上海这个展览，创世界纪录了！

摘要：目前正在上海博物馆展出的《金字塔之巅：古埃及文明》自去年7月开幕以来，参观人数已超过200万，创下了全球单一票务文物展览的最高观展纪录。其中近七成观众来自上海以外，多数专程前来一睹展览风采。

你能猜出哪一个展览吸引了全球最多的观众吗？

目前正在上海博物馆展出的《金字塔之巅：古埃及文明》自去年7月开幕以来，参观人数已超过200万，创下了全球单一票务文物展览的最高观展纪录。其中近七成观众来自上海以外，多数专程前来一睹展览风采。

Can you guess which exhibition has drawn the most visitors worldwide?

On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt, currently on view at the Shanghai Museum, has welcomed over 2 million visitors since opening in July — setting a global record for attendance at a single ticketed antiquities show. Of these, nearly 70 percent came from outside Shanghai, with most traveling specifically to see the exhibition.

上海博物馆 ”金字塔之巅：古埃及文明大展” 现场高尔强拍摄

“这不仅仅是出于好奇，而是一种渴望——渴望了解一个与我们同样古老、同样辉煌的文明。”策展人之一薛江如是说。“作为世界上最古老的两大文明，埃及与中国常被并提——无论是艺术的深邃与成熟，还是它们所体现的精神内核与价值理念。”

古埃及艺术所达到的高度，深深触动了中国观众。古埃及艺术充盈着象征性，承载着宗教信仰与哲思追求，中国古代艺术亦有异曲同工之妙。如公元前17世纪至公元前3世纪的商周青铜器，铸工精妙，纹饰繁复却不失灵性，体现出礼制体系与思想内涵的高度统一。

"It's more than curiosity — it's a longing to understand a civilization as ancient and magnificent as our own," said Xue Jiang, one of the curators. "As two of the world’s oldest civilizations, Egypt and China invite comparison — through the sophistication of their art and the shared values they reflect."

That sophistication resonates with Chinese audiences. Just as Egyptian art brims with symbolism, so too does ancient Chinese art — exemplified by the intricately cast bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties between the 17th century and 3rd century BC — steeped in ritual and meaning.

东周青铜重器物秦公镈宝鸡青铜器博物馆

“两个文明皆诞生于大河之畔——尼罗河，以及黄河与长江。正是这些大河孕育了各自的农耕文明，塑造了各自的文化，激发了人与自然之间深刻而持久的联结。”薛江说。

孕育了古埃及文明的尼罗河

尽管上古时期的中埃之间从未有过直接往来，却在精神与艺术的回响中彼此共鸣。

尼罗河在每年夏季泛滥，将上游（尤其是埃塞俄比亚高原）的泥沙带至下游，泛滥过后的河水在退去时，会在两岸沉积一层厚厚的黑色淤泥。这层“黑土”富含矿物质和有机养分，极其适合耕作，是埃及得名“黑土地” 的由来。

相较之下，黄河性情多变，其治理更需坚韧与智慧。然而，两条大河皆孕育出对自然的敬畏，而非单纯的征服，并塑造了顺应自然节律、循环与二元统一的世界观。

"Both civilizations rose along rivers — the Nile, and the Yellow and Yangtze — which shaped their cultures, fostered agriculture, and inspired profound connections to nature," said Xue. "Despite no contact in antiquity, their spiritual and artistic affinities are striking."

The Nile, with its steady, life-giving floods, contrasts with the volatile Yellow River, the harness of which demanded resilience and ingenuity. Yet both rivers nurtured worldviews in which nature was not merely endured but revered — shaping ideas and beliefs that echoed the rhythm, cycles, and duality of the natural world.

“两个文明都强调对立统一——光明与黑暗、秩序与混沌、天与地之间的平衡。”薛江指出。在中国，这一思想集中体现在先秦儒家经典《易经》中，书中以阴阳之变诠释万物生成，展现出一种流动而辩证的世界观。

在古埃及，对立统一的理念则融于神话之中：混沌之蛇阿佩普（Apep）是太阳神拉（Ra）的宿敌。每当夜幕降临，拉便驾驭太阳船穿越冥界，而阿佩普则伺机吞噬他头顶的太阳圆盘，使世界陷入永夜。尽管拉每次都能将其击退，阿佩普却从未被彻底消灭。这场每夜上演的对抗，象征着古埃及人对宇宙秩序与混沌之间永恒斗争的理解——平衡并非静止，而是在持续的动态中维持。这一神话，凝聚着古埃及文明深邃的哲学智慧。

"Both civilizations embraced the notion of duality — light and dark, order and chaos, heaven and earth," said Xue. In China, this balance is captured in the Yijing, or Book of Changes, a Confucian classic dating to the 11th century BC. Rooted in the interplay of yin and yang, it reflects an early Chinese worldview in which existence was not fixed, but a fluid dance of opposites.

In Egypt, it could be glimpsed from the myth of Apep, the serpent of chaos, who battles Ra, the sun god, nightly. Though Apep is vanquished each time, he returns — embodying the eternal struggle to uphold cosmic order.

古埃及神话中，名为阿佩普的巨大蛇怪是太阳神拉（坐船上头顶代表太阳的圆盘者）的死对头开罗埃及博物馆

恰逢2025年为中国传统农历的“蛇年”，这一生肖在古埃及文化中也拥有深远的象征意义。

在图坦卡蒙的黄金面具上，昂首的眼镜蛇代表着下埃及的守护神瓦杰特（Wadjet）。约公元前3100年，在纳尔迈（Narmer）统一上下埃及之后，瓦杰特的眼镜蛇图案与象征上埃及的女神奈赫贝特（Nekhbet）的秃鹫并列于法老王冠之上，象征国家统一与神圣守护。

图坦卡蒙金面具，上饰有眼镜蛇和秃鹫开罗埃及博物馆法新社Amir Makar拍摄

与之齐名的还有列涅努忒（Renenutet），一位主管食物与收获的女神，同时也是粮仓的守护者。在古埃及艺术中，她通常被描绘为一条眼镜蛇，或是一位头戴眼镜蛇饰的女性神祇。由于蛇贴地而行，古埃及人将其视为与大地母性密不可分的象征——既代表繁衍生息，也与冥界相连。在王室陵墓中，蛇的形象常见于壁画与雕刻之中，象征守护法老灵魂前往来世的旅途。

Fittingly, 2025 in the traditional Chinese calendar is the Year of the Snake. In both cultures, serpents carried profound symbolic weight. On King Tutankhamun's golden mask, the cobra represents Wadjet, protector of Lower Egypt. After Egypt's unification around 3100 BC, Wadjet's cobra joined Nekhbet's vulture on the pharaonic crown — symbols of national unity.

Other serpentine deities included Renenutet, goddess of harvest, often shown with a cobra's head, guarding granaries. The snake, close to the earth, symbolized fertility and the underworld — appearing in royal tombs to guide and protect the soul’s journey beyond.

“两个文明都极为重视统一、精神信仰与死后的世界。” 薛江指出，“古埃及人相信来世的辉煌永恒——墓葬是灵魂的宫殿；木乃伊、护身符与《亡灵书》则共同守护亡者在冥界的平安通行。”

上海博物馆“金字塔之巅”现场展示的木乃伊棺椁高尔强拍摄

古代中国人内心深处同样怀有对永恒不灭的强烈渴望，这份执念深深扎根于他们的文化与信仰之中。在长江下游地区，良渚文化（约公元前3300年至公元前2300年）的遗存生动展现了这一渴望的物质体现。考古学家在良渚墓葬中发现了大量精美绝伦的玉器，如玉琮、玉璧和玉钺等，这些器物被视为具有防腐保身、助力灵魂通往永恒的神秘力量。

到了西汉时期，雕工细腻、气韵非凡的玉龙和玉马同样作为陪葬品出现，承担起引魂升天的神圣职责。

"Both cultures placed deep emphasis on unity, spirituality, and the afterlife," Xue noted. "Egyptians imagined a glorious hereafter — tombs as palaces for the soul, with mummies, amulets, and the Book of the Dead ensuring safe passage through the underworld."

The ancient Chinese shared this longing for permanence. Jade artifacts from the Liangzhu culture (3300–2300 BC), found in tombs along the Yangtze River Delta, were believed to preserve the body for immortality. Later, jade dragons and horses took on a sacred role: to carry the soul to heaven while protecting the body until their reunion.

汉代墓葬出土的玉龙南京博物院

一些学者认为，龙——中国文明最具代表性的图腾——可能起源于蛇、鳄鱼，或两者兼具，因为鳄鱼曾广泛分布于黄河流域。

在埃及，动物常被视为神灵，尼罗河谷的河马因其凶猛被认为能够抵御邪恶，甚至被奉为女神；母狒狒则常象征母性。圣甲虫在古埃及文化中象征永生，这主要源于其独特的生活习性及古埃及人的宇宙观。圣甲虫，尤其是蜣螂科，滚动粪球并将其埋入地下作为幼虫的食物，这一行为象征“从废物中诞生新生”，寓意生命的循环与重生。古埃及人将圣甲虫视为太阳神拉（Ra）的化身，认为它滚动粪球如同太阳在天空运行，象征光明战胜黑暗，生命永续。正因如此，圣甲虫形状的护身符广泛用于墓葬，作为保护亡灵顺利转世的神圣符号。

Some Chinese scholars believe the dragon — Chinese civilization's ultimate totem — may trace its origins to snakes, crocodiles, or both, with crocodiles once common in the Yellow River Basin.

In Egypt, animals were often seen as divine. Hippos symbolized fierce protection; female baboons, maternity; and the scarab beetle — rolling dung across the earth — came to represent rebirth, echoing the sun's daily resurrection.

古埃及的动物形象——尼罗河和河马和作为容器的水鸟

古埃及玻璃圣甲虫陈中秋供图

古埃及艺术的优雅与写实在动物形象的描绘中达到巅峰——艺术在此处最直接地拥抱着生命。象牙制的马鞭柄呈现出奔跑中的马形；化妆盒仿照野鸭的造型；狮形石质滴水嘴既是装饰，也是建筑的守护神。动物和人物均以最易识别的角度描绘——头部、腿部和脚部为侧面；眼睛和肩膀为正面——创造出一幅理想化且永恒的复合形象。流畅简练的线条构成了这套精致的视觉语言，赋予古埃及艺术一种超越时代、近乎现代的审美感受。

古埃及浮雕壁画——人物头为侧面，肩膀为正面

“尽管风格迥异，中国与埃及两大文明的艺术成就却相互映衬。”薛江说道。

The elegance and realism of ancient Egyptian art reached their height in the depiction of animals — where art most vividly embraced life. A whip handle carved from ivory takes the form of a galloping horse; a cosmetic box mimics the shape of a wild duck; a stone gargoyle, sculpted as a lion, served as both ornament and protector in architecture. Animal and human figures were depicted with each feature shown from its most recognizable angle — heads, legs, and feet in profile; eyes and shoulders frontally — creating a composite image that conveyed an idealized, eternal form. This refined visual language, expressed through dynamic, economical lines, lends ancient Egyptian art a timeless, almost modern, sensibility.

"Though stylistically distinct, the artistic achievements of Chinese and Egyptian civilizations reflect and illuminate each other," said Xue, who also noted that both placed great importance on the acquisition of knowledge and the development of writing.

他指出，这两个古老文明都高度重视知识的积累与文字的发展。“两者都崇尚知识，并创造了早期的象形与表意文字系统。”

据认为，法国语言学家尚-弗朗索瓦·商博良（Jean-François Champollion，1790–1832）在破解埃及象形文字时，曾从被称为“汉字六书”的汉字的造字法中获得启发，尤其是其中的象形字与表意字的构成。

"Both cultures prized learning and employed early pictographic and logographic writing systems."

It is believed that French philologist and orientalist Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832), while deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, was partly inspired by the principles underlying Chinese character formation, including pictographs and ideograms.

尽管纸张的真正发明普遍归功于生活在中国东汉时期的蔡伦（约公元50年—121年），但早在公元前3000年的埃及早王朝时期，古埃及人便已开始制造莎草纸。

中国古代的造纸工艺以植物纤维（如桑树皮）为原料，经过浸泡、捶打成浆，再薄铺于竹帘上晾干成纸。而在古代埃及制作莎草纸时，人们先采集尼罗河流域的莎草植物，取其粗壮的茎部，纵向剖开后切成细长的薄片。然后将这些薄片横纵交错地排列成两层，利用植物自身的汁液进行自然粘合。接着，用重物压实，使其融合成一整张纸。最后将其晾干，并用石头或贝壳将表面打磨光滑，制成可以书写的纸张。

埃及草纸画

文字与书写材料的发明，为两大文明记录历史奠定了基础。无论是刻在石碑上的象形文字、书写于莎草纸卷轴之上的文稿，还是铭刻在甲骨上的卜辞，皆体现出埃及与中国对记忆的珍视与对文明延续的不懈追求。

While paper-making is widely — and rightly — credited to China in the early 2nd century, the ancient Egyptians were producing papyrus as early as 3000 BC during the Early Dynastic Period. Ancient Chinese paper-making involved soaking plant fibers like mulberry bark, beating them into pulp, and spreading them thinly on a bamboo screen to dry into paper. In contrast, Egyptian papyrus was made by slicing the plant's pith into strips, layering them crosswise, pressing to bond, drying, and polishing into smooth writing sheets.

These innovations laid the foundation for historical record-keeping, which flourished in both civilizations. Ancient Egypt and China meticulously documented events, rituals, and daily life — through hieroglyphs on stone and papyrus scrolls, or oracle bone inscriptions — reflecting a mutual commitment to the preserving of memory and the continuity of civilization.

古埃及社会以法老为权力核心，由祭司、文士与工匠构成上层结构，农民与奴隶则处于社会底层。然而，在这套严密的等级体系中，女性并非完全被排除于权力之外。哈特谢普苏特（Hatshepsut）便是其中最杰出的例证——她是埃及历史上第一位以“国王”身份正式登基的女性法老，自公元前1479年至公元前1458年间独立执政。她修建了雄伟的代尔·巴哈里神庙，大力发展贸易，重启通往非洲邦国“蓬特”的远洋贸易航线，并维持国内稳定，被后世誉为最成功的女性统治者之一。

哈特谢普苏特像图源：Getty Images

在中国古代，与哈特谢普苏特相对应的女性人物或可视为商朝晚期的妇好。她生活于公元前13世纪，是商王武丁的王后。甲骨文记载显示，妇好曾多次率军出征，屡建战功，是已知中国历史上最早的女性将领之一。她还主持重要的宗教祭祀，掌管国家礼仪，并在国家政务中发挥关键作用。她的墓葬于1976年在河南安阳被发现，随葬品极为丰富，其中包括大量玉器，显示她在生前地位之崇高。

中国国家博物馆藏殷墟妇好墓出土商代玉人

“这些开创性的女性让我们得以窥见两大文明的风采——既有惊人的共通之处，也展现出引人入胜的差异。”薛江说道。

Ancient Egyptian society was anchored by the pharaoh and upheld by priests, scribes, and artisans, while peasants and slaves labored below. Yet within this rigid hierarchy, women could rise to power. Among them was Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh to rule Egypt as a king, between 1479 and 1458 BC in her own right. Her counterpart in ancient China might be Fu Hao, a remarkable queen of the late Shang dynasty who lived in the 13th century BC, and served as a military general, high priestess, and political leader — an extraordinary fusion of roles rarely held by women in antiquity.

"These trailblazing women offer tantalizing glimpses into two civilizations — rich in striking parallels and intriguing contrasts," said Xue, who believes that ongoing collaborations between Chinese and Egyptian archaeologists are deepening cultural ties.

今天，中埃考古学家的持续合作，正不断深化两国的文化纽带。自2018年起，中埃联合考古队持续在埃及南部卢克索的卡尔纳克神庙群中，对孟图神庙展开发掘。2023年，上海外国语大学与埃及最高文物委员会牵头组建了中埃联合考古项目组，对开罗以南萨卡拉地区猫神巴斯泰特神庙遗址出土的约1000具木棺及相关文物进行整理、数字化扫描、影像采集与深入研究，并借助人工智能和数据库技术开展长期追踪研究与保护，最终将以阿拉伯文、中文、英文三种文字向全球发布研究成果。上海外国语大学埃及历史与艺术研究专家薛江博士，担任该项目中方负责人。

中埃联合考古现场，右为薛江

此外，两国还联合提名中国白鹤梁题刻与埃及罗达岛尼罗米特遗址为联合国教科文组织世界遗产。白鹤梁位于重庆奉节，是一块巨大的水下花岗岩石梁，以密布其上的水文题刻闻名，记录了自唐代以来的水位、洪涝与干旱信息，被誉为“中国古代水文年表”。而尼罗米特则坐落于开罗市中心罗达岛南端，是古埃及及中世纪用于监测尼罗河水位的重要设施，曾直接关系到农业税赋与灌溉计划。这两处水文遗址不仅体现了古代中埃文明对水资源管理的高度智慧，也为全球理解人类文明与自然关系提供了宝贵线索。

Since 2018, a joint archaeological mission has been underway at the Montu Temple in Luxor's Karnak Complex, in southern Egypt. In 2023, a major initiative led by Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) and Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities began digitally scanning, photographing, and researching around 1,000 wooden coffins unearthed in Saqqara, south of Cairo, using AI and database technologies for long-term study. Xue, a professor of Egyptian history and art at SISU, leads the Chinese team on the Saqqara project.

The two nations are also co-nominating the Baiheliang Inscriptions in China and the Nilometer on Egypt's Roda Island for UNESCO World Heritage status — two ancient hydrological sites that reflect the civilizations' shared emphasis on water management.

如今，一份古埃及—赫梯和平条约的复制品常年陈列于纽约联合国总部。这份条约约缔结于公元前1259年，被称为《卡迭石条约》，由埃及法老拉美西斯二世与赫梯国王哈图西里三世签署，被广泛认为是人类历史上最早的现存国际和平协议。

《卡迭石条约》——人类历史上最早的现存国际和平协议薛江供图

“联合国展出的这份复制品，是外交智慧与人类对和平不懈追求的象征。古埃及与中国都高度珍视和平。”薛江说。

“古埃及和中国给予我们的永恒启示是：文明不仅由石头与青铜铸就，更由远见卓识构筑。”他补充道，“两大文明都以独特方式探索生与死、权力与正义、自然与神性的关系，映照出人类最早的精神追求。正如滋养它们的河流依旧奔腾，它们孕育的思想也将持续流传，生生不息。”

Today, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, a replica of the ancient Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty — often referred to as the Treaty of Kadesh — is prominently on display. This treaty, concluded around 1259 BC between Pharaoh Ramesses II of Egypt and King Hattusili III of the Hittite Empire, is recognized as the earliest known surviving international peace agreement.

"The replica at the UN serves as a powerful symbol of diplomacy and the enduring human pursuit of peace, which both ancient Egypt and China treasured dearly," said Xue.

"One timeless lesson from ancient Egypt and China is that civilization is not built merely of stone or bronze, but of vision," he continued. "Each sought, in its own way, to understand life and death, power and justice, nature and the divine. They stand as reflections of humanity's earliest dreams. And just as the rivers that once nourished them still flow, so too do the ideas they gave rise to."