Exhibition Hub’s latest installation, “Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures” is sure to satisfy the world’s obsession with the boy king, with more than 1,000 painstakingly recreated artifacts and tombs that tell the story of his brief reign, his royal life, and opulent death chambers.
The exhibit is now open to the public and expected to run at least through the end of the year, Exhibition Hub Executive Producer John Zaller said.
More than 25,000 tickets have already been sold, officials said.
At the media preview day/opening reception, Egyptologist Dr. Melinda Hartwig, an Emory professor who is a special advisor to the exhibition, said the legendary king “is never going to run out of gas.”
“His life and death capture our imagination like no other ancient ruler,” Hartwig said. “This exhibit takes you through Egypt and provides depth and context to his life.”
Tutankhamun, who ascended to the throne at age nine in 1332 BC as one of the last kings of the 18th Dynasty, is believed to have died nine years later. Hartwig said medical evidence revealed that Tut had a host of serious medical maladies, including a club foot, advanced malaria, and a gangrenous broken leg, the most probable cause of his demise.
His opulent burial chambers, which contained more than 5,000 objects, including golden thrones, chariots, weapons, sacks of grain, and figurines, were about the size of three small New York apartments. The exhibit painstakingly recreates the first room that the British archeologist Howard Carter discovered in 1922 after more than five years of searching.
The exhibit, which took more than six years to create, then “unpacks” the contents of the tomb and provides fascinating insights into the king’s life and the ancient traditions of Tut and his family.
“There is so much information on European and Greek culture in this exhibit,” Zaller said. “This civilization was so advanced yet was mixed with the same political controversy that we see today.”
The crown jewel of the show is certainly the king’s tomb, which was actually encased in four separate coffins. Visitors are provided with audio wands that provide additional commentary as they travel from room to room.
“I can see this as an experience that children and their grandparents will find equally fascinating,” Zaller said. “This atmosphere is so inclusive and welcoming to people of every religion, every race, and every walk of life.”
For tickets and more information, visit https://tutankhamunexpo.com/atlanta. The exhibit, located at 5660 Buford Highway in Doraville, is open alongside “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.” Combination packages are available for those who want to tour both exhibits in a single day.