In 2005, KingTut is Back

Marking the first time the treasures of Tutankhamun (King Tut) have visited America in 26 years, National Geographic, AEG Exhibitions and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, will bring an extensive exhibition of more than 130 treasures from the tomb of the celebrated pharaoh, other Valley of the Kings tombs and additional ancient sites to the United States on a 27-month tour beginning in Los Angeles on June 16, 2005.

“Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” will appear at the following venues:

The exhibition will include 50 major objects excavated from Tutankhamun’s tomb, including his royal diadem — the gold crown discovered encircling the head of the king’s mummified body that he likely wore while living — and one of the gold and precious stone inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs.

More than 70 objects from other royal graves of the 18th Dynasty (1555 B.C.-1305 B.C.) will be showcased as well, including those of pharaohs Amenhotep ll and Thutmose lV and the rich, intact tomb of Yuya and Tuyu, parents-in-law of Amenhotep lll and great-grandparents of Tutankhamun. Yuya and Tuyu’s tomb was the most celebrated historical find in the Valley of the Kings until Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun’s undisturbed burial chamber in 1922. All of the treasures in the exhibit are between 3,300 and 3,500 years old.

The exhibition will draw visitors back in time with inventive design and innovative technology, allowing viewers to explore and experience the world of King Tut. They will come face to face with his contemporaries, see and hear about the fascinating times in which the young king lived and learn how his short reign changed history. The exhibition also will feature National Geographic images and film footage about the golden age of the pharaohs.

Some of the treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb were last displayed in the United States during a seven-city tour from 1976 to 1979, which attracted some eight million visitors and set traveling exhibition attendance records. Both LACMA and The Field Museum hosted that original Tutankhamun tour and will once again participate in the new exhibition tour.

National Geographic will publish a companion book to the exhibit in May 2005. “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” by Zahi Hawass will feature the fabulous artifacts found in Tutankhamun’s tomb and treasures of other 18th-Dynasty pharaohs.

For more information on the exhibition, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com/tut or www.KingTut.org.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets to the exhibition at LACMA will go on sale to Museum members on Dec. 1, 2004 and to the general public in March 2005. For information or to purchase LACMA member tickets, please call 1-877-TUT-TKTS or visit www.KingTut.org or www.lacma.org. Availability in other markets will be announced in the coming months.