The San Jose Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum has to be one of the most enjoyable historical exhibits that I have been privy to. Since the sixth grade, Egyptian culture and way of life have been the intrigue behind my interest in Egyptian history. This is the third time that I have been to this museum, but the exhibits are constantly changing making every trip unlike the last and helping me maintain interest in the museum. Instead, I received a greater appreciation for the artifacts due to my maturation and my new understanding of Egyptian culture through these semesters' teachings.
             Unlike most museum exhibits, the setup of this museum is quite unusual. As you walk through the exhibits, there seems to be a constraint on space within the museum making the appearance that there is too much in one area (kind of like a jewelry display). The effect of what we can call the "jewelry store syndrome" does not detract from the experience of the museum at all. Attention to importance of certain pieces was certainly obvious. Centered in one of the rooms was a mummy, giving the viewer a feeling of respect. Not only was its placement an essential element of its importance, but the lighting helped the observer stare deeper into preserved remains. Looking into this human, I gained a higher appreciation for intelligence and technology. I am a man of science, and I want to better society with my own ideas and inventions, but seeing where humans stand against ancient technology, I see that we have not come that far. I realized that we have only built off the past, and dug deeper for understanding of why what was done in the past actually works. Sure, we are able to communicate and travel between limitless bounds, but ancient society was stuck within its own natural boundaries and was able to produce scientific quandaries used even today. Of course, the mummifying process has been sped up and simplified, but the trade off is a loss of culture...