The history museum is home to over 18,000 objects, tracing the journey of humankind over more than 5000 years on five continents including early settlement in Australia around 65,000 BCE through ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome to the 20th and 21st centuries.
“By merging Australian history and ancient culture collections under one roof, we have created an exciting cultural hub. This is a unique opportunity to look across time, cultures and places to consider what it means to be human and the significant role objects play in our understanding of history,” says Professor Martin Bommas, Museum Director at Macquarie University.
The ancient history collections are among Macquarie’s oldest, with artefacts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, Israel, Cyprus and one of the most recent additions – Nubia (an ancient region in north-eastern Africa). The museum has the largest collection of ancient manuscripts on papyrus and largest collection of ancient glass in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Australian history collection focuses on six key themes, including Indigenous Australia, featuring more than 800 artefacts and archival documents related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures. It includes ancient stone tools found on the site of Macquarie University. Other collection highlights include Australian political ephemera, Australian experiences of World Wars I & II, Australian immigration up to the 1970s, and White Hart Inn at Windsor, New South Wales — over 2000 finds from the recently-unearthed site of this colonial inn, illustrating Sydney's expansion in the 19th Century.
The museum has been designed with fully labelled displays around the perimeter, but only one label for the centre displays so students and visitors can apply their knowledge from the perimeter and draw on their own understandings. Touch screens in the museum feature a collection of 3D images, which can also be accessed online. Archaeological sites related to Macquarie University’s current work around the world are illustrated on the museum walls, giving visitors an insight into archaeological practice.
“The public opening of the Macquarie University History Museum follows with the official celebration of our wider Faculty of Arts Precinct as staff and students return to campus. The precinct is a strong commitment to the future of arts, humanities and social sciences at Macquarie University and aims to provide a space for students,
staff and visitors to feel inspired, energised and a part of the Faculty of Arts community,” says Professor Martina Möllering, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts.
Additionally, the museum features an impressive display of ancient coins from The Australian Centre for Ancient Numismatic Studies (ACANS), based at Macquarie University. ACANS' numismatic collections, numbering over 5000 coins, are of world class standing in the areas of the Greek cities in South Italy, the Roman Republic, and the coinages of the Emperor Hadrian.
The first temporary exhibition, East meets West - the Crusades and the Age of Decolonisation, features Byzantine and Mamluk Egyptian artworks and manuscripts from the period of the Crusades and is on display until September 2022.
The Museum is located on Macquarie University's North Ryde campus, on the ground floor of the Arts Precinct at 25 Wally's Walk and is open Monday to Friday 10am-5pm. Free guided tours are offered at 2pm every Monday (no bookings are required, except in the opening week—see below).
The Museum will offer extra tours to celebrate its public opening, led by Professor Martin Bommas (Museum Director) and Dr Josephine Touma (Museum Manager). Monday 14 & Tuesday 15 March, 10am, 12pm and 2pm. Tours are free, but bookings are required: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/macquarie-university-history-museum-opening-week-tours-tickets-290134469007
