Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs opens Friday at the Dallas Museum of Art

by Laura Seewoester

After much anticipation, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs opens Friday at the Dallas Museum of Art, bringing with it much of the treasure and mystery from ancient Egypt. Don't forget to buy your tickets ahead of time.

The first section of the exhibit focuses on objects from the tombs of Tut's predecessors. It's like a family tree of artifacts, including items from daily life in ancient Egypt and a composite statue of Nefertiti that captures her legendary beauty. The most impressive artifacts are from the tomb of Yuya and Tjuya (believed to be Tut's grandparents), which include the gilded coffin and funerary mask of Tjuya. Despite the black mark on the funerary mask (which was left by the fine linens they laid over the mask), it's quite impressive.

The real meat of the exhibit is, of course, the items found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Expect a lot of gold and color. The scarab bracelet (which has never toured before) is much bigger than it looks in the picture. Very man-tastic. And no, there is no sarcophagus or coffin or mummy mask. Most of these items (at least the mask) are at the The Egyptian Museum and I'm pretty sure they aren't ready to part with them any time soon. The mask supposedly bears a curse that says, "Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the king." Apparently eight of the people that were present when Tut's coffin was opened faced untimely deaths. Needless to say, it stays put. One of the main pieces of the exhibit is the Canopic Coffinette that held Tut's liver. The detail is magnificent. Don't forget to circle around the whole piece as the back is just as ornate, and almost as beautiful, as the front.

The exhibit, above all, is an educational experience (at least for those of us who haven't put much time into studying the Boy King). Here are some cool tidbits of information I picked up (and believe me, I will learn more when I go back):

• Tut's predecessor and father (well, probably), Akhenaten, changed the religious focus to one god. When Tut became king he abandoned the monotheistic beliefs and restored the traditional belief in many gods.
• Tut changed his name once he was king from his original name Tutankhaten. Tut means "image," ankh means "life" and amun means "God." This makes Tutankhamun translate to "image of the living God."
• King Tut died mysteriously at the age of 19. The cause of his death is still unknown.
• The fetuses of two female infants were found in Tut's tomb. They are currently undergoing DNA testing to determine indisputably if they are the children of Tut and his (maybe) half sister/wife Ankhesenamun.
• Lineage is not exactly cut and dry. Tut's predecessor and likely father, Akhenaten, had multiple wives. It is believed, but not with certainty, that Tut's mother is Akhenaten's minor wife Queen Kiya. That's assuming Akhenaten is the father. (Sounds like a bad episode of Jerry Springer, eh?)

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