Ancient Egyptian civilization reached the height of its splendor in the New Kingdom Period (1550–1069 B.C.), when Ramses II erected the megalomaniacal temples that still dot the Nile Valley. When the empire entered its third millenium, however, a slow period of decline began. Gold, for instance, was less plentiful. Though they were highly disciplined, the Egyptians were generally resistant to innovation. The Greeks slowly tightened their grip on the empire and in 332 B.C. Alexander the Great invaded Egypt. Under Greek rule the pharaoh and the pagan gods of worship remained in place, as did rituals related to the afterlife. This exhibition examines the Egyptian concept of life after death during the little-known period of Greco-Roman control. —Elena Clavarino