Newly Renovated HMNS Hall of Ancient Egypt Opens with Ramses Exhibit

Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) CEO and president Joel A. Bartsch directs a museum with a mission to educate and offer insight into past cultures. A major accomplishment for Joel Bartsch and his team in 2021 was completing the renovation of the Hall of Ancient Egypt. The fully renovated hall opened in November with the exhibit “Ramses the Great and the Gold of Pharaohs.”
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The space spans 12,500 square feet and includes a permanent exhibit. This exhibit encompasses eight rooms that focus on specific areas of ancient Egyptian culture and life. A total of 92 cases contain artifacts and objects arranged in immersive settings. The settings seamlessly combine illuminated textures, colors, state-of-the-art sound, and LED lighting.

Among the noteworthy items on display is a gold funerary mask that was placed on the head and shoulders of a royal mummy, and an ancient statue of a cat. A section of the space “The Lives of Egyptian Women” focuses on jewelry recovered from archaeological sites. The Ramses exhibit also features a multimedia recreation of the battle at Kadesh with the prominent use of chariots.