‘A matter of duty’: the Egyptian collection at the Auckland War Memorial Museum

Abstract

The Auckland War Memorial Museum houses nearly 2000 Egyptian artefacts dating from the Palaeolithic to the modern era. Artefacts were obtained from professional institutions and societies including Cairo Museum, the Egypt Exploration Society, and the British Museum in the early 20th century. In addition, a number of objects were obtained from ‘soldier collectors’ during World Wars I and II. The collection is made up of objects from around Egypt, but mainly consists of collections from Amarna, Saqqara, Kharga, Abydos, and Matmar, amongst others. Here the history of the collection is examined.