Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs

Overview

Opening this November, a historical event 3000 years in the making is coming to Sydney's Australian Museum. Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs will be an unmissable exhibition for any lover of history, arts and culture.

As the name suggests, the exhibition profiles Pharaoh Ramses II, often referred to as Ramses the Great. So great in fact was Ramses, that in his 90-plus years of life he held the second-longest reign of all Pharaohs, a ruler so respected that many of his subjects feared the world would end when he died in 1213 BCE.

The world kept turning but Ramses II left a permanent mark on Egypt — nine future pharaohs would be his namesake out of respect. And statues and artefacts from his reign still exist today — including the 181 objects bound for this exhibition comprising sarcophagi, animal mummies, royal masks, jewellery, amulets and other golden items from the ruler's tomb. Chief among them is the sarcophagi (royal coffin) that Ramses himself was entombed in on its first tour outside of Egypt.

Many of these objects have never left Egypt before, let alone landed on Australian shores, with the entire collection loaned and supported by the Egyptian government. You can also upgrade your ticket to include a multisensory VR experience, allowing you to step inside two of the most significant structures from the era — the tomb of Queen Nefertari and the temples of Abu Simbel.

Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs opens on Saturday, November 18 and will run until Sunday, May 19, 2024. For more information or to book tickets, visit the Australian Museum website.