Allard Pierson Museum

The Allard Pierson Museum is the archaeological museum of the University of Amsterdam, named after the university’s first professor of archaeology. It houses collections of material culture from ancient Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome.

Exhibits include pottery, sculpture, funerary objects and other antiquities arranged by region and period, with both permanent and rotating displays. The museum is used for public exhibitions and academic research linked to the university’s archaeology and classics programs.

The museum was established from the university’s collections and later consolidated and expanded into its current public museum form during the 20th century; it carries the name of Allard Pierson, a pioneer of archaeology at the university. Its collections have been assembled through university research, donations, and acquisitions.

It is located in central Amsterdam along the historic canal belt, within walking distance of other major museums and the city center. The museum occupies adapted canal-side buildings that place it in the dense, central urban museum quarter.

• University museum: Operated by the University of Amsterdam and focused on teaching and research as well as public display; admission and opening times follow museum schedules.

What to See #

• Collections: Holds material from Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome dating from prehistory through late antiquity and displays artifacts such as pottery, sculpture and funerary objects.
• Building and layout: Located in a sequence of historic canal-side buildings adapted for museum use, with public exhibition halls for rotating and permanent displays.