In the Shadow of the Pyramids

In January 1912 an Austrian excavation team began to uncover the first mastaba tombs near the Pyramids of Giza. The campaigns brought to light numerous artworks and objects documenting the cultural history of the Old Kingdom (c. 2687 – 2165 BC) as well as seminal information about the tombs of the ancient Egyptians and their ideas about the afterlife.

The focal artwork in the exhibition is the life-size statue of Hemiunu, the architect of the Pyramid of Khufu. Vienna’s rich holdings are augmented by important loans from European and American museums. The exhibition offers insights into the civilization of ancient Egypt, and documents Austria’s seminal role in researching the Old Kingdom.

In connection with the show a digital presentation was developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Vienna that invites you on a digital journey through time to visit the Giza plateau during the Old Kingdom, and the Austrian excavators a century ago.