There are approximately 20,000 individual artefacts in the Leeds archaeological collections, including ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities as well as native British, European and other overseas archaeological material. The historic core of the collections is composed of objects collected by the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society between the early 19th century and 1921.
These objects include sculpture from Greece and the Greek islands, marbles from Italy, and a diverse Egyptian collection including the mummy of the ancient Egyptian priest Nesyamun. The archaeological collection not only covers many thousands of years of history and prehistory but also represents a wide range of cultures and civilisations around the world. The archaeology collections are housed principally at The Discovery Centre where they can be viewed by appointment. Part of the Medieval collection is stored and displayed at Kirkstall Abbey.
There are two galleries showcasing archaeology in the Leeds City Museum. The archaeology of the Leeds area can be explored in The Leeds Story, and treasures of Egypt, Greece and Rome are on display in Ancient Worlds.