The Yale Peabody Museum acquired its first collection of Egyptian antiquities in 1888. Since then the collection has grown considerably, until these holdings in the Division of Anthropology are among the oldest and most extensive of university collections of Egyptian artifacts in the United States.

Of special interest to students of ancient history and archaeology, the more than 5,000 objects in this collection, many derived from significant archaeological sites, range in date from the remote, prehistoric Stone Age to the Roman Period. Additional Egyptian collections on the Yale campus can be found in the Yale University Art Gallery and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Pieces from these collections can be seen in the Peabody’s Daily Life in Ancient Egypt exhibition.

The Yale Peabody Museum’s collections are available to legitimate researchers for scholarly use. Loans are issued to responsible individuals at established institutions. Loans and access to the collection can be arranged through the Collections Manager.

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Study of the collections is restricted to students and scholars working on formal research projects who have obtained authorization from a divisional curator. This is necessitated by the limited available study space and the requirement that staff supervise visitors at all times. Scholars are strongly encouraged to view the collections at the Museum. Ongoing inventory of objects may restrict access to some collections.