A few weeks ago, my family and I stepped back 3,200 years into Ancient Egyptian history to learn more about Ramses II and the historical events surrounding his reign. The Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs, currently on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, is pure grandeur!
The incredible collection features a myriad of Egyptian-themed decorated rooms filled with awe-inspiring artifacts – coffins, royal masks, mummified animals, jewelry, one-of-a-kind-relics, and more that capture the highlights in Ramses’ reign. One of the most prolific builders of ancient Egypt, Ramses left his mark on buildings across Egypt and Nubia like no other Egyptian monarch.
We began our tour with a five-minute video about King Ramses, which served as a great introduction and overview for young kids and adults alike. It surprisingly held my 7-year-old’s attention. After the film, we were off to explore the artifacts and displays at our own pace.
The exhibition makes impressive use of lighting to make the rooms feel dark and mysterious. Walking through, one really gets the sense of having been transported to an ancient place and time. At one point, one of my teenagers (I won’t name names) asked me to stay close, because she didn’t like the feel of walking past all the artifacts – especially the ornate coffins - by herself.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I don’t like having to do a lot of reading when I visit museums. I know reading is informative, and the labels and captions are how we really learn the history of what we’re looking at, but I prefer to just go to museums and gawk at all the artifacts without having to spend most of my time learning. LOL! Don’t judge me! This exhibition is perfect for such a thing. There are plenty of captions to explain the displays, but because everything is so stately, one gets a sense for what they’re looking at even without reading everything.
Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs is on display at Houston Museum of Natural Science through May 23, 2022. When you visit, be sure to use your WoodlandsMommy.com Corporate Discount to save on your tickets. CLICK HERE to snag the discount.
