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All the United States California San Jose Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

San Jose, California

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Annetta Black
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One of the four mummies  
Front of the Rosicrucian Museum  
The Peace Park  
Sarcophagus  
Ox and cat  
Shark mummy  
Reproduction of Tutankhamen’s sarcophagus   rebeccarecco / Atlas Obscura User
Visit an exact remake of an Ancient Egyptian tomb   rebeccarecco / Atlas Obscura User
Cuneiform inscribed in a spool shaped object.   antonette / Atlas Obscura User
The Rosetta Stone   Sunkissedgirl52 / Atlas Obscura User
Taken in the alchemy section.   antonette / Atlas Obscura User
Model of an Alchemist workshop   NopityNopeNope / Atlas Obscura User
Ceiling of the Tomb   NopityNopeNope / Atlas Obscura User
Walls of the replica tomb   NopityNopeNope / Atlas Obscura User
front entrance   Avoiding Regret
Carved figures outside front entrance   Avoiding Regret
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About

The largest collections of mummies and Egyptian artifacts on the West Coast is tucked into a residential area of San Jose, across the street from the Hoover middle school. Founded by the Rosicrucian Order during the heyday of Egyptomania, the collection was assembled between 1915 and 1927, and the museum established in 1928. A new Egyptian-inspired building was designed to house the collection in 1966.

Located next to the Order's headquarters and their Egyptian-themed Peace Park, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum also houses a planetarium and a research library. The museum itself is designed as a teaching museum, with information about Egyptian history and religion posted next to displays.

Most of the artifacts on display come from excavations financially backed by the Order at Tell el Amara in 1921, as well as from a 1939 "grand tour" of Egypt - which was also called a "shopping extravaganza." The museum houses 4,000 artifacts, several reproductions from collections elsewhere, and four human mummies under glass, not to mention mummies of cats, sharks, and baboons.

The Rosicrucian Order dates back to the early 1600s, when their first manifestos appeared in Germany. These manifestos claimed earlier origins in the 1300s, supported by elaborate stories of travels through the holy lands and the gathering of esoteric knowledge from distant mystics. The Order's beliefs are centered around a complicated philosophy combining elements of alchemy, Qabalistic thought, theosophy, and the occult, with most of the existing Order's groups originating in the 1800s and early 1900s.

The ties between the Rosicrucians and ancient Egypt go back to the Order's origin myth. According to their literature, the Order "has its roots in the mystery traditions, philosophy, and myths of ancient Egypt, dating back to approximately 1500 B.C. In antiquity, the word 'mystery' referred to a special gnosis, a secret wisdom."

Related Tags

Cults Mummies Museums Collections Egyptian Revival Occult

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Added By

Annetta Black

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antonette, Avoiding Regret, rebeccarecco, Sunkissedgirl52...

  • antonette
  • Avoiding Regret
  • rebeccarecco
  • Sunkissedgirl52
  • NopityNopeNope

Published

August 12, 2009

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Sources
  • www.egyptianmuseum.org
  • www.rosicrucian.org
  • http://www.rosicrucian.org/about/mastery/mastery08history.html
  • http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Rosicrucianism
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosicrucian_Egyptian_Museum
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
1342 Naglee Avenue
San Jose, California, 95126
United States
37.334019, -121.922603
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