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The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium
1342 Naglee Avenue
San Jose, CA 95191 USA
1 408 947 3636
Hours: Open daily except Tuesdays, 10am to 5pm; last admission at
4:30pm. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and New Year's day.
Smoking, eating, drinking, and photography are all forbidden in the
museum.
Traveler's note: The Museum is in a residential section of San
Jose, roughly in the center of the oval formed by the 880, 280, and
101 freeways.
Special Event: A one-hour workshop on reading basic hieroglyphics
will be offered at 2pm on July 22, July 29th, and August 5th, 2000.
Admission to the "Learn Egyptian Hieroglyphics" is included
with regular museum entrance fee.
Adults: $7.00, Children 7-15 $3.50, Seniors and Students $5.00,
children under 7, free.
 This intriguing
collection is housed in the Egyptian-style buildings at Rosicrucian Park, one of the few places outside Egypt where it is
possible to walk and see nothing but Egyptian architecture surrounding
you ... but in this case, the buildings are not in ruins. Inspired by
the Temple of Amon at Karnak, it's a delight to see these buildings,
in a smaller scale, complete and in use. Some liberties have been
taken - the images on the walls are foreshortened and colorless,
unlike the original brightly-painted decorations of the Egyptian
temples, but the overall effect is impressive. A fountain is crowned
with a winged image of Isis, and a row of ram-head sphinxes line the
steps to the museum itself, surrounding a protective image of the
hippopotamous goddess Tauert, who faces out to both welcome or warn
visitors.
The Rosicrucians are a philosophical order inspired by the
teachings of Ancient Egypt, particularly those ascribed to the
"heretic" Pharaoh
Akhenaten, who is memorialized in a special garden pavilion open only
to Rosicrucian members. The Museum itself is straightforward and
indistinguishable from a purely secular collection though Amarna
remains are substantial, taking up a gallery of their own as well as
being represented in other areas.
While the museum boasts a few larger pieces, including a lovely statue
of Sekhmet and a fascinating, snake-crowned statue of a Ptolemaic
Queen recently identified by the British Museum as a rare in-the-round
representation of Cleopatra VII*, the majority of the collection
focuses on small objects, many collected by Rosicrucian leader Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis who established the collection in the 1930's. Buttons,
scarab amulets, toys, cosmetic tablets, coffin fragments, cartonnage
mummy adornments, ritual musical instruments, and many other items
invite careful scrutiny. Most items are accompanied by informative
labels. There is also a well-displayed mummy room showing over a
dozen mummies, sarcophagi, and animal mummies.
Extensive, finely-crafted models show different spots in Ancient Egypt
and also offer a peek at the daily life of the ancient Egyptians.
The Rosicrucians fund research projects on Ancient Egypt and
contribute to excavations in Egypt. A recent discovery was made on one
of the Museum mummies - X-rays showed that the mummy of a priest,
Usermontu, had a 9-inch pin in his leg, apparently the result of an
operation done while he was alive, probably to stabilize his knee
joint. Modern doctors who have examined the pure-iron pin note that it
is similar in many respects to present-day medical devices to treat
the same problem, and that the Egyptians were obviously aware of the
ability of the metal flanges to assist in normal rotation of the knee.
One of the highlights of a visit to this museum is the full-scale
reproduction of a Middle Kingdom Egyptian noble's tomb, including the
entrance, hallway, and the tomb room itself. Guided tours
are offered throughout the day.
The Museum shop, located inside the Museum, offers a selection
of
books, statuary, educational materials, and jewelry, and for the
Egyptophile, it's worth a visit just for itself.
*Both of these items are presently on the road as part of the Museum's
traveling exhibit, Women of the Nile.
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