The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) was founded in 1870 in New York City, following a proposal by American citizens in Paris in 1866. Now the largest art museum in the Americas and the third-largest in the world, The Met houses the most extensive collection of Egyptian art outside Cairo—much of which can be explored online through images, audio and video. 

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, opening in 1835. Home to over 170,000 artifacts—including Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus and the Narmer Palette—it was established to prevent the colonial plundering of Egypt’s antiquities and ensure they remained in the country. 

The British Museum opened in 1759 and has received many Egyptian artifacts, particularly after British forces seized Alexandria in 1802 and later during the Anglo-Egyptian War. These plundered items, including the famous Rosetta Stone, have sparked debates about repatriation.  

Take a virtual tour of the contested items in the British Museum that remain at the center of ongoing debates over the repatriation of stolen artifacts. 

The Field Museum opened in 1893 during Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition and its history is rooted in the global exhibition of art, culture and technology. The museum’s longstanding interest in ancient Egyptian artifacts culminated in the 1988 opening of its Inside Ancient Egypt exhibition, featuring 23 human mummies and numerous mummified animals. 

The Valley of the Kings, located on the West Bank of the Nile near modern Luxor, served as the burial place for Egypt’s rulers from the 18th to the 20th Dynasties. Key figures buried here include Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Ramses II.  

The World Monuments Fund protects the Valley of the Kings by safeguarding the cultural history of the tombs against theft and wear.  

Ancient Egyptian architecture is defined by its monumental pyramids and temples, built along the Nile. These structures served both religious and funerary purposes.  

The mummification process reflected the ancient Egyptians’ belief in the afterlife, as they embalmed and buried their dead with provisions to prepare them for the journey beyond. 

The Mummy’s Curse, popularized after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, reflects the anxiety surrounding grave robbery. 

The History of Ancient Egypt can be hard to grasp. If the Great Pyramid fascinates you, Tutankhamen’s treasures captivate you, and the mysteries and lasting influence of ancient Egypt spark your curiosity, there's a wealth to discover. Use your AHML library card to log in to Kanopy and access at home.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs were a system of pictorial symbols used for religious texts, inscriptions and monumental purposes.

Try writing in hieroglyphs. 

The theft and trafficking of cultural artifacts, often from archaeological sites, has been a longstanding issue, exacerbated during colonial times. Notable efforts to combat this include UNESCO’s initiatives and the Hague Convention of 1954.  

The repatriation of cultural artifacts involves the contested return of items taken—often through colonialism, war or exploitation—to their countries of origin, raising issues of ownership, cultural identity and historical justice. International agreements aim to return looted cultural material to its rightful owners.

Looted artifacts from Egypt took center stage when a 2018 MET Gala photo of Kim Kardashian posing with a gold sarcophagus—chosen for its match with her dress—unexpectedly helped solve a major looting case from the 2011 uprisings.  

The Met Gala, which has been held annually on the first Monday of May since 1948, raises funds for the museum’s Costume Institute. The event features extravagant celebrity attire based on a theme, blending fashion with art. 

The Anna Wintour Costume Center houses the Met’s vast collection of fashion, spanning seven centuries. The collection showcases over 33,000 items.  

Diana Vreeland, the legendary fashion editor, served as a special consultant to the Costume Institute and curated pivotal exhibitions. Her influence revolutionized how fashion is perceived as an art form.  

Powerful female pharaohs such as Hatshepsut, Cleopatra, and Sobekneferu navigated male-dominated power structures and left a lasting legacy on the ancient world and history. Their reigns demonstrate the complexity of leadership in ancient Egypt.

Hatshepsut, a woman who reigned as a female pharaoh during the 18th dynasty in ancient Egypt, is the inspiration Davis models her fictional female pharaoh, Hathorkare. As the longest-reigning female pharaoh in Ancient Egypt her story of her audacious rise to power is legendary.

Pioneering women archaeologists have made their mark on history, quite often literally, as they uncovered evidence of past people and civilizations. Despite societal barriers, these women helped shape the field.

Christiane Desroches Noblecourt, one of the 20th century’s best-known Egyptologists and one of the inspirations behind The Stolen Queen, was the first female to direct an excavation in 1938. 

The Egyptian Revival movement in the 19th and early 20th centuries brought Egyptian-inspired architecture to the U.S. Chicago’s vibrant urban fabric met the timeless allure of ancient Egypt. This style and cultural significance had a lasting impact on the city’s architectural identity. 

Explore more about Egypt and The Stolen Queen themes using the Arlington Heights Memorial Library online resources. Access in the library or use your AHML library card to log in and access at home.

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CultureGrams: Go to World Edition > Egypt