Jimu News reporter Chen Lingyan "Did you see anything?" "Yes, they are some magical things." This is a passage on the wall of the exhibition hall of "Top of the Pyramid: Ancient Egyptian Civilization Exhibition". As the most popular exhibition this summer, "Top of the Pyramid: An

Jimu News reporter Chen Lingyan

"Did you see anything?"

"Yes, they are some magical things."

This is a passage on the wall of the exhibition hall of "Top of the Pyramid: Ancient Egyptian Civilization Exhibition".

As the most popular exhibition this summer, "Top of the Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Civilization Exhibition" opened at the Shanghai Museum (People's Square Pavilion) on July 19. The museum has been in a hot state of being hard to get a ticket. According to official data released by the Shanghai Museum, in the first month of the exhibition, the number of visitors reached 310,000, and related cultural and creative sales were nearly 45 million yuan. On the Internet, this exhibition firmly ranks at the top of the "Top Ten Hot Searched Exhibitions", and the number of related topics spread across the entire Internet has exceeded 1.2 billion... No wonder many cultural enthusiasts lamented: "Seniors with boundless power" from the Nile River, too So powerful!

Last week, Jimu News reporters went to Shanghai to visit this exhibition and experience the mysterious power of Great Egypt thousands of years ago.

Live · Top of the Pyramid

When people think of ancient Egypt, most people will think of pyramids, mummies, mysterious text symbols, and the famous Cleopatra... In fact, the "amount of information" contained in ancient Egypt is more profound and Breadth. Ancient Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest civilizations in human history. Here, the earliest human writings, cities and countries were born, and the most developed belief system in ancient times was established.

"Top of the Pyramid: Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Civilization" is divided into three exhibition areas: "The Kingdom of the Pharaohs", "The Secret of Saqqara" and "The Era of Tutankhamun". At the entrance of "The Kingdom of the Pharaohs", you can first see the timeline of ancient Egypt and ancient China, which directly takes people through thousands of years of time. Starting from the creation myth, order was born, kingship began to rise, and the age of the Pharaohs began. The chapters of different historical periods of ancient Egyptian civilization unfold in sequence. Among the exhibits are a group of beaded wide bracelets and gold and carnelian necklaces that clearly reflect the ancient Egyptian admiration for order and symmetry.

"The Secret of Saqqara" shows the oldest capital city of Egypt, Memphis, where there is the first pyramid in Egyptian history - the ladder pyramid of King Djoser, as well as 15 pyramids from the 3rd to the 13th dynasties and many nobles from different periods. In the cemetery, the exhibits are rich and mysterious.

"The Age of Tutankhamun" focuses on the most gorgeous and prestigious era of Tutankhamun. After Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922, nearly 5,000 precious cultural relics were unearthed. The luxurious and spectacular sight shocked the world and directly set off the Egyptian craze around the world. Jimu News reporter saw that the cultural relics in this exhibition hall are exquisite and gorgeous, rich in the social aesthetic taste of the time. One of the tall statues of Tutankhamun, although damaged, still shows the handsome face and good temperament of the young king.

Wonderful · "Meow" is indescribable

Generally speaking, "The Age of Tutankhamun" will always be the top show in ancient Egyptian civilization exhibitions, but in this exhibition, "The Secret of Saqqara" also steals the spotlight. The reason is very simple - there are cats.

Jimu News reporter saw on the spot that at the entrance of the "Secret of Saqqara" exhibition hall, there was a pair of beautiful white cat statues as a guide, attracting many people to check in here. There are statues, paintings, and cat mummies of large and small cats in the exhibition hall. The layout of the exhibition is even more meticulous and considerate, and even the guide marks on the ground are made of cat footprints.

Among the exhibits, there is a small statue of the cat god Bastet that is very attractive. This bronze alloy statue has the head of a cat and the body of a human body, standing majestically. The cat god wears a long pleated dress with complicated decorations, holds a fork bell used in Hathor rituals and a shield-shaped amulet decorated with a sun wheel and the god's head, and carries a fashionable small bag on his arm. This vivid and interesting shape made many viewers smile from the first moment they saw it.

In ancient Egypt, the cat god Bastet was regarded as a symbol of protection and spirituality, and the Egyptians' worship of the cat god reached its peak.Since 2018, Egypt’s local archaeological team has continued to make major discoveries in the Saqqara tomb area. In this tomb area, which is about 6 kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers wide, they have discovered the only existing cat temple ruins and the largest animal mummy cemetery in Egypt. , the most complete mummy-making workshop, with thousands of complete painted wooden coffins in dozens of underground tombs. Archaeologists have unearthed a large number of mummified cats in Saqqara, and their production materials and processes are almost identical to those of mummified humans. The ancient Egyptians mummified animals in order to give them eternal life.

There is a cat god in town, and the "Secret of Saqqara" attracts much attention. The Shanghai Museum also specially sets up the museum's "Cat Night" event every Saturday night, inviting pet cats to watch the exhibition with their owners, which has attracted a lot of attention.

Revealed·Why it has not been damaged for thousands of years

According to the official information of the exhibition, "Top of the Pyramid: Ancient Egyptian Civilization Exhibition" brings together 492 groups of 788 precious cultural relics from different periods of ancient Egyptian civilization. There are also several Chinese cultural relics on display. The quantity exceeds 800 pieces.

What is amazing is that although these cultural relics come from thousands of years ago, they are bright in color and extraordinary in charm. Some netizens even asked: "Are you sure these cultural relics are real?"

In fact, ancient Egyptian cultural relics have always been famous for their long history, rich stock, and complete preservation. The secret does not come from ancient mysterious power. Xue Jiang, a researcher at the Institute of World Art History at Shanghai International Studies University and one of the Chinese curators, once gave an explanation: First, Egypt’s hot and dry climate is very conducive to the preservation of cultural relics; second, the Egyptians’ habits In the "cellar", statues are hidden in temple cellars. Temples are usually used for hundreds of years, so the number of items accumulates to a very large amount. In addition, ancient Egyptian statues mostly use high-hardness stones such as granite and basalt, and the pigments are mostly Mineral pigments such as malachite and hematite are not easily oxidized, so these cultural relics still have good shape and color after thousands of years.

"Top of the Pyramid: Exhibition of Ancient Egyptian Civilization" will last until August 17, 2025.

(Source: Jimu News)

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