Allard Pierson

The Allard Pierson Museum is the archaeological institute of the University of Amsterdam and is located on Oude Turfmarkt. Named after the university's first professor of classical archaeology, it now houses a significant collection of artifacts spanning four millennia B.C. to five centuries A.D. Here you can see works of art and everyday objects from ancient Egypt, the ancient Near East, ancient Greece, Etruria, and the Roman Empire. A particular focus is the ancient Egyptian section, which presents mummies, sarcophagi, and information on mummification in a dedicated room. You can also see models of ancient temples and buildings. An attic floor with plaster casts of famous Greek and Roman statues is accessible only on guided tours. The museum, which opened in 1934 and moved to its current building in 1976, serves both research and teaching and is supported by a friends' association that backs the museum's activities and exhibitions both financially and in spirit.