The Egyptian Collection

Chiddingstone Castle’s Egyptian collection brings to life many aspects of ancient Egyptian culture; from farming and writing, to religion and their belief in the afterlife.

The exhibition guides you through the daily lives of ancient Egyptians, their professions, the roles played by the pharaohs and the gods, and their perceptions of death and the afterlife.

The exhibition also focuses on Denys Eyre Bower, who, inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, began amassing this fine collection. The archive includes his correspondence with famous archaeologist and Egyptologist Sir William Flinders Petrie.

Amongst the many objects on display are:

• Beautiful “shabti” figures, which would have been placed in the tombs of the deceased as companions or workers for the dead in the afterlife.
• A fantastic 5000 year old funerary boat, which would also have been placed in a tomb, served as transport for the deceased to Abydos, where the god Osiris could grant them access to the afterlife.
• A mummified cat on display, surviving from approximately 150 BC, may originally have been a temple offering to the goddess Bastet, who was depicted with the head of a cat.