Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

University College London
Malet Place
London
WC1E 6BT
England

logo: Designated as an Outstanding Collection

Website

www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/

UCL Museums and Collections

www.museums.ucl.ac.uk

E-mail

petrie.museum@ucl.ac.uk

Telephone

020 7679 2884

Fax

020 7679 2886

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
Fragment of Cartonnage Mask
Shop icon Library icon Study area icon Wheelchair access icon

The Petrie Museum houses an estimated 80,000 objects, making it one of the greatest collections of Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology in the world. It illustrates life in the Nile Valley from prehistory through the time of the pharaohs, the Ptolemaic, Roman and Coptic periods to the Islamic period.

The entire collection of this museum is a Designated Collection of national importance.

Venue Type:

Museum

Opening hours

Tues-Fri 1300-1700
Sat 1100-1400
Closed Bank holidays
Easter & Christmas Period Closed

General services and facilities
  • Brochure or leaflet available with directions to museum
  • Pre-booking service for groups
  • Shop
Disability access
  • Toilets for disabled
  • Wheelchair access to some public areas
  • Wheelchairs available for loan
Schools services and facilities
  • Member of staff available with responsibility for education
  • Primary school education service available
  • Printed/audio-visual information available for schools
  • Education facilities available
Research and adult learning
  • Academic publications and resources available
  • Adult lectures and courses held
  • Loan service
  • Teaching/resources available for HE/FE students
  • Library with public access
  • Study facilities

University College London
Malet Place
London
WC1E 6BT
England

logo: Designated as an Outstanding Collection

Website

www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/

UCL Museums and Collections

www.museums.ucl.ac.uk

E-mail

petrie.museum@ucl.ac.uk

Telephone

020 7679 2884

Fax

020 7679 2886

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

The entire collection of the Petrie Museum is a Designated Collection of national importance.

The Petrie Museum's collection - numbering over 80,000 objects - covers the full range of Egypt's complex history from Palaeolithic to Islamic times, and includes artefacts from all types of archaeological sites in Egypt. It is largely based on the artefact collections gathered by the pioneering archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie on his many excavations, and includes his own detailed documentation. Spectacular decorative objects - including pottery, mosaics and superb funerary portraits, are complemented by a comprehensive collection of everyday objects, from tools and weapons to weights and measures, from garments to cooking vessels. Collections of geological, botanical, zoological and some mummified human material help to give a complete picture of the ancient Egyptian world.

The collection is full of 'firsts': One of the earliest pieces of linen from Egypt (about 5000 BC); two lions from the temple of Min at Koptos, from the first group of monumental sculpture (about 3000 BC); a fragment from the first kinglist or calendar (about 2900 BC); the earliest example of metal from Egypt, the first worked iron beads, the earliest example of glazing, the earliest 'cylinder seal' in Egypt (about 3500 BC); the oldest wills on papyrus paper, the oldest gynaecological papyrus; the only veterinary papyrus from ancient Egypt, and the largest architectural drawing, showing a shrine (about 1300 BC).

More than these highlights, though, the collection is uniquely important because so much of it comes from documented excavations. The large typological series of objects (amulets, faience, objects of daily use, tools and weapons, weights and measures, stone vessels, jewellery) provide a unique insight into how people have lived and died in the Nile Valley.

Collection details

Weapons and War, Science and Technology, Personalities, Natural Sciences, Decorative and Applied Art, Costume and Textiles, Archives, Archaeology

Key artists and exhibits

  • Designated Collection

Collections services

  • General guide to collections available
  • Object identification and/or written enquiry service
  • Public access available to collections information
  • Specialist publications on collections available
  • Object study facilities available (enquire in advance)

University College London
Malet Place
London
WC1E 6BT
England

logo: Designated as an Outstanding Collection

Website

www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/

UCL Museums and Collections

www.museums.ucl.ac.uk

E-mail

petrie.museum@ucl.ac.uk

Telephone

020 7679 2884

Fax

020 7679 2886

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

Egypt [Unclassified]

12 January — 1 April 2010 *on now

A quirky exhibition by artist Gemma Aboe of visual investigations into Egypt's history and culture with humorous twists and factual blunders. Based on her travel in Egypt and her experience in conserving Egyptian artefacts, Gemma Aboe uses illustration and story telling techniques to re-define narratives around Egypt, ancient and modern.

Suitable for

  • All ages

When

1-5pm

Where

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

Admission

Free

University College London
Malet Place
London
WC1E 6BT
England

logo: Designated as an Outstanding Collection

Website

www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/

UCL Museums and Collections

www.museums.ucl.ac.uk

E-mail

petrie.museum@ucl.ac.uk

Telephone

020 7679 2884

Fax

020 7679 2886

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
Events details are listed below. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all. For events that don't have a specific date see the 'Resources' tab above.

Sock it! Making Ancient Egyptian Socks from Scratch

30 January — 30 April 2010 *on now

Instruction lessons on Coptic knitting to recreate a 4th century CE two toed sock in the Petrie Museum. Perfect with flip flops - get ready for the summer!

Suitable for

  • All ages

When

11:30am-1:30pm

Where

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

Admission

Free

Sock it! Making Ancient Egyptian Socks from Scratch

27 March 2010

Instruction lessons on Coptic knitting to recreate a 4th century CE two toed sock in the Petrie Museum. Perfect with flip flops - get ready for the summer!

Suitable for

  • All ages

When

11:30am-1:30pm

Where

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

Admission

Free

Horror at the Museum: Tales from Conan Doyle

14 May 2010

Join us to hear two 'mummy' tales from the master of suspense Arthur Conan Doyle. An actor will read 'The Ring of Thoth', the basis for most 'Mummy' movies, and 'Lot 249' in the atmospheric surroundings of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. In the break between the stories the museum and the nearby Grant Museum of Zoology will be available to explore by torch light - if you dare!

Suitable for

  • Not suitable for children

When

7-10pm

Where

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

Admission

Free but must pre-book!
Book via events.petrie@ucl.ac.uk / 020 7679 4138

University College London
Malet Place
London
WC1E 6BT
England

logo: Designated as an Outstanding Collection

Website

www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/

UCL Museums and Collections

www.museums.ucl.ac.uk

E-mail

petrie.museum@ucl.ac.uk

Telephone

020 7679 2884

Fax

020 7679 2886

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
Resources listed here may include websites, bookable tours and workshops, books, loan boxes and more. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all.
paper-based and downloads

ESOL Entry 3 and Level One

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/petrie/esol.html

ESOL Resources for tutors to use with their groups in the museum, or can be adapted for the classroom. Includes pre and post visit activities as well as an Introduction to the museum and full tutor's notes.
Downloadable from the web.

How to obtain

ESOL visits to the Petrie Museum are free and can booked during opening hours and, depending on space, on Thursday and Friday mornings.

University College London
Malet Place
London
WC1E 6BT
England

logo: Designated as an Outstanding Collection

Website

www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/

UCL Museums and Collections

www.museums.ucl.ac.uk

E-mail

petrie.museum@ucl.ac.uk

Telephone

020 7679 2884

Fax

020 7679 2886

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
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