State Museum of Egyptian Art

 5,000 Years of Culture

The State Museum of Egyptian Art ( Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst) reminded me of entering tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt as I walked down the steps to enter this showcase of ancient sculptures, rare glassware, and interactive displays of papyrus. See below for links to Egyptian sites.

As I descended the stairs, the Obelisk of Titus Sextius Africanus stood out-it's nearly 6 metres high and dates to the first century.

Obelisk

Two statues feature a ruler and his wife.

Sibe and his Wife c 1220 BC

Sabe and Merites c 2400 BC

The collection of coffins and coffin lids reveal vibrant colours in these well-preserved objects from 3,000 years ago.

Herit-Ubekhet c 1000 BC

Thousands of Years of Art

It took a while for me to peruse this large collection of jars and other objects seen in this long case. I'll add a few close-ups for those who like to see some detail. You can identify the progression from the timeline at the top of the photos.

Afterlife

The Egyptians viewed death not as an end, but as a vital transition to an eternal paradise called the Field of Reeds. To reach it, the soul had to pass through the dangerous underworld (Duat) and survive the "weighing of the heart" ceremony, which judged whether the deceased lived a virtuous life.

Small figures called ushebitis accompanied the deceased as helpers or servants on their afterlife journey. 

Canopic Jars contained vital organs protected by the Sons of Horus.

This example from about 1,000 BC belonged to Henut-tawy, a songstress of the god Amun. The two figure heads represent two of the sons of Horus - on the left is Qebehsenuef (falcon-head) and on the right is Duamutef (jackal head).

Shabti

This ancient Egyptian shabti figurine, crafted in blue‑green faience during the Late Period—likely the 26th Dynasty (ca. 570–526 B.C.)—was made for a high official such as Psamtik or Neferibresaneith. Depicted in mummiform with arms crossed, it holds a hoe and seed bag, tools symbolizing the agricultural labor expected in the afterlife. The figure bears an inscription from the Book of the Dead, a spell intended to animate the shabti so it could perform work on behalf of its owner. Comparable examples, including those found in Neferibresaneith’s tomb alongside hundreds of companion shabtis, reveal the care and ritual significance invested in these small but potent funerary servants.

Additional art objects

I close with a photo of the stairway into this subterranean world of ancient Egypt-- well worth a few hours of your time if in Munich.

The museum is a nicely laid out and as you can see from some photos, the lighting often did not interfere with capturing an image to appreciate later as I did when creating this post.


There is a fee to enter.
There are lockers.

Check visiting hours and days of closure on the website.


Website for more details: https://smaek.de/en/

About the Author

Geoffrey W. Sutton has a PhD in psychology and writes about psychology, culture, and travel.
Website: https://www.suttong.com/

Amazon Author: https://author.amazon.com/home
ResearchGate page: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Geoffrey-Sutton-2

Academia Page: https://evangel.academia.edu/GeoffSutton




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