Pisa | Egyptology Collections – Pisa University

The Egyptological Collections of the University of Pisa represent a point of reference for scholars and enthusiasts of archaeology and history of ancient Egypt for the importance of its finds, especially those coming from the area of ancient Nubia, mostly the result of excavations carried out under the patronage of the University of Pisa.

Picozzi Collection

The collection originated in 1962, thanks to a first donation made by Laura Birga Picozzi, a descendant of the family of Ippolito Rosellini, the founder of Italian Egyptology. Together with Champollion, he led the Franco-Tuscan expedition to Egypt and Nubia (1828-29), the basis for the study of ancient Egypt.

The Schiff Giorgini Collection

The Schiff Giorgini Collection was added to the Picozzi Collection in 1964: about four hundred objects, some of exceptional value, from the excavations conducted by Michela Schiff Giorgini in Sudan. Among the most valuable pieces a bronze mirror, a large scarab of Amenophis III, a statue of Amenophis III – Nebmaatra, a block of pinkish sandstone with the refined portrait of Amenophis III. In 1968 was acquired the collection of Ostraka of Ossirinco, 1500 fragments of earthenware pottery illustrating the life of a small oasis in Roman Egypt.

The Breccia Archive

Part of the Egyptological Collections is the Breccia Archive, donated by the scholar’s wife in 1967, and material from excavations in Egypt. Noteworthy is the “blue goblet” decorated with a Greek inscription (“Drink and you may live!”), considered one of the masterpieces of glass production of the Roman age (III century A.D.).

The Egyptological Collections are part of the Museum System of the University of Pisa.