Aztecs (Mexica)
During the twelfth century AD the Mexica were a small and obscure tribe searching for a new homeland. Eventually they settled in the Valley of Mexico and founded their capital, Tenochtitlan, in 1345. At the beginning of the sixteenth century it was one of the largest cities in the world. Warfare was extremely important for the Mexica people and led them to conquer most of modern-day central and southern Mexico. They controlled their huge empire through military strength, a long-distance trading network and the tribute which conquered peoples had to pay. Stone sculpture in the British Museum collection reflects the Mexica's complex religious beliefs and the large pantheon of gods they worshipped. Craftsmen also worked in gold, turquoise mosaic and feathers. Hernán Cortés and his small Spanish army arrived in 1519 and overthrew the Mexica ruler Moctezuma Xocoyotzin with relative ease. *The people and culture we know as 'Aztec' referred to themselves as the Mexica (pronounced 'Mé-shee-ka').
Wikipedia
Coordinates: Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and the Science Library, Malet Place The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London is part of University College London Museums & Collections. The museum contains over 80,000 objects and ranks among some of the world's leading collections of Egyptian and Sudanese material.[1] It ranks behind only the collections of the Cairo Museum, The British Museum and the Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin in number and quality of items. History[edit] The museum was established as a teaching resource for the Department of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology at University College at the same time as the department was established in 1892. The collection and library were arranged in galleries within the university and a guidebook published in 1915. Collections[edit] The collection also includes material from the Coptic and Islamic periods.[11] Visiting the museum[edit] The museum itself is split into three galleries. The Friends of the Petrie Museum[edit]
Met Museum of NY / Egyptian Art
What's On View Virtually the entire collection is on display in the Lila Acheson Wallace Galleries of Egyptian Art, with objects arranged chronologically over thirty-nine rooms. Overall, the holdings reflect the aesthetic values, history, religious beliefs, and daily life of the ancient Egyptians over the entire course of their great civilization. The collection is particularly well known for the Old Kingdom mastaba (offering chapel) of Perneb (ca. 2450 B.C.); a set of Middle Kingdom wooden models from the tomb of Meketre at Thebes (ca. 1990 B.C.); jewelry of Princess Sit-hathor-yunet of Dynasty 12 (ca. 1897–1797 B.C.); royal portrait sculpture of Dynasty 12 (ca. 1991–1783 B.C.); and statuary of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut of Dynasty 18 (ca. 1473–1458 B.C.). One of the most popular destinations in the Egyptian galleries is the Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing. History of the Department Ongoing Research
Polynesia
The islands of the eastern Pacific are known as Polynesia, from the Greek for ‘many islands’. They lie across a vast stretch of ocean from Hawaii in the north, to New Zealand in the south and Easter Island in the east. The western Polynesian islands of Fiji and Tonga were settled approximately 3,000 years ago, whilst New Zealand was settled as recently as AD1200. In the past, Polynesians were skilled navigators and canoe builders, creating double-hulled vessels capable of travelling great distances. Their societies were hierarchical, with the highest ranking people tracing their descent directly from the gods. Today, Polynesian culture continues to develop and change, partly in response to colonialism. The Polynesian collections at the Museum date back to the earliest contact with European explorers and missionaries.
Petrie Museum Unofficial Page
Michael C. Carlos Museum: Permanent Collection: Ancient Egyptian Art
The collection of Ancient Egyptian and Nubian antiquities at the Michael C. Carlos Museum covers the full spectrum of Nile Valley civilization, from the earliest Prehistoric times, to the period of Roman domination. At the core of the collection are the artifacts acquired by Emory professor William Shelton, who traveled to Egypt in 1920. The collection has experienced tremendous growth, beginning in 1999 with the purchase of Egyptian antiquities from a small, private museum in Niagara Falls, Canada. Included in the 1999 purchase was a previously unidentified male mummy. The galleries have just re-opened after an extensive refurbishment which included the addition of nearly 100 recently acquired masterworks.
The National Gallery
Virtual tours
Sir Hans Sloane, founder of the British Museum Though principally a museum of cultural art objects and antiquities today, the British Museum was founded as a "universal museum". Its foundations lie in the will of the physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753). During the course of his lifetime Sloane gathered an enviable collection of curiosities and whilst not wishing to see his collection broken up after death, he bequeathed it to King George II, for the nation, for the princely sum of £20,000. At that time, Sloane's collection consisted of around 71,000 objects of all kinds including some 40,000 printed books, 7,000 manuscripts, extensive natural history specimens including 337 volumes of dried plants, prints and drawings including those by Albrecht Dürer and antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Ancient Near and Far East and the Americas With the acquisition of Montagu House the first exhibition galleries and reading room for scholars opened on 15 January 1759.
Les musées d'Egyptologie en France et ailleurs
Ce ne sera une surprise pour personne : la quasi totalité des sites et monuments égyptiens se trouvent en Egypte. Une exception fort visible : les obélisques, dont l’un se dresse en plein Paris, place de la Concorde, ce qui en fait le plus vieux monument de la ville. D’autres se trouvent à Rome, Londres, New-York, Istanbul. Les Egyptiens n’ayant pas fondé de colonies tout autour de la Méditerranée, à défaut d’aller les voir sur place, il faut se résigner à fréquenter les musées. Sans trop de regrets d’ailleurs, car à part le Musée égyptien du Caire, mondialement connu et qui a le privilège de détenir des trésors comme celui de Tout-Ankh-Amon, les momies royales, etc., les musées d’Egypte, quoique fort nombreux, sont souvent plus modestes que bien d’autres situés en France, en Angleterre, en Allemagne, aux Etats-Unis, en Italie. Il existe aussi des "musées virtuels" extrêmement bien documentés, dont nous parlerons également. Les musées virtuels Les musées d’Egypte Aux abords du Caire,
