King Tut Exhibit at the Franklin Institute begins February 2007

[sabrinamari]

http://www.fi.edu/tut/exhibit_info.html

King Tut Tour Information

Thirty years after the “boy king” last visited the United States and more than 3,000 years after his death, King Tutankhamun will be coming to Philadelphia as the final stop on his final tour of this country.

Nearly doubling the size of the original 1977 exhibition Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs will be bringing close to 130 pieces of Egyptian antiquities, many outside of Egypt for the first time, to The Franklin Institute. The 18th Dynasty, also known as the “Golden Age,” produced some of the most exquisite pieces of art for some of Egypt’s most famous rulers. Within the exhibit witness not only a child-sized throne made of ebony, ivory and gold but also artifacts from the five other Pharaohs tombs, which ruled during the “Golden Age.”

Look into the eyes of a “boy king” recreated by CT scans and explore the mystery that surrounds King Tutankhamun’s death. Four previous examinations have given a glimpse into how the king came to an early rest but it was not until 2005 during a five-year Egyptian research and conservation project did a true picture come to light.

Antiquities

Close to 130 artifacts comprise Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of Pharaohs. 50 artifacts excavated from the tomb of King Tutankhamun that range from his royal diadem or crown to the confinettes that contained his organs. In addition to the artifacts from Tut’s tomb there are more than 70 pieces from tombs of rulers also part of the “Golden Age.” All of the antiquities within the exhibit date back more than 3,500 years.

Dates and Times

February 3, 2007 – September 30, 2007
Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Tickets Available Online

Comments

[catpaw67.livejournal.com]

I'm in! When should we go? Sounds like it opens the weekend of PolyLiving.

[elphaba-of-oz.livejournal.com]

OOOOO! An excuse to get B to spend a weekend in a Philly hotel with me and eat sushi!!!!!!

[sligoe.livejournal.com]

I'm SO there! Let's do a group trip, and spend some fabulous time wandering around Philly!

The boy King

[stephandcurtis.livejournal.com]

I had the immense pleasure of seeing this exhibit in Los Angeles last October with my Mom and her husband. The pieces are fabulous, however LACMA had some serious issues - the lighting on most pieces SUCKED, both the text descriptions as well as the voice commentary by Omar Sharif were quite lacking. It was during the last 2 weeks of the exhibit and the mirror on the back of the diamdem was turned around backwards so it reflected into a mostly empty room and didn't show off the fabulous artwork on the back of the diadem that it should have. When I pointed this out to a proctor they just shrugged their shoulders. I hope that they have improved the exhibit since LA.
However, it was, as far as I was concerned, a once in a lifetime chance to see some amazing pieces of artwork and history and despite the exhibit's drawbacks I will be forever grateful at the opportunity to see it.

If you can, see it on the first opening time of the day, the exhibit was crowded into rooms that made it difficult to see items with all the crowd surrounding them - many items were backed up almost to the walls, despite the need to 1. let the masses go around them and 2. let people see the artwork on the back of the pieces. being first in during the day means smaller crowds and an easier flow and opportunity to appreciate each piece. We took 3 hours to view the exhibit.

What you will not see:

1. The death mask
2. Any of his sarcophogi, though they do have a 2 fabulous ones from that period.
3. Many of the famous jewels and furniture items from his burial cache.

FYI - the day before I went to LA fro this exhibit I was in las vegas and checked out the reproduction burial chambers at the Luxor.

Sabrina, it brought back so many memories of the Ramses II exhibit we went to together in Dallas . . .
Stephanie