National Geographic’s exhibit “Tutankhamun: The Golden King and Great Pharaohs” is on display at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis through Oct. 25, 2009. Included in the exhibit are artifacts from King Tut and ancient Egyptian rulers and CT scans of King Tut’s mummy.
The Tutankhamun display offers visitors an opportunity to explore a 2,000-year period of time in ancient Egyptian history. The exhibit features over 130 treasures from the tomb of the “Boy King” and other pharaohs who ruled Egypt from the 4th Dynasty into the Late period (from approximately 2600 B.C. to 660 B.C.).
King Tut’s Treasures
Four rooms of King Tut’s nearly intact tomb were discovered in 1922, and the exhibit includes four galleries that correspond to these four rooms: the antechamber, the annex, the treasury, and the burial chamber.
Visitors can view such legendary artifacts as King Tut’s golden sandals, jewelry, furniture, weaponry and statuary. Special features include a 10-foot statue that may originally have stood at King Tut’s mortuary temple, one of four canopic jars made of gold and inlaid with precious stones that mummified King Tut's internal organs, and CT scans of King Tut’s mummy.
Other Pharaoahs Included in the Exhibit
Artifacts from other important Egyptian rulers of the era include those of:
- Khefren, whose great pyramid is the only remaining structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world
- Hatshepsut, a queen who became a king
- Psusennes I, whose magnificent golden death mask is on display
Exhibit Times and Admission
The exhibit is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and until 8 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month. Admission requires the purchase of a timed entry ticket with general admission to the museum. The ticket specifies a 30-minute window of time during which you must enter the exhibit; however, you may stay as long as you like. Ticket prices are as follows: Monday through Thursday, $25 adults, $15 ages 2-17, and $23 ages 60 and over and students 18 and over with ID; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, $30 adults, $15 ages 2-17, and $27.50 ages 60 and over and students 18 and over with ID. Available time slots may be viewed and tickets may be purchased online.
