ANTIQUITIES

PRINCESS FRESCO (detail) from the Ashmolean collections

ANTIQUITIES

The Department of Antiquities contains internationally renowned archaeological collections with particular strengths in Prehistoric Europe, the Ancient Near East, Ancient Egypt and Sudan, Minoan Aegean, Mycenaean and Classical Greece, Ancient Cyprus, the Roman world and Medieval and later Europe. We also hold the Museum's Founding Collection and historic archives.
The Ashmolean's longstanding Cast Gallery is also now part of the Antiquities Department.

Study Room, Collections Access and Enquiries 2026-2028

The Department of Antiquities Study Room will be closed for two years for a major project from March 2026 to March 2028. During this time access to the collections for research will be limited to digitised material, curatorial advice, and gallery access only.
Staff may take longer than usual to respond to enquiries.

All Department of Antiquities galleries within the Museum remain open as usual.

Thank you for your patience and we apologise in advance for any delays in communications.

You can still access the digitised Antiquities collection via Collections Online

For further information, visit the Antiquities Study Room page and for more details on the project.

For urgent research enquiries please contact: antiquities@ashmus.ox.ac.uk and we will respond as promptly as possible.

Storage jar (pithos) with octopus design, Crete, 1450-1400 BC

Explore the Ashmolean's Antiquities online collection

EXPLORE

CAST GALLERY

The Ashmolean Cast Gallery is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved collections of casts of Greek and Roman sculpture in the UK, containing some 900 plaster casts of statues, reliefs and architectural sculptures

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INTERACTIVE 3D TOUR

Examine the Arundel marbles in 3D and delve into their stories on this virtual interactive tour.

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READING AND WRITING GALLERY

This gallery shows how reading and writing have developed globally in different cultures over thousands of years....

This gallery shows how reading and writing have developed globally in different cultures over thousands of years. The examples in the Museum’s collection give a voice to people in...

This gallery shows how reading and writing have developed globally in different cultures over thousands of years. The examples in the Museum’s collection give a voice to people in the past and show different ways...

This gallery shows how reading and writing have developed globally in different cultures over thousands of years. The examples in the Museum’s collection give a voice to people in the past and show different ways in which they have recorded facts.

ROME & THE ROMAN EMPIRE GALLERY

The newly-refurbished Rome gallery provides a rich flavour of what it was like to live in Roman times and focuses...

The newly-refurbished Rome gallery provides a rich flavour of what it was like to live in Roman times and focuses on aspects of Roman public and private life throughout the empire from...

The newly-refurbished Rome gallery provides a rich flavour of what it was like to live in Roman times and focuses on aspects of Roman public and private life throughout the empire from about 400 BCE to 300 CE.

ITALY BEFORE ROME GALLERY

The Italy Before Rome gallery focuses on the Italian peninsula before its domination by Romans when it was a mixture...

The Italy Before Rome gallery focuses on the Italian peninsula before its domination by Romans when it was a mixture of cultures, including Latin, Samnite and Etruscan.

THE GREEK WORLD GALLERY

The Greek World gallery explores life in classical Greece, and shows how between 750 and 500 BCE Greeks founded...

The Greek World gallery explores life in classical Greece, and shows how between 750 and 500 BCE Greeks founded hundreds of settlements abroad in southern Italy, Sicily, North Africa...

The Greek World gallery explores life in classical Greece, and shows how between 750 and 500 BCE Greeks founded hundreds of settlements abroad in southern Italy, Sicily, North Africa and around the Mediterranean...

The Greek World gallery explores life in classical Greece, and shows how between 750 and 500 BCE Greeks founded hundreds of settlements abroad in southern Italy, Sicily, North Africa and around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

CAST GALLERY

The Cast Gallery is one of the country’s oldest, largest and best-preserved collections of casts taken from monuments...

The Cast Gallery is one of the country’s oldest, largest and best-preserved collections of casts taken from monuments and sculptures of the ancient world.

EUROPEAN PREHISTORY GALLERY

The European Prehistory gallery concerns the prehistoric peoples of Europe, and what can be learned about them...

The European Prehistory gallery concerns the prehistoric peoples of Europe, and what can be learned about them from their surviving material culture.

ANCIENT CYPRUS GALLERY

The Ancient Cyprus gallery focuses on the wealth of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus from around 5000 BCE to...

The Ancient Cyprus gallery focuses on the wealth of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus from around 5000 BCE to 200 CE.

ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST GALLERY

The Ancient Middle East gallery traces the development of the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian empires in wall...

The Ancient Middle East gallery traces the development of the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian empires in wall displays and reliefs, and showcases the Sumerian King List as well as...

The Ancient Middle East gallery traces the development of the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian empires in wall displays and reliefs, and showcases the Sumerian King List as well as objects from the ruined palace...

The Ancient Middle East gallery traces the development of the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian empires in wall displays and reliefs, and showcases the Sumerian King List as well as objects from the ruined palace of Nimrud.

AEGEAN WORLD GALLERY

In the Aegean World gallery you can find information about the Bronze Age (3200 to 1100 BCE) around the Aegean...

In the Aegean World gallery you can find information about the Bronze Age (3200 to 1100 BCE) around the Aegean Sea, especially the early Cyclades, Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece...

In the Aegean World gallery you can find information about the Bronze Age (3200 to 1100 BCE) around the Aegean Sea, especially the early Cyclades, Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece.

GREEK AND ROMAN SCULPTURE GALLERY

The Greek and Roman Sculpture gallery displays sculptures and inscriptions from the largest surviving portion of...

The Greek and Roman Sculpture gallery displays sculptures and inscriptions from the largest surviving portion of the first major collection of Classical antiquities in Britain.

EGYPT AT ITS ORIGINS GALLERY

The first of the Ashmolean's six Ancient Egypt and Sudan galleries which take you on a tour through thousands...

The first of the Ashmolean's six Ancient Egypt and Sudan galleries which take you on a tour through thousands of years of human occupation of the Nile Valley.

DYNASTIC EGYPT AND SUDAN GALLERY

The Dynastic Egypt and Sudan gallery charts the progress of ancient Egyptian culture, from the funerary concerns...

The Dynastic Egypt and Sudan gallery charts the progress of ancient Egyptian culture, from the funerary concerns of Old Kingdom officials (c. 2575 to 1975 BCE), through to the monumental...

The Dynastic Egypt and Sudan gallery charts the progress of ancient Egyptian culture, from the funerary concerns of Old Kingdom officials (c. 2575 to 1975 BCE), through to the monumental building projects of Middle...

The Dynastic Egypt and Sudan gallery charts the progress of ancient Egyptian culture, from the funerary concerns of Old Kingdom officials (c. 2575 to 1975 BCE), through to the monumental building projects of Middle Kingdom kings (c. 1975 to 1640 BCE).

LIFE AFTER DEATH IN ANCIENT EGYPT GALLERY

The objects in the Life After Death in Ancient Egypt gallery all served as practical tools designed to help their...

The objects in the Life After Death in Ancient Egypt gallery all served as practical tools designed to help their owner make the journey from death to the afterlife, and to provide...

The objects in the Life After Death in Ancient Egypt gallery all served as practical tools designed to help their owner make the journey from death to the afterlife, and to provide for them for eternity.

THE AMARNA 'REVOLUTION' GALLERY

The Amarna 'Revolution' gallery showcases the extraordinary developments in art and religious practice...

The Amarna 'Revolution' gallery showcases the extraordinary developments in art and religious practice that occurred during the reign of Akhenaten.

EGYPT IN THE AGE OF EMPIRES GALLERY

The Egypt in the Age of Empires gallery covers the period after Akhenaten’s demise up to the Greek and Roman...

The Egypt in the Age of Empires gallery covers the period after Akhenaten’s demise up to the Greek and Roman conquests of Egypt.

EGYPT MEETS GREECE AND ROME GALLERY

The Egypt Meets Greece and Rome gallery, the final room in the sequence of the Egyptian galleries, charts the history...

The Egypt Meets Greece and Rome gallery, the final room in the sequence of the Egyptian galleries, charts the history of Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great in 305 BCE and...

The Egypt Meets Greece and Rome gallery, the final room in the sequence of the Egyptian galleries, charts the history of Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great in 305 BCE and the division of his empire.

MEDIEVAL CYPRUS GALLERY

The Medieval Cyprus gallery highlights how the geographical position of Cyprus exposed the island to the campaigns...

The Medieval Cyprus gallery highlights how the geographical position of Cyprus exposed the island to the campaigns of the Crusaders to the Holy Land in the Middle Ages.

ENGLAND 400-1600

This gallery displays items from the Ashmolean’s English archaeological collection – one of the finest in the...

This gallery displays items from the Ashmolean’s English archaeological collection – one of the finest in the world.

MEDITERRANEAN WORLD GALLERY

The Mediterranean World gallery examines the Mediterranean region after the division of the Roman Empire by exploring...

The Mediterranean World gallery examines the Mediterranean region after the division of the Roman Empire by exploring the sea and life in some of the principal cities around its sh...

The Mediterranean World gallery examines the Mediterranean region after the division of the Roman Empire by exploring the sea and life in some of the principal cities around its shores.