Museum of Ancient History G’day, mate! Follow me for a guided tour of ancient cultures. That way This way

Ancient Egypt That way This way

Ancient Rome That way This way

Ancient Mexico That way This way

Ancient Japan That way This way

Hall of Ancient Japan That way This way From the 11 th century, Samurai warriors in Japan fought on behalf of powerful warlords.

Hall of Ancient Japan That way This way As they gained control of huge areas of the countryside, the warlords built grand fortress castles, like Osaka Castle pictured here.

Hall of Ancient Japan That way This way Japanese culture today reflects much of its proud warlike past. Great samurai warriors are celebrated in works of art like this statue.

Hall of Ancient Japan That way This way Their ornately crafted swords were made of the strongest steel. Many can be found in museums today.

Hall of Ancient Rome That way This way The Romans were a remarkably advanced civilisation. Much of their superb architecture still stands today, two thousand years after it was constructed.

Hall of Ancient Rome That way This way At the Colosseum in Rome masses of cheering people watched gladiators fight battles to the death. The Emperor was often in attendance.

Hall of Ancient Rome That way This way Today we can learn a great deal about the Roman Empire from the artworks and architecture which can still be found throughout the countries surrounding the Mediterranean.

Hall of Ancient Rome That way This way Skilful craftsmen sculpted life-sized statues of Emperors, warriors and gods. Many can still be seen today.

Hall of Ancient Mexico That way This way When Cortes and his Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico around 500 years ago many native cultures were still flourishing. These included the Maya, the Olmecs, the Toltecs and the Aztecs.

Hall of Ancient Mexico That way This way Great stone cities arose throughout Mexico. The Maya built Uxmal and Chichen Itza in the Yucatan. The Aztecs built Tenochtitlan on the site of present-day Mexico City.

Hall of Ancient Mexico That way This way The ancient Mexicans developed a great understanding of the laws of mathematics and astronomy. This stunningly beautiful Aztec calendar can be used to accurately record days, months and years.

Hall of Ancient Mexico That way This way Some Mexican cultures required human sacrifice to appease their gods. In this ceremony a victim’s heart is ripped out.

Hall of Ancient Egypt That way This way The pyramids beside the Nile in Egypt are perhaps the greatest architectural structures of the ancient world. Today they still tower above the desert sands.

Hall of Ancient Egypt That way This way When Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb, still largely intact, the world marvelled at the grandeur and beauty of artefacts such as the boy pharaoh's golden funeral mask, seen here.

Hall of Ancient Egypt That way This way When the Aswan dam was built to hold back the floodwaters of the Nile, these massive stone sculptures of Abu Simbel were taken apart and moved to a safe place, where they were reassembled.

Hall of Ancient Egypt That way This way We understand much about the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians from their works of art, which depict gods such as jackal- headed Anubis, seen here.