The Denver Art Museum is one of only two places nationwide to catch a glimpse into King Tuts tomb.
Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, runs through Jan. 9, 2011, and features more than 100 treasures from the tomb of King Tut and additional ancient sites. A companion exhibit, King Tut in NYC, is currently showing at the Discovery Times Square Exhibition in New York City.
Among the items on display are the golden sandals that adorned the mummy and an intricate canopic jar that held the pharaohs mummified stomach. Other highlights include the largest image of King Tut ever unearthed a 10-foot statue of the pharaoh found at the remains of the funerary temple of two of his high officials.
The exhibition also features objects from some of the most important rulers throughout 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, from the Fourth Dynasty into the Late Period (about 2,600 B.C. to 660 B.C.). Derived from a variety of contexts, including temples and royal and private tombs, many of these artifacts had never before visited the United States before this exhibition tour.
Among some of the less-celebrated rulers represented are Khafre, builder of the Great Sphinx and one of the pyramids at Giza; Hatshepsut, the queen who became a pharaoh; and Psusennes I, whose golden death mask will be on display.
The DAM has dedicated two expansive Hamilton Building gallery spaces to the exhibition. The experience begins with a short National Geographic documentary narrated by actor Harrison Ford and continues in spaces exploring some of the most important pharaohs throughout ancient Egyptian history. The final galleries are dedicated to King Tuts tomb, including an area devoted to its discovery by British explorer Howard Carter in 1922. Visitors encounter legendary artifacts from the tombs antechamber, annex, treasury and burial chamber in corresponding galleries, which include the pharaohs jewelry, furniture, weaponry and statuary.
The exhibition is organized by the National Geographic Society, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.
A portion of the proceeds from the tour will go toward antiquities preservation and conservation efforts in Egypt, including the construction of a new grand museum in Cairo.
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