The Allard Pierson Museum is Amsterdam ’s archaeological museum, part of the University of Amsterdam . The museum is home to artifacts from the ancient civilizations of , the Near East , , , and the Roman Empire . Art objects and utensils dating from 4000 BC to 500 AD offer a glimpse into everyday life, mythology, and religion in antiquity. The museum was named after Allard Pierson (1831-1896), Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Amsterdam . His passion for antiquity, fuelled by his travels to the Mediterranean area, led to his assembling a collection of plaster casts from 1877 to 1895. The collection grew sizeably due to subsequent purchases, gifts, and loans of artifacts and documents. On 12 November 1934, the Allard Pierson Museum was officially opened. One of the highlights of the museum is its mummies and fascinating explanations of the mummification process.