“It is the only museum in the world housed in a building based on ancient Egyptian architecture. It is modeled after the Temple of Amun in Karnak, Egypt,” Julie Scott, executive director of the museum, told The Epoch Times in an email.
![Julie Scott, executive director of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. (Courtesy of Julie Scott)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721016-pic-4-Julie-Scott-Photo-600x800.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
The artifacts are spread among the museum’s three levels and organized into four different sections: daily life, afterlife, religion, and rulers.
![Coffins. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721068-pic-5-600x399.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
![Sandals, a cordage bag, and a rope. (Steve Ispas/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721046-pic-8-600x362.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
![Pottery, a chair, and headrests. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721047-pic-23-600x600.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
To add to the experience, the museum has an app that includes gallery maps as well as audio recordings of artifact descriptions that visitors can listen to as they tour the collection.
![A coffin. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721018-pic-2-600x313.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
![A mummy. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721038-pic-6-600x400.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
Scott said the museum purchased two sarcophagi from a 1971 Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalog, and one of them was found to contain the male mummy.
Most of the museum’s artifacts were purchased over the years, and a small percentage were donated, she said.
She said that some of the purchased artifacts were from other museums that were experiencing financial challenges in the 1930s.
![Apis Bull Head Mummy. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721017-pic-3-600x399.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
![A red sandstone fragment of a statue of Tutankhamun. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721049-pic-7-600x399.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
![A boat model. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721050-pic-12-600x399.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
The facility has also built a replica tomb inside the museum as well as replica statues, including the Rosetta Stone, made from casts of the originals housed in a British museum.
![The entrance to the replica tomb and paintings displayed inside. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721054-pic-21-600x600.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
![A replica of the Rosetta Stone. (Steve Ispas/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721042-pic-14-600x646.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
![A scarab amulet, a necklace, a sistrum, and a gazelle mummy. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721051-pic-10.png-600x338.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
![Jewelry and mirrors. (Steve Ispas/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721069-pic-20-600x600.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
“Our goal is that our guests will learn about people from a time and place different from their own, leading to more understanding and thereby more peace in the world. Plus it’s fun!” Scott said.
She said the ancient Egyptians had a very close relationship with nature and sought to keep balance in the world. She said that this understanding can be useful in addressing contemporary issues.
![Ra-Horakhty, meaning “Ra-Horus in the horizon,” is the combination of the gods Ra and Horus. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721072-pic-19-600x442.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
![An AI robot named Thoth. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721045-pic-13-600x902.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
In front of the Thoth exhibit is a microphone that visitors can use to ask the AI robot questions. It’s powered by GPT-4+ and capable of understanding and responding in 14 languages. It’s trained to answer questions on the teachings of the ancient Mystery Schools of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as Alchemy and Rosicrucianism, according to a press release.
The AI Thoth is able to answer questions related to physics, astronomy, consciousness, and more, the press release states.
“As people navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, the team at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum recognizes the importance of using it properly,” the press release states.
“Like any technology, AI can serve both positive and negative purposes. The museum’s commitment is to harness the Thoth AI Robot for the highest good, guided by wisdom and foresight. Its aim is to contribute to the ethical direction AI development takes, ensuring it serves humanity’s best interests.”
![An artist’s rendition of the Pharaoh Akhnaton, a model of the Temple of Ramses the Great, a papyrus display, and a map of Egypt. (Steve Ispas/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721058-pic-17-600x600.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Scott said the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is sponsored by the Rosicrucian Order (AMORC), a worldwide philosophical organization based in San Jose, California, whose traditional history dates back to ancient Egypt.
![The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721056-pic-24-600x600.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
History
The museum’s first artifact was a Sekhmet statue, which the founder of the AMORC, H. Spencer Lewis, kept on his desk. He founded the order as a philosophical and educational nonprofit organization in 1915, according to the museum’s website.![A coffin. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721066-pic-9-600x450.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
In the 1920s, the AMORC assisted the Egypt Exploration Society in Tell el-Amarna with excavations. To show gratitude, the society donated several artifacts to AMORC.
Lewis encouraged members to add to the collection, and they did.
![Artifacts. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721063-pic-22-600x600.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
In 1927, he decided to put the collection on display, and he had glass cases built on the second floor of AMORC’s administration building.
In 1929, Lewis led a spiritual journey through Egypt, which resulted in additional donations of artifacts for the museum. By 1932, the growing collection needed more room, so a new building was constructed.
![Artifacts. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721064-pic-11-600x338.jpeg&w=1200&q=75)
![Artifacts. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721074-pic-16-600x338.png&w=1200&q=75)
Later, Lewis’s son, Ralph Lewis, took over the AMORC and directed the growth of the museum. By the early 1960s, the museum’s collection had outgrown its location again.
In 1965, Ralph Lewis led a research team that explored tombs and temples in Egypt. Drawing inspiration from the trip, he modeled the new museum on the temples he explored.
In November 1966, today’s Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum opened. It currently hosts more than 100,000 guests per year.
![Artifacts. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721067-pic-18-600x600.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
![A coffin and a mummy. (Keegan Billings/The Epoch Times)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F09%2F09%2Fid5721070-pic-15-600x600.jpg&w=1200&q=75)