From Egyptian antiquities to Greek sculptures and the history of collecting, my first visit to the Allard Pierson Museum raised an unexpected question: where should a museum visit really begin?

On 29 October 2026, I visited the Allard Pierson Museum's permanent collection in Amsterdam for the first time. I had already explored two temporary exhibitions, Glass, Made in Antiquity and The Art of Transformation, but I also wanted to discover the museum's permanent collections.

As part of the University of Amsterdam, the Allard Pierson holds collections spanning thousands of years of cultural history, including objects from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other civilizations.

I was particularly curious about the Greek and Roman galleries. But as I explored, I found myself asking questions that went beyond the objects themselves.

Were these original artifacts or reproductions? Why were they here in Amsterdam? How had the museum acquired so many objects from around the world? Unexpectedly, I found some of the answers only after getting a little lost.

Following the Marble Staircase

When I entered the museum, I took the beautiful marble staircase upstairs. The audio guide also suggested starting there, so I did. I started with the Egyptian collection, exploring display cabinets, funerary objects, decorated artifacts, and the stories of a civilization that still fascinates visitors thousands of years later. Eventually, I found another staircase leading down, followed by yet another. Before I knew it, I was back on the ground floor.

That's when I discovered The Site. What surprised me was that I had already passed its entrance two or three times. From the outside, the space looked more like a reading room or a study area than part of the museum's exhibitions. I hadn't felt particularly curious about entering. But once I did, I realized something.

This was where I should have started my visit.

The Site: Understanding What We See in a Museum

The Site (De Vindplaats) explores how archaeology helps us understand the past. Rather than simply displaying beautiful objects, it encourages visitors to think about the questions behind them.

What can we learn from an archaeological discovery? How do researchers interpret the fragments they find? What happens when an object is incomplete? And how do these discoveries become part of a museum collection? I found this section surprisingly informative.

As I moved through the exhibition, I began to understand more about the decisions museums make when presenting historical objects. Some objects are restored; others are reconstructed or reproduced. Sometimes only fragments survive, and a replica can help visitors understand what it once looked like.

These distinctions matter because understanding what is original and what has been reconstructed changes the experience of viewing an ancient object. Before visiting The Site, I had already noticed reproductions in the galleries, but I wasn't always certain which objects were original. The exhibition helped me appreciate why museums use different approaches. A replica can be enormously educational. It lets visitors study something that might otherwise be inaccessible, fragile, or held in another institution.

But I still believe the distinction should be clear. As a visitor, I want to know whether I am standing in front of an object that someone actually used thousands of years ago, or a later reproduction created to help us understand it. Both can be fascinating. They tell different stories.

Why Are These Ancient Objects in Amsterdam?

This was probably my biggest question during the visit. I was looking at objects associated with ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, all displayed in a museum in central Amsterdam. But why here? How did they arrive? Who collected them? What motivated those collectors? How did their personal interests shape what the museum holds today?

Towards the end of the permanent collection floor, I came across a section on the history of collecting. And suddenly, the museum began to make much more sense.

The Allard Pierson Museum opened in 1934 and grew from archaeological collections associated with the University of Amsterdam, including Constant W. Lunsingh Scheurleer's collection. Over time, acquisitions, donations, and other collections shaped the institution we see today. I particularly enjoyed how the museum presented this history.

Instead of displaying everything in a modern, neutral gallery, the museum recreated something of the atmosphere of an earlier collecting tradition. Beautiful wooden cabinets, decorative architectural details, and carefully arranged objects evoked the feeling of a historical study or private collection. It was a wonderful contrast with the contemporary exhibition spaces.

For a moment, I could imagine how these objects might once have been organized, admired, and studied before becoming part of a public museum. I also began to understand something important: a museum collection is not simply a neutral selection of objects from the past. It also reflects the interests, decisions, and circumstances of the people who assembled it. And that makes the history of collecting part of the story worth telling.

Of course, understanding who collected an object is not always the same as knowing exactly where it was excavated or how it changed hands over time. Provenance questions remain important, particularly for archaeological collections. But I appreciated that the museum introduced visitors to the people and collecting practices behind its holdings.

Exploring the Ancient Civilizations

As I learned more about how the collections came together, I began to see the objects I had already seen differently. The galleries contain an extraordinary variety of material: sculptures, decorated pottery, funerary objects, religious figures, architectural fragments,s and everyday items. Some objects are monumental. Others are surprisingly small. I particularly enjoy the smaller pieces because they often reveal something intimate about the people who made or used them.

The Dancing Faun: A Little Piece of Pompeii in Amsterdam

One sculpture that caught my attention was the Dancing Faun. Archaeologists discovered the original bronze statue in Pompeii, and the National Archaeological Museum in Naples now holds it. The figure displayed at the Allard Pierson is a reproduction. The sculpture depicts a lively, dancing figure, full of movement and energy.

I found it fascinating because it feels so different from the still, formal image we sometimes associate with ancient sculpture. There is something joyful about it. Even without knowing its complete history, you can appreciate the skill required to create the impression of movement in bronze. The Dancing Faun also shows why reproductions can be valuable. You don't need to travel to Naples to encounter the sculpture's form and learn about its artistic significance. At the same time, knowing where the original is located adds another layer to the story.

It connects Amsterdam to Pompeii and to the long history of discovering, collecting, and studying classical art.

Aesop: When Ancient History Becomes Personal

Another object that immediately caught my attention was a sculpture representing Aesop. Seeing his name brought back childhood memories. Growing up in Peru, I knew "Las fábulas de Esopo," or Aesop's Fables in English.

These short stories, often featuring animals, were among my earliest encounters with literature and moral lessons. I remember learning about human behavior through simple stories.

Many years later, I was standing in a museum in Amsterdam, looking at a representation of the storyteller whose fables had traveled across languages, countries, and generations. It was a lovely moment of recognition. Seeing Aesop reminded me how far stories can travel, and how cultural history connects places that might initially seem unrelated.

That is one of the things I love most about visiting museums.

The Museum Building Is Part of the Experience

Beyond the collections, I also enjoyed the contrast between the museum's architectural spaces. Contemporary galleries feature clean displays and carefully controlled lighting, while other rooms have historical wooden cabinets, decorative details, and beautiful windows. From some areas, you can look out towards the Amsterdam canals and surrounding buildings.

I found myself photographing not only the artifacts but also the spaces around them. As a photographer, I am always interested in how light changes the way we experience a place. Some galleries feel intimate and mysterious. Others are bright and open. The arrangement of objects, wall colors, and lighting all influence how we view what is displayed.

Even the historical cabinets tell a story about the way museums used to present their collections. I especially appreciated moments when the museum building itself became part of the visual experience.

The Route I Would Recommend for a First Visit

After exploring the museum, I realized that I would recommend a different starting point from the one I followed.

Start at The Site on the left side of the entrance, opposite the marble staircase. Take your time there. It provides a useful introduction to archaeology, restoration, reproductions, and the history of collecting. After exploring it, use the stairs inside The Site and head upstairs to the Egyptian galleries. You can skip the marble staircase entirely. From there, continue through the other ancient civilizations. For me, this creates a much more logical experience.

You first learn how archaeological knowledge is developed and how museum collections come together. Then you encounter the objects themselves, already equipped with questions that make them more interesting. I wish someone had suggested that route when I arrived. This isn't a criticism of the exhibition itself, quite the opposite. I think The Site is one of the museum's most useful parts.

I think it deserves to be the start of the visitor experience rather than an unexpected discovery at the end.

Is the Allard Pierson Museum Worth Visiting?

Absolutely, especially if you enjoy archaeology, ancient civilizations, art history, or museums that encourage you to think beyond the objects on display.

What I appreciated most was the variety. You can move from Egyptian funerary traditions to classical sculpture, from tiny archaeological objects to the history of the collectors who helped bring them to Amsterdam. If you take time to explore The Site, you begin to understand how these different stories belong in the same institution.

A good museum doesn't only show us objects from the past. It helps us understand why we are looking at them today.

And for me, that was the most valuable discovery at the Allard Pierson.

Planning Your Visit to the Allard Pierson Museum

Museum: Allard Pierson Museum

Location: Oude Turfmarkt 127–129, Amsterdam

My visit: 29 October 2026

My recommended route: Start on the ground floor at The Site, then go upstairs to the Egyptian galleries and the other ancient civilizations.

For opening hours, admission, and current exhibitions, visit the official Allard Pierson website.

You can also read about the two temporary exhibitions I explored during the same visit:

• Glass, Made in Antiquity: Discovering Ancient Glass at the Allard Pierson Museum
• The Art of Transformation: Three Stories Behind the Stage

Joanna Pantigoso

Amsterdam Vacation Photographer and Proposal Planner

I took all photographs in this article during my visit with an iPhone 14 Pro.

Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you book through one of them, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.