Spring Break
King Tut comes to Dallas
Savannah Carter
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE
Glittering golden jewelry, intricate woven chairs and immense glaring statues are just a few of Egyptian artifacts on display at the Dallas Museum of Art.
The "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit opened Oct. 3, featuring more than 130 ancient artifacts from King Tut's tomb and other areas in Egypt.
Ken Johnson of the history faculty said King Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of 8 or 9 and was the son of Akkenaten, a pharaoh who did away with the traditional gods of Egypt and decided to worship only one god.
"One of the most important things he did was to restore the old worship of traditional gods," Johnson said. "The Egyptians valued tradition more than any other ancient civilization."
The in-house curator for the Tutankhmum exhibit, former archaeologist Anne Bromberg, said the treasures are more than 3,000 years old. Bromberg said there are four new artifacts displayed that have never been seen in the southern U.S. before.
"There are two exquisite pieces of jewelry," Bromberg said. "There is a scarab bracelet and a spectacular pictorial that represents the Egyptian religion in jewelry form."
Bromberg said that this large and glitzy pictorial contains a glowing scarab beetle, which is a symbol of the sun god Ra, in the center. What is unusual about this piece, Bromberg said, is that the beetle is made of a type of glass from an asteroid impact that hit Siberia in the early 20th century.
"The most complex is the set of nested coffins that were found with stillborn little girls inside," Bromberg said. "They are thought to be King Tut's daughters."
The gilded coffins were found nested one inside of the other in Tut's tomb. National Geographic is currently conducting research to determine if these are in fact Tut's daughters, Bromberg said.
"The pieces are so intricate; they can be snapped, dented or damaged easily," Bromberg said.
The pieces were carefully observed and transported by American Airlines.
A large group of archeologists accompanied the artifacts to ensure safe travel, she said.
The artifacts come mainly from the museums in Cairo and Luxor.
The Egyptians are in need of new museums, and they hope to raise money from this exhibit to build these new museums, Bromberg said.
"They have the world's rarest treasures and their facilities are not able to house them," she said. "This exhibit in Dallas will attract more than a million people."
The exhibit was in London from November 2007 until August 2008.
"The showings are huge successes at every venue," Bromberg said.
Major sponsors of the exhibit include National Geographic, American Airlines and Northern Trust financial service.
The exhibit is on display in Dallas until May 17, 2009.
For more information about the exhibit, check out dallasmuseumofart.org.
Tickets and schedule information are available on ticketmaster.com.
The "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit opened Oct. 3, featuring more than 130 ancient artifacts from King Tut's tomb and other areas in Egypt.
Ken Johnson of the history faculty said King Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of 8 or 9 and was the son of Akkenaten, a pharaoh who did away with the traditional gods of Egypt and decided to worship only one god.
"One of the most important things he did was to restore the old worship of traditional gods," Johnson said. "The Egyptians valued tradition more than any other ancient civilization."
The in-house curator for the Tutankhmum exhibit, former archaeologist Anne Bromberg, said the treasures are more than 3,000 years old. Bromberg said there are four new artifacts displayed that have never been seen in the southern U.S. before.
"There are two exquisite pieces of jewelry," Bromberg said. "There is a scarab bracelet and a spectacular pictorial that represents the Egyptian religion in jewelry form."
Bromberg said that this large and glitzy pictorial contains a glowing scarab beetle, which is a symbol of the sun god Ra, in the center. What is unusual about this piece, Bromberg said, is that the beetle is made of a type of glass from an asteroid impact that hit Siberia in the early 20th century.
"The most complex is the set of nested coffins that were found with stillborn little girls inside," Bromberg said. "They are thought to be King Tut's daughters."
The gilded coffins were found nested one inside of the other in Tut's tomb. National Geographic is currently conducting research to determine if these are in fact Tut's daughters, Bromberg said.
"The pieces are so intricate; they can be snapped, dented or damaged easily," Bromberg said.
The pieces were carefully observed and transported by American Airlines.
A large group of archeologists accompanied the artifacts to ensure safe travel, she said.
The artifacts come mainly from the museums in Cairo and Luxor.
The Egyptians are in need of new museums, and they hope to raise money from this exhibit to build these new museums, Bromberg said.
"They have the world's rarest treasures and their facilities are not able to house them," she said. "This exhibit in Dallas will attract more than a million people."
The exhibit was in London from November 2007 until August 2008.
"The showings are huge successes at every venue," Bromberg said.
Major sponsors of the exhibit include National Geographic, American Airlines and Northern Trust financial service.
The exhibit is on display in Dallas until May 17, 2009.
For more information about the exhibit, check out dallasmuseumofart.org.
Tickets and schedule information are available on ticketmaster.com.
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