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A trip into the past - Tutankhamun

Posted by Claudia Moser on 4:49 PM in , , , , ,

Our friends invited us yesterday for a trip into the past, an exhibition in Frankfurt about Tutankhamun, the last pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. He was born on approx. 1341 BC and lived and rules until 1323 BC.

He became famous on the 4th of November 1922, when Howard Carter and George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon revealed the entrance to Tutankhamun's nearly intact tomb. At that time, the discovery sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun's burial mask remains the most popular symbol. Exhibits of artifacts from his tomb have toured the world and one of the best replicas it to be admired in Frankfurt.

I am deeply interested in history and somehow the pyramids and the ancient Egyptian culture has always attracted my interest, this is why I did a lot of reading on the subject. There were several good series on BBC and also on National Geographic which detailed this period, thus many things were familiar to me. But still the fascination was there, it was an impressive exhibition, with interactive videos, copies of the artifacts but above all great company.

Tutankhamun was the son of Akhenaten (formerly Amenhotep IV), the first ruler who introduced one god worship, for  Aten, the Sun God. Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of nine, and he reversed several changes made during his father's reign. He ended the worship of the god Aten and restored the god Amun to supremacy. The ban on the cult of Amun was lifted and traditional privileges were restored to its priesthood. The capital was moved back to Thebes and the city of Akhetaten abandoned (the location chosen by his father).

There are not so many details about his life, more about his death, but many scientists mention that he must have brought some peace with his neighbors, since his tomb does include gifts from several near-by countries. Somehow I can imagine that for this young age, the confrontations, the battles, the unrest (especially caused by the constant religious changes) must have been very challenging. I believe that we cannot actually imagine how life was 3.000 years ago, but the discovery of his tomb brought immense knowledge.

Some pictures might tell you a bit of the size of the event:













I hope you enjoyed this small tour, I had so much fun yesterday! 



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17 Comments


I also find ancient Egypt a fascinating study. Imagine having a gold chariot! These items are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.


@Belle - well yes, the craft is amazing!


I will bet that was a wonderful exhibit to be able to take a look at. The details on the statues is stupendous! Nice journey Claudia.


@November Rain - yes, the exhibition was great, and what was amazing was the fact that his tomb was considered modest by normal pharaoh standards!


@Karen - by watching them you actually want to travel to Egypt to see the Valley of the Kings.

Anonymous says:

Beautiful photographs! Thank you for sharing...wonder if I'll ever make it to Egypt!


Thank you for sharing the tour photos! These are great and you fit it nicely into the GBE challenge!


@Beachlover - my thoughts exactly!
@Maria - thank you, I tried to make the word part of my history tour


This was fascinating - thanks for sharing your awesome travels!


That's a trip I won't ever make,so thank you so much for sharing! The pics are amazing. King Tut is such a story all on his own, isn't he? Hard to imagine what a youngster he was and what a life the poor little guy lived.
♥ this.


Very cool and so fascinating!! Loved hearing all about it and seeing the pictures.

Kathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com


I would love to see that exhibit!! How totally cool that you got to go--thanks for sharing the pictures!


Fantastic photos - brought back memories of not just the exhibition (which I saw last year), but my visit to the tomb itself in the Valley of the Kings, and all the wonderful artefacts in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The 'Treasures Room' was mind-blowing - so much gold!


@Amy - I am happy you enjoyed it!
@Jo - I also wonder if he was happy
@Kathy - glad you found it interesting
@Jenn - it was very cool indeed :)
@Paula - you are so lucky to see it live, what a chance!


Oh, when I was a kid, I heard about stories of the curse of Tutankhamun. Was it in any way part of the exhibition? You are right, can't imagine the religious confrontations he had to go through.:) Loved the photos!


There is a new show about Ancient Egypt that I just started watching last night (it's on Netflix). I think it is very interesting, trying to figure out how we lived so long ago.


@Feathered Pen - not so much talk about the curse, my hubby waited for that as well :)
@Elizabeth - that must very interesting indeed, maybe they will broadcast it in Europe as well!

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