Last Friday a friend and I headed to the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Pharoah Exhibition which is on until October this year.

After having an initial heart attack at the entry price of the ticket $34, we headed in and were in awe of what we saw.

The exhibit was in two major spaces that were separated as if it was night and day. On the walls, were the explanations of the various dynasties of pharaohs who ruled in Egypt over thousands of years.

What struck me the most was how progressive they were back then. It was great to get up close to the hieroglyphics and marvel at the tablets, the jewellery and the sculptures many of which would have been life size and larger than life.

They would have been awe inspiring back then as they were to us pondering them thousands of years later.

To go to each section, you had to walk through dark corridors that had doorways of light that you’d walk through. It felt like you were in a pyramid and walking through its narrow passageways only to enter spaces of light and awe inspiring gigantic sculptures of Egyptian gods and pharaohs.

My most favourite items were the rough designs that were quickly sketched on rocks. They then were used as the template for the bigger works. It reminded me of what my father (an artist), says to me all the time, “everything starts with an idea that is drawn as a sketch.”

If you’re in Melbourne, I highly recommend this exhibition. It was a wonderful way to spend a Friday and learn about this ancient civilisation.

I left wondering.

“What would our civilisation leave as a legacy to future generations?”