Rijksmuseum van Oudheden: from temple to cameo
In Leiden, worlds far apart lie close together. Besides the permanent collection, several presentations can be seen in October.
The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden brings together archaeology from ancient Egypt and Nubia, the classical world, the Middle East and the Netherlands. An Egyptian temple is also on display.
In the Egyptian presentation the museum shows coffins of mummies and statues of gods, among other things. The classical world covers Greeks, Romans and Etruscans. The Netherlands in Roman times is about the encounter between Romans and local peoples along the limes.
The list of highlights includes the double statue of Maya and Merit, the great cameo of Constantine and a gilded silver Peel helmet. In June 1910, peat cutter Gebbel Smolenaars found that Roman helmet in the Brabant Peel.
Besides the permanent collection, Galleria runs until 1 November 2026. According to the museum homepage, this presentation brings together twelve small exhibitions. Collectie // Reflectie, about Egyptian statues with suspicious features, is on the agenda until 15 November.
For families the museum mentions Monsters en mythische wezens, on view until 27 June 2027. The homepage also lists Romeins leer and Tin as ongoing presentations, until December 2028 and December 2027 respectively.
The permanent presentation also contains cameos from the Content Family Collection and a light show about two hundred years of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. Archeologie van Nederland covers the period from prehistory to the Middle Ages.
The museum is at Rapenburg 28 in Leiden and is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, on Thursdays also from 19:00 to 22:00. Adults pay €14 including an audio tour; visitors up to and including age eighteen and Museumkaart holders have free admission.