Archaeology in the nineteenth century acted as an arm of the British Empire. Archaeologists held deeply ingrained Orientalist beliefs that often dictated standards of practice. Britain’s imperial power grew through acts of colonialism and through archaeological conquests, both of which Orientalism heavily influenced as an ideology. British greed for power and influence globally fed into growing Egyptomania. At the same time, the British nationalist identity grew amongst the working and middle classes. Britons were active participants in the crown’s imperial actions and archaeological developments. Empire was not merely a place; it was an ideology that unified the nation. Empire encompassed imperialism, Orientalist ideologies, and archaeological success in "the Orient," which often occurred in Egypt. The wider British public participated in empire through reading and visiting museums, which allowed them to witness the international reach of the empire from home. Thus, the national identity relied upon imperial and colonial success over other Western nations, which was often represented through appropriation of artifacts from Egypt and other "Oriental" spaces. This thesis examines the relationship between imperial archaeology’s successes and the British public’s active participation in empire and education. This thesis demonstrates the powerful influence of the nation on political and archaeological pursuits and its unintended consequences on British-appropriated Egyptian artifacts.