A Giant Ground Sloth at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. They could reach up to 20 feet in length although this one is *only* 13 feet tall. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
When I was little I dreamed of being an archeologist, a paleontologist, a museum curator, or a librarian. I loved learning about old things and collecting them. While I ended up on a different career path, museums still fascinate me. I've been lucky to be a member of my local Natural History museum, and they've had a few behind the scenes nights to see their collection storage area. But check out these photos from the Smithsonian museums in DC! Its amazing as these are just a small portion of the collection! Entomology Collection Anthropological Collection
I just love the lighting and setup of these various dinosaur skulls and bones. Found at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
Kom Ombo is an amazing temple. Its unique due to the fact its dedicated to not one but two different gods: The falcon-headed Horus & Sobek the Crocodile-headed God. Included with your admission to the temple is a small but well curated museum dedicated to Sobek. When you first walk in, you'll be greeted by a dozen smiling preserved crocodiles resting on a bed of sand. As you walk around you'll see various statues and stele depicting Sobek. Sobek was associated with fertility (likely due to crocodiles living in the Nile) as well as military prowess. You'll also see numerous crocodile
Last year the Denver Museum of Nature and Science had an exhibit on Poison. Part of that exhibit was around the use of poison as a plot device in literature. First up is the well known Sherlock Holmes series. Beyond showing old books, they exhibit featured common items, and some hints of what poisons were used. But while Sherlock is good, Agatha Christie is the queen of mysteries. I was sad though as I leaned in to see better, that they listed which poison was used in which book. SPOILER ALERT! Jeeze! But its not just mysteries. A lot of children's
Antinous was a lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian who drowned in Alexandria in October 130 AD. After his death Hadrian commemorated him with many different statues and elevated Antinous to an almost god-like hero/deity. This version shows Antinous as Osiris, an Egyptian god who came back from death after his body was scattered in the Nile. This is actually a remarkable Roman take of the typical Egyptian statue pose of royalty, with one foot forward. It is on display at the Vatican Museum. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
The Denver Art Museum had an exhibit called Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century which I was lucky enough to see in its last few days. It was amazing to see the artistic studies and detailed drawings that the Cartier artists made. Artistic Study Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
This granite scarab with the sun disk of Ra and a uraeus (cobra) which are symbols of leadership in ancient Egypt. This is about the size of a football and sits within its own shrine. If you go: The hours change depending on the season. When I went in late October it was open from 9-1 and then 4-7. Admission for foreigners without any student discounts is 60 EGP. I believe the student discount put it at 40-45 EGP. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
Last week I told of spending Halloween at Kom Ombo, but there were so many amazing photos I couldn't share them all. So here are some closes up from the beautiful temple at Kom Ombo. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.
I once saw a replica of the Berlin Archaeopteryx in a friends house. It was so beautiful. I later stumbled upon this replica at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Archaeopteryx was one of the oldest fossils that showed the feather plumage that dinosaurs had. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.