June 25, 2026 – June 25, 2028
Wood sculpture, gesso, paint; modernly repainted; Egypt; Late Period — Hellenistic Period, 26th Dynasty — Ptolemaic Dynasty, ca. 664–30 ʙᴄᴇ.
ON LOAN FROM THE SORVATS-TREBOR COLLECTION (2000.02.03), IL.2025.017.010
Glass and gold jewelry; Egypt; Hellenistic Period, Ptolemaic Dynasty, ca. 300–30 ʙᴄᴇ.
ON LOAN FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, IL.2026.003.002
The name for Egypt comes via the Greek word Aigyptos from the ancient Egyptian Hut-ka-Ptah, that is, the “House of the Ka of Ptah,” a name for the capital Memphis. The unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, around 3100 bce, marked the beginning of an era called the Dynastic Period in which the country was governed by single rulers. These kings eventually became known as Pharaohs (from “Great House,” that is, the royal palace). These kings were not merely political leaders; they were seen as divine intermediaries between the gods and the people, tasked with maintaining the divine order of the universe (called Ma‛at). Yet life in ancient Egypt was not limited to kings and gods. Along the riverbanks, artisans crafted fine jewelry and pottery, farmers toiled the land with the aid of the flooding Nile, and scribes — members of the literate elite — documented everything from grain tallies to hymns of praise.
The ancient Egyptians worshiped countless gods and goddesses — from the Sun God Ra to Osiris the Lord of the Underworld, from Isis the great mother goddess to Bastet the protective feline goddess. Worshipped in temples, deities were associated with natural forces, and religious life was expressed through rituals, festivals, and offerings. Animals such as crocodiles, falcons, and scarabs were considered sacred manifestations of divine power in each their own locale, and their mummified remains were dedicated in vast burial complexes. Ancient Egyptian funerary traditions reflect the profound belief in the hereafter. Pyramids, mortuary temples, and tombs were built not just to house the dead. These monumental structures were intended to ensure that the embalmed remains of the deceased were preserved.
The exhibition Mysteries of the Nile: Ancient Egypt is made possible through the generosity of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, whose Egyptian Antiquities grace this gallery. Supplemented with objects from the permanent collection of the Tampa Museum of Art, as well as works from private collections, this is the first exhibition in Tampa to present the art and mysteries of ancient Egypt – and thus signifies the Museum’s growing horizon of the ancient world.
Bronze figurine; Egypt; Late Period, 26th Dynasty, ca. 664–525 ʙᴄᴇ.
TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART, JOSEPH VEACH NOBLE COLLECTION, 1986.166
Plaster sculpture, replica; Egypt; Modern, 1933.
ON LOAN FROM THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM, GIFT OF THE EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY (933.64.10), IL.2026.001.022