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The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (REM), founded by AMORC, is a museum about Ancient Egypt located at AMORC's Rosicrucian Park in the Rose Garden neighborhood of San Jose, California, United States.
The founder of AMORC, Dr. Harvey Spencer Lewis (Ph.D., F.R.C.), was a collector of various artifacts with mystical symbolism, some of them from the East. In 1921 he helped financially the archaeological excavations at Tell el Amarna (the city of the King Akhenaten) of the Egypt Explorations Society of Boston by receiving donations from AMORC members. In return, Egypt Explorations Society donated several Egyptian antiquities to AMORC.
In 1928 he presented to the public a collection named "The Rosicrucian Egyptian Oriental Museum", located at the administration buildings of AMORC at San Jose, California.
After Dr. Lewis' tour in Egypt in 1929, AMORC received many more artifacts and donations and as a result the collection grew significantly, with more than 2000 exhibits.
The second Imperator of AMORC, Ralph Maxwell Lewis (F.R.C.), son of H. Spencer Lewis, decided to build new buildings for the museum. The new museum buildings opened in November 1966.
By that time the museum managed to become unique by:
- Having the largest exhibition of Ancient Egyptian antiquities in the Western US.
- Being the only such museum in the world with buildings constructed in Ancient Egyptian architectural style.
- Being located in a beautiful Egyptian revival park.
In 1995 Julie Scott, M.A., S.R.C., moved to San Jose and became Director of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum.
A notable activity took place in 1999 when the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum started the travelling exhibition "Women of the Nile" accompanied by lots of lectures. "Women of the Nile" travelled across the United States of America and Canada, and continued until 2001. In 2000-2002 a stone figure of Cleopatra VII travelled in Rome, London and Chicago in similar exhibitions.
Visitors to the museum will notice Taweret at the entrance, the Ancient Egyptian hippopotamus-like goddess of pregnant women and childbirth.
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC continues to support and expand the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and its educational and scientific activities.
Image gallery
Main gallery
Below are photographs of the exhibits within Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. The first two statues are replicas. The third photograph is of an actual ancient artifact.
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Tomb replica
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum contains a replica of an ancient Egyptian tomb. Below are photographs of the interior of the replica tomb. The dark interior of the tomb replica is evident.
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External link
Museums in California | San Jose, California | Egyptian Revival architecture | Egyptology
"Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum"