Emory University began its antiquities collection in 1875, and this intriguing museum dates to 1919, when it was founded to display the art and artifacts collected by Emory faculty in Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Sicily, the Sea of Galilee, and the sites of ancient Babylon and Palestine. Today, the museum also maintains collections of ancient art and archaeology of Rome, Central and South America, the Near East, and Mesoamerica; works of the native cultures of North America; art of Asia and Oceania; and some 1,000 objects from sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, a sizable collection of works on paper encompasses illuminated manuscript pages, drawings, and prints from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the 20th century. The museum is housed partly in a 1916 beaux-arts building that is on the National Register of Historic Places, its interior redesigned in 1985 by postmodernist architect Michael Graves. The remainder is in a 35,000-square-foot exhibition space (also designed by Graves) that opened in 1993.

The first-floor galleries feature exhibits from the extensive permanent collection--objects that were part of the daily life of people from five continents as early as the seventh millennium B.C. They include Bronze and Iron Age clay pots, jugs, loom weights, and oil lamps from Palestine; Egyptian mummies, pottery, cosmetic containers, and headrests; Greek and Cypriot pottery, flasks, and statuary; and Mesopotamian pottery, coins, tools, sculpture, and cuneiform tablets inscribed with ancient writing. Also on this level: the Thibadeau Pre-Columbian collection, comprising over 1,300 objects spanning 2,000 years of creativity--gold jewelry, pottery, and statues, including many ceramic, volcanic stone, greenstone, and gold sculptures from ancient Costa Rica.

The upper floor is used for changing exhibits ranging in subject matter from Pueblo Indian pottery to Impressionist art. Throughout the museum, 210 plaster casts of ancient architectural elements--reliefs, friezes, column capitals, and decorative elements from temples and monuments--adorn hallway and lobby walls. Allow at least an hour to see the collections.

There are many interesting workshops, lectures, films, and gallery tours here; call to find out what's on during your stay. There's also a nice museum shop with a variety of educational books and gifts, as well as jewelry inspired by the collections. The museum's cafe, on the third floor, serves continental breakfast, lunch, coffee, and tea, and is open during regular museum hours.