Posted on 06/27/2005 11:01:22 AM PDT by Jubal Harshaw
Just came back from the King Tut exhibit in LA. I saw the exhibit in '76, and have seen the Tut exhibit in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and have been to the Luxor Museum / Valley of Kings / Valley of Queens / Abu Simbel / etc. My girlfriend never saw any of the Tut exhibits before, so together we represent a wide range of pre-existing knowledge about Tut and about ancient Egypt.
We both thought the LA exhibit, soon touring the USA, was a waste of time. The exhibit included no closely Tut-related paraphernalia bigger than a breadbox. The largest item is the gilded Coffin of Tjuya, which was apparently found in the tomb of a nobleman who might (or might not) have been Tut's great grandfather. Tjuya herself therefore might (or might not) have been Tut's great grandmother. That coffin is large, but it is likely three generations removed from Tut, and, even if related to Tut, is from a then non-royal branch of the family. It's a nice piece, but that's as good as it gets.
The famous gold bust of Tut? Not there. Tut's sarcophagus? Not there. The famous lion bed? Not there. All that's in LA that Tut might actually have owned is jewelry, trinkets, and a few small statues, many broken and not restored. Presumably so that people didn't know what they were missing, the museum didn't even have color photographs of the glorious finds that didn't make it on the tour.
All in all, for us it was a waste of time. The price was OK (~$20.00 each), but it was probably worth ~$10.00 / person. If you have a free afternoon, and want to see a few second-rate Egyptian trinkets that may be related to Tut, then it's a way to kill a few hours.
Tut Light, huh?
Just another failed culture.
Tutmania? Not the Tut, but an incredible simulation.
Wonder why they didn't exhibit all the things they did in the 70's?
That is the only culture in LA right now.
Is it better than going to the Getty and looking at 3 paintings on a huge empty wall?
That is where I saw it, in NO.
...raised in Babylonia...
Funky Tut!
No. If you can do only one or the other, you are better off going to the Getty than to the Tut exhibit. I say that as someone who'se been to the Getty many many times, and for whom the novelty of the Getty has worn off.
I'm going to a private party there tomorrow night. It'll be fun even if the exhibit sucks.
I believe one of the artifacts broke/cracked during the original tour and they were very afraid of risking anything this time. It was very controversial about whether to even have another tour. I guess, in the true spirit of compromise, a group of 14 moderate Egyptians arranged for this deal....some things got to make the trip, just not anything anyone really wants to see.
If you are still in New Orleans, you might want to check out the Faberge egg collection in the New Orleans Museum in City Park. If you can only do one or the other, and if all other things are equal, I'd go to the Tut exhibit over the Faberge exhibit, but if you have to rearrange your schedule to see Tut, I'd see the Faberge exhibit.
I wonder if any of his black relatives know where these items are :-)
What's the difference between this and 3,000 years from now someone digging up my body and putting it on display in a museum? A bigger tomb?
Watch out. Those private parties with Eqyptian mummies always turn out bad ---
Either the Joker shows up -OR-
Some drunk/security guard/drunk security guard accidently opens up a scarab beetle case, releasing the soul of the pharoah, bent on revenge.
I saw the Ramses the Great exhibit and the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in Dallas. My opinion of each was the same as yours.
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