of fields and plowlands and a scribe. This immersive, to-scale recreation will evoke a portion of the tomb chapel for Menna, where the living would bring offerings and come talk to the dead. Paintings of Menna and his family adorn the walls of the space, and visitors will be able to touch the images.
Desert conditions interactivity section
This section explores how and what we know about life before written history. Visitors will be able to compare soil from Egypt and that of modern-day Pittsburgh to discover how climate impacts preservation and put that knowledge to the test in an object-based guessing game.
Egyptian blue display
Egyptian blue is the world’s oldest human-made pigment. It is one of a trio of related ancient technologies, including glass and faience, that made blue an essential element of the ancient Egyptian color palette. In 2021, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, along with scholars from Washington State University, undertook a project to recreate Egyptian blue to better understand ancient techniques and innovations. The research from this project will inform this section, which showcases objects made using these ancient technologies
Interactive object stories
Three object stories throughout the exhibit reveal ancient Egyptians as some of the world’s earliest ecologists. These animated stories are activated by a touchable object replica. A scarab figurine will reveal the sacred status of dung beetles, a lotus will illustrate the creation of the world, and golden fly amulets will show persistence and bravery in battle.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Carnegie Museum of Natural History will host a number of programs throughout 2027. To learn more about Egypt on the Nile” and its programs, visit carnegiemnh.org/explore/egypt-on-the-nile/.