Judy and I set off for a girls’ weekend in Melbourne.
For a while it looked as though we wouldn’t make it as Qantas were having industrial problems and delaying and cancelling flights. When we finally did arrive at the airport (at 5.30am) our flight was delayed for 45 minutes because of an electrical storm, then there were road works on the way in from Melbourne airport to the city. The result of this was that we were an hour late for our first appointment, a visit to the Tutankhamun exhibition. However, this didn’t seem to matter, as the crowds weren’t as bad as we’d expected, and soon we were transported back to ancient Egypt.
The exhibition included 80 exhibits from the reigns of Tutankhamun's immediate predecessors in the Eighteenth dynasty, as well as 50 from Tutankhamun's tomb.
Although it featured predominantly in the advertising, the exhibition did not include the gold mask that has become the popular icon for ancient Egypt, as the Egyptian government has determined that the mask is too fragile to withstand travel and will never again leave the country.
I was not aware of this, so was quite shocked to come to the end of the exhibition without having seen it. Had I missed it? However, I had seen it in the Cairo Museum when I was in Egypt with Bobbie in 2004 – something I will remember for the rest of my life.
Some facts about King Tut:
* The pyramids at Giza had been around for about a thousand years before his lifetime (approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC).
* His father was the Pharaoh Akenhaten.
* His mother was Akhenaten’s half sister.
* His reign began when he was nine years old.
* He married his half sister (her father was Akenhaten and her mother was the beautiful Queen Nefertiti, Akenhaten’s favourite wife.) They had two stillborn daughters whose mummified foetuses were found in King Tut’s tomb. Their beautiful little coffins were included in the exhibition.
* He died aged 18 – the cause of his death remains a mystery.
* He did not have scoliosis, as previously believed, but was just mummified a bit crooked.
* His tomb was not discovered until 1922, by Howard Carter and George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon.
I never cease to be amazed by the craftsmanship and beauty of these artifacts from so long ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment