Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The Egyptian section of the Museo Archeologico di Bologna, counting approximately 3500 items, is one of the most important in Italy and Europe. For the most part, it consists of objects collected by Pelagio Palagi the painter, and given to the Bologna municipality in 1861 following his death. This initial nucleus was added to in 1881 with around a hundred items from the Regio Museo of the University, and in later years with the addition of lesser collections or occasional acquisitions. The entire collection was re-arranged in 1994 in accordance with modern display criteria.
The section is divided into three areas: the first includes the reliefs from the necropolis of Saqqàra; the second displays objects in chronological order from the start of Egyptian history to the Roman era; the third illustrates some fundamental aspects of pharaonic society, such as writing, funerary cults and magic.