“Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization”

When archeologist William Flinders Petrie excavated the 5,100-year-old Egyptian tombs of Abydos in the 1890s, he was so astounded by the wealth of treasures—perfectly carved stone pots, ivory game pieces, tiny pictorial tags—his first thought was that the artifacts, which predate pyramids, were made by an alien culture. “It was a weird kind of racist thing, because the [craftsmen] were African,” says Oriental Institute Museum curator Emily Teeter. To show off new knowledge of the ancient cultures, Teeter organized “Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization,” an exhibit featuring objects that came far before Cleopatra or King Tut. Teeter shared a few stories behind the artifacts.

[node:7559017 link="Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization";] runs through December 31.