Monday, November 05, 2007

Tutankhamun's Mummy

The mummy of boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun has been moved from its sarcophagus in his tomb and placed on public display for the first time in a climate controlled glass case. Not being an Egyptologist, I was somewhat surprised to learn that this mummy has been kept in the tomb all along. That seemed a little reckless to me. Humidity introduced into the tomb by the perspiration and breath of tourists has been damaging the mummy.

"King Tut" is the general public's vision of ancient Egypt and I remember the frenzy that attended the Tutankhamun exhibits here in the US thirty years ago. The National Geographic Society is sponsoring another series of exhibits of Tut artifacts beginning in London later this month. There will be exhibits here in the US starting in Dallas next year, but other venues have yet to be named. The Denver newspapers are saying that one of them will be here, but that may be wishful thinking.

2 comments:

dr. hypercube said...

Has it been 30 years?!?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvmiJQSl5hM

Arup muses said...

Fully agree that the body should never have been kept in the tomb.

If one is to believe James Patterson, who writes in his book, The Murder of King Tut, that King Tut's body was cut in half by either a British/ American pathologist who couldn't get the mummy out !!!!!!!!!! Anyway, it could have been researched further.