Yes, you read that right — the legendary Egyptian king is coming to town.
On Saturday, March 18 (aka tomorrow), COSI will unveil its newest exhibition, “TUTANKHAMUN: His Tomb and His Treasures,” which offers a once-in-a-lifetime journey into the art and archaeology of ancient Egypt.
We’ll get into all the deets of the exhibition, but first, let’s brush up on some (literally) ancient history.
King Tut’s story
Tutankhamun was born over 3,000 years in 1341 BC, and was the antepenultimate (or third to last) king in Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. He ascended to the throne at the age of nine, and ruled until his death nine years later at the age of 18. Historians still aren’t sure why he died.
Fast forward to 1922. British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered a four-chamber tomb containing the mummified body of King Tut and over 5,000 artifacts (think: chests, sculptures, jewels, food + more). When most of us think of Egyptian pharaohs, we picture King Tut’s gold burial mask.
The philosophy guiding the exhibition
When curators set out to create this exhibition, they wanted to allow visitors to experience the discovery for themselves. But they quickly ran into a problem: What do you do when precious artifacts can’t (and shouldn’t) be shown in person?
The solution: Get creative. “TUTANKHAMUN” uses thousands of expertly crafted replicas to recreate the experience of stepping into the tomb, exactly how it was on the day it was discovered. Through the use of these replicas (all of which were made in Egypt), the exhibition accomplishes what no others can: It is the most accurate, comprehensive experience of the tomb in the world, and also brings together pieces that can only be seen separately elsewhere, or not able to be seen at all.
See it for yourself
The exhibition opens at COSI tomorrow. Tickets for Saturday are already sold out (that’s how you know it’s good), but Sunday tickets are still available. The exhibition will be on view through Sept. 4 during regular museum hours. Tickets are $15 plus general admission. See you there, Columbus.*
