King Tut Rules Again
Philly Hosts Two Magnificent Egyptian Exhibits
The heat of the Egyptian sun formed beads of sweat on Lord Carnarvon's brow, and he wiped them away impatiently. Besides him, Egyptologist Howard Carter peered into the hole he'd made in the door of the newly discovered pharaoh's tomb, his candle flame flickering as hot air escaped from the chamber. "Can you see anything?" Lord Carnarvon asked anxiously, unable to stand the suspense any longer.
"Yes, wonderful things!" Carter replied.
It was November 26, 1922, and Carter had just made the most spectacular archaeological discovery of all time -- that of the tomb of a once little-known pharaoh, the boy-king Tutankhamun, who lived more than 3,300 years ago. The only tomb of its era to be found intact and full of indescribable treasures (as well as a mysterious curse), Carter's find helped make Tutankhamun the most popular of the Egyptian pharaohs in the modern world.
Thirty years ago, from 1976-1979, Tut's treasures visited the United States. No other cultural exhibit has piqued the nation's curiosity -- before or since -- in quite the same way as The Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibit. During that period, nearly 8 million Americans viewed the rare artifacts during sold-out tours at each museum where they appeared.
Now, from February 3 to September 30, 2007, Tut's treasures are once again on display -- this time, at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the final stop in the current exhibit's U.S. tour.
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs
More than double the size of the original 1976 exhibit, Tutankamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs brings nearly 130 pieces of Egyptian antiquities, many outside of Egypt for the first time, to the Franklin Institute. Objects on display range from Tut's royal crown to the confinettes that contained his organs. In addition, more than 70 artifacts from five other pharaoh's tombs of the 18th dynasty will also be on display. Some of the artifacts date back 3,500 years.
Before entering the exhibit, I recommend that you see The Mysteries of Egypt in the Franklin Institute's IMAX theater. The Mysteries of Egypt is the first IMAX movie from National Geographic, a stunning film that unlocks the myths and reveals the masterpieces of this amazing empire that began some 5,000 years ago.
Omar Sharif guides viewers on a magic carpet-ride that soars over the Nile and across the Valley of the Kings, descending into the shadowy chambers of King Tut's sacred tomb, a tomb for a king whose people believed that death was not an end, but the beginning of a great journey.
After the movie, enter the Tut exhibit, which begins with a short film. You'll explore galleries that highlight life in Egypt before King Tut, in which you'll learn about daily life, traditional Egyptian beliefs, and death, burial and the afterlife. Then you'll move on to galleries featuring the revolutionary ruler Akhenaten, his religious revolution, the art of the period and then the life -- and death -- of the famous boy-king.
Finally, you'll learn about the mystery that surrounds Tut's death via CT scans. Despite four previous examinations of his mummy, it was not until 2005 during a five-year Egyptian research and conservation project that the truth of why Tut died so young came to light.
To fully appreciate the treasure found in Tutankhamun's tomb, it helps to understand more about the Amarna period (1353-1335 BCE) and the unique times in which Tutankhamun lived. To do this, I suggest you also visit another remarkable exhibit in Philadelphia: Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun, at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun
Three thousand three hundred years ago a young boy stood on the East bank of the Nile gazing solemnly into the distance. He watched as the sun disk -- known as the Aten, and Egypt's sole god -- appeared behind a notch in the far-off cliffs. The boy, known as Tutankhaten (better known through history as Tutankhamun), was soon to ascend the throne of Egypt. The place, Akhetaten (modern Amarna), was the new royal city built by Tut's probably dad, the heretic king, Akhenaten. Amarna grew, flourished -- and vanished -- in the space of little more than a generation. Why? How was this possible?
Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun offers a rare look at the swift rise and fall of this unique royal city. The exhibition, the centerpiece of the Museum's "Year of Egypt," features more than 100 ancient artifacts of the Amarna period.
The Pharaoh Akhenaten founded Amarna, a royal city he built in an uninhabited stretch of desert in Middle Egypt. He ruled Egypt alongside his wife, the exquisitely beautiful Queen Nefertititi (Tut's mom was not Nefertiti, but thought to be a lesser wife, Kiya). Akhenaten radically altered Egypt's long-standing polytheistic religious practices, introducing the belief in a single deity, the disk of the sun, called the Aten. With the new religion came a dramatic new artistic style, characterized by naturalistic figures and curvy lines. But by the time that Tut died, about the age of 19, the Amarna period was not only coming to an end, but the Egyptian people's traditional religious practices were being restored.
Penn's Amarna exhibit will help you rediscover this once-thriving royal city through artifacts, drawings, maps, photography, and computer recreations, which tell the story of the Pharaoh Akhenaten's attempt to transform ancient Egypt.
For me, it is learning about this transformation of an ancient land -- and the stories behind the treasure of the people who lived, worked and died there -- that makes these two exhibits so important. I left wondering what other stories will be told one day, pieced together by a modern-day Howard Carter, from treasure still hidden beneath Egypt's shifting sands.
If You Go:
Tutankhamun and The Golden Age of the Pharaohs: The Franklin Institute Science Museum, Dates: February 3 - September 30, 2007. For tickets call 888/600-KTUT or visit www.fi.edu./tut. Purchase tickets in advance.
Amarna Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun: The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. For information call: 215/898-4000 or visit www.museum.upenn.edu.
Published February 15, 2007.
