Turin has one of the world's most prestigious Ancient Egyptian museums, nearly on par with the ones in Egypt. Most of the museums collection was rounded up by a 19th century Egyptologist named Ernesto Schiaparelli, carted back to Turin and placed in an weather-worn and greying building in the middle of city. This was another museum that began at the top and worked it's way down. The first gallery was a long hall, with white walls and wooden panelling and didn't look much changed in 100 years. In the middle sat the familiar large carved wooden figure-shaped sarcophagi with mummies still inside. One case contained the caskets of three sisters, one of whom was partially unwrapped - presumably to prove they were real and not full of stuffing. The back wall was decorated with several well-preserved funerary texts, the 'Books of the Dead'; the roll of papyrus containing spells and instructions for the dead passing through to the afterlife. Along the corridor another room was dedicated to a room of papyrus rolls, fascinating for their sheer ordinariness. One was a set of ancient plans for a pharaoh's tomb. Another an invoice for a transaction that took place thousands of years ago. A third was what can only be described as Egyptian naughty papyrus, complete with comprehensive description of the various acts being portrayed by the ancient pornographer.
Downstairs the museum had gone for a flashier, more modern, approach. The room has shiny black walls and was lit by spotlights. Standing around the room were large statues of various shapes and sizes, many of them a satin-black finish and looking like they were brand new. Next door was an entire room, the chapel of Ellesija, a three thousand year old room (3465 years to be precise, or 1456 BC if you'd prefer) transplanted from Egypt to the ground floor of the museum. After thousands of years it wasn't in particularly good shape and was worn and weathered with shadowy lines and shapes in the wall.
Mr Schiaparelli greatest find was the tomb of Kha and his wife Merit. Kha was an architect who lived around the 15th century BC, an ordinary citizen rather than a pharaoh but perhaps all the more interesting for that. Kha had prepared his large coffin for years before his death, only for Merit to pre-decease him. So the Merit got Kha's oversize coffin, redecorated to look a bit more feminine, and Kha was eventually buried in an even larger casket. Around the room all the possessions that filled the tomb were displayed. The ancient Egyptian habit of filling tombs with all their stuff for the afterlife and then sealing the tomb airtight has created a bonanza for archaeologists and museum curators. Even the most unlikely things survive in a good state; Kha and Merit were buried with seeds, bread, dates, salted meat, spices, architectural tools (a fold out-cubit for example), writing scribes, a make up box, perfume jars, a board game, sandals, dishes, vases, chairs, and a double bed. In fact, their tomb was as better furnished than the average hotel room.
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