From Nile to Amstel

10,000 years of cultural history

From Nile to Amstel is the new permanent presentation that starts with prehistoric hunters in the Near East and which flows into the 21st century in Amsterdam via the Middle Ages. This history shows the interaction between the old and modern world and tells the story of the always curious person. From the origins of writing to the first industrial book production, from traders from the Assyrian Empire to theater makers in the creative city of Amsterdam.

Egyptian mummies, Greek pottery and Roman glass, Coptic textiles, Medieval manuscripts, 17th-century atlases and other ancient prints, anatomical drawings, letters, prints and cookbooks, puppet shows from Dam Square and an extensive collection of plaster casts of famous classical statues; it is a selection from the offer of the Allard Pierson. The heritage collections of the University of Amsterdam are an inexhaustible source of knowledge and stories.

The presentation From Nile to Amstel has recently been expanded with the free Allard Pierson Live. Here everyone can work on archaeological shards or digitally grass dunes in the cartographic, theatre and music collections themselves.