If ancient Egypt is your thing, make sure you stop by the N.C. Museum of Art soon.  It's big "Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art from the British Museum" exhibition is coming to a close in early July.

From the museum's Web site:

[The exhibit] features 85 renowned masterworks and rarely seen treasures from The British Museum’s exceptional collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. Outside of Egypt The British Museum houses the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world.

Sculpture, relief, papyri, jewelry, cosmetic implements, and funerary items in a variety of media will provide a rare look at more than 3,000 years of Egyptian history, from the Old Kingdom’s Third Dynasty (about 2686 BC) to the Roman occupation of the fourth century AD

The objects in the exhibition are organized around four themes:

* The King and the Temple
* Objects from the Lives of Artists and Nobles
* Statues of Egyptians from Temples and Tombs
* The Tomb, Death, and the Afterlife

The thematic divisions allow audiences to examine these treasures within the context of the ancient Egyptian worldview and their purpose in society.

Here's a video tour we did Wednesday afternoon.  Dr. Mary Ellen Soles, curator of ancient art at the museum, was generous with her time and expertise.  I wish all museum visitors were able to enjoy her personal tour.  Dr. Soles put the pieces in broader social and historical contexts.  Aside from the aesthetic value of these artifacts, the exhibition is a wonderful reminder of each culture's unique place in time.

The exhibition runs through July 8 at the museum, which is located on Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh.  Tickets are $10 and $8 for senior citizens and students.