Calling all amateur Egyptologists, history buffs and lovers of gold and glamour: you can explore a blockbuster exhibition packed with priceless Ancient Egyptian artefacts. Exclusive to the country's oldest museum – the Australian Museum in Sydney – Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs is an interactive museum experience more than 3,000 years in the making, and featuring 181 priceless artefacts.
The popular exhibition has sold over a record-breaking 330,000 tickets in the first three months alone, becoming the biggest hit in the history of the Australian Museum. Ramses is still in town until May 19, 2024, and the Australian Museum has recently extended its visiting hours, giving you more chances to explore the exhibition after dark. In February, it is now open from 9am–9pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (last entry at 8pm). The museum also continues to be open from 9am–5pm from Thursday to Sunday (last entry at 4pm).
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Ramses is the largest cultural exhibition to visit Australia in more than a decade, and in a huge coup, the Museum even managed to ship over the actual coffin of Ramses the Great for it. You can also excavate further with the museum's Gateway to Egypt public program, an exclusive season of lectures, conversations, and experiences designed to give visitors of all ages a richer understanding of Ancient Egypt, whether an Egyptophile or just
Egypto-curious.
RECOMMENDED: Three highlights of Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs.
The secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, renowned archaeologist Dr Mostafa Waziry, flew to Sydney to launch Ramses at the Australian Museum. (You may have seen him appear in television specials and documentaries, including Netflix’s recent doco Unknown: The Lost Pyramid.) Time Out’s Alannah Le Cross was there to get the scoop.
Everything we know about Sydney's Ancient Egyptian exhibition:
What's in the Ramses exhibition?
All the objects in Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs have come from museums and historical sites in Egypt and are on loan to the exhibition from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. The exhibition features 181 priceless artefacts and ornate golden treasures, including one-of-a-kind relics such as sarcophagi, animal mummies, magnificent jewellery, spectacular royal masks, and exquisite amulets – many of which have never left Egypt before.
Who is Ramses the Great?
Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs provides visitors with a window into the life and accomplishments of King Ramses II, more commonly known as Ramses the Great, who ruled Egypt for nearly 67 years – the second longest reign for any pharaoh in Ancient Egyptian history. Ramses the Great, who lived to about 92 years of age, came to epitomise the power and wealth of Ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom period, 1539-1075 BC, when Egyptian civilisation was at its height. Ramses was known as a mighty warrior who secured peace with his neighbours, led an extensive building campaign that included scores of gigantic monuments to himself, and is believed to have fathered more than 100 children (busy guy!), some of whom played a crucial role during his reign.
Why Gold of the Pharaohs?
The era of Ramses the Great marks the climax of Egyptian civilisation, a time when riches flooded the empire from across the world, converging on the city of Pi-Ramesses, the capital founded by Ramses II in the eastern delta. After the New Empire (1550-1069 BC) the capital was relocated to the site of Tanis. When Pierre Montet excavated Tanis in 1939, he discovered the untouched treasure trove of vases, goblets, statuettes, necklaces, bracelets and rings. Some of the artefacts uncovered were even older, since objects and monuments had been relocated from the previous capital to build the new city. Most of the royal funerary treasures are on display in Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, made of every kind of previous material: gold, silver, electrum, lapis lazuli, obsidian, turquoise stone, carnelian and chalcedony.
What makes the Ramses exhibition interactive?
The interactive museum event features a virtual reality experience that takes visitors on a whirlwind tour of two of Ramses' most impressive monuments: the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, his favourite Royal Consort, and the temples of Abu Simbel.
How much are Ramses tickets and where do I buy them?
You can purchase tickets now through Ticketmaster. Adult tickets start from $38, concessions from $32, and childrens from $25. For more info visit australian.museum/exhibition/ramses/.
