Los Angeles’ California Science Center will be the first venue to host the largest ever travelling exhibition of artefacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun.
The show, titled King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, features 150 items, many of which have never left Egypt. They include a stunning gold and enamel coffinette, one of four used to house the king’s internal organs. This example held his liver and is executed to the same high standard as the full size coffin.
Tutankhamun’s lotus cup is also featured. Made from thinly worked alabaster, it features symbols relating to the Egyptian afterlife.
The hieroglyphic inscription reads: “May your ka live, may you spend millions of years, you, who love Thebes, sitting with your face to the north wind, your eyes beholding happiness”.
This same text is inscribed on the gravestone of Howard Carter, the archaeologist who led the expedition that discovered the tomb.
California Science Center President Jeff Rudolph said: “Each artifact presented in King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh is important to the story of King Tut – helping us to learn how they were used in his daily life and in preparations for his journey to the afterlife.
“Especially notable is what the discovery of his tomb meant to the world of archaeology and the insights gained from the state-of-the-art technology and scientific analyses of King Tut’s mummy and artifacts.
“It is our honor to be the first institution to host the exhibition that will hopefully inspire people around the world to see the exhibition and visit the upcoming Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza to see more of these wonders of ancient Egypt.”
The show will run in LA from March 24 to January 6, 2019. After that it will move on to nine European cities before heading on to Cairo.
