King Tut, the boy king who took the throne in 1332 BC became famous for the discovery of his tomb that can now be seen at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs exhibit has brought more history to Canada since its first visit in 1997, with 100 artifacts varying from the cobra collar, the statue of Osiris and artifacts found in King Tutankhamen’s tomb.
Many of the visitors seem to have enjoyed the experience.
Aaron Morris, a student from York University at the exhibit, said his favourite artifact was the golden canopic coffinette of King Tut that contained his stomach.
The coffinette was an exact copy of the golden coffin Tutankhamen was buried in.
“It looks very authentic,” said Morris. The coffinette has intricate colours on the outside and hieroglyphics inside.
Golden sandals along with finger and toe protectors were found on King Tut’s mummy and are now on display at the AGO.
Some of the attention grabbers are the gold death mask of Psusennes I, who built the central part of the Great Temple at Tanis dedicated to the God Amun, a canopic jar of Kiya, who could have been Tutankhamen’s mother, a colossal statue of Amenhotep IV, who changed the capital of Egypt from Thebes to el-Amarna during his reign, and the coffin of Queen Meritamun, who was Rameses’s II daughter and wife.
Josey Lang, one of the visitors said her favourite artifact was the leopard plaque made of gold.
“I would recommend coming here because you learn a lot about history,” added Lang.
Some history can be seen in a short video describing the discovery of King Tut’s tomb by archeologist Carter Howard who came upon the tomb when a boy spilled water, finding the first step to the entrance in 1922.
This is considered the greatest discovery in history because King Tut’s tomb was found intact bringing further information of what the 18th dynasty was like.
King Tut had a reign of only nine years. He died at the age of 19 and was buried with his two stillborn daughters.
A wooden box featured in the treasury section of the exhibit is where two fetuses were found, and one has been positively identified as Tutankhamen’s daughter, explained Gemma Levett, the general manager of Arts and Exhibitions International who organizes the exhibit.
“It (the exhibit) premiered in Vienna, and has since travelled to Atlanta, Indianapolis and Toronto,” said Levett.
She also said a set of earrings was added to the Toronto exhibit after its visit in Atlanta.
The last room of the exhibit has a colossal statue of King Tut to leave the visitors with the image of Tutankhamen. However, the exhibit ended with a 3D x-ray of King Tut’s body and information on new discoveries, one of which was the recent discovery by the American Medical Association that King Tut was not murdered, but died of severe brain malaria.
The exhibit will be at the AGO until April 18.
