A special Glasgow experience was attending Tutankhamun, The Immersive Exhibition at the Scottish Event Campus.
The Egyptian civilisation in North Africa was located in much the same geographic area as modern Egypt. Generally speaking, in the 4th millenium BC, in the Predynastic Period, there was evidence of cultures in different parts of the Nile Valley. In 3,000 BC , after conflict amongst these groups, they were united under one leader, Narmer, who is credited with being the first King of Dynasty O.
It was during the Old Kingdom around 2,250 BC that the Giza pyramids were constructed. The Middle Kingdom, however, around 2,000 BC is one of the most brilliant times of the Pharaonic culture characterised by its advanced art and literature.
Below is the putative family tree with Tutankhamun being the son of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, his great royal wife - though there are other maternal possibilities!
Tut's tomb was discovered in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor by the British archaeologist Howard Carter. Comprising four chambers in all, they were full of spectacular treasures: gold-covered chariots, ornate alabaster vessels, inlaid furniture, jewellery and other personal belongings.
We were shown the tomb contents in all their glory.There was even a demo of how the mummification was carried out but, thankfully it was not shown in detail ! :0
This really was a unique experience with the worlds of hi-tech and history merging impressively. Images projected on the walls of the 'black box' led us through the Pharaonic times, making our protagonist almost come to life. At some points we had individual virtual reality helmets which heightened the experience greatly. There were even holographic images of little silver geckos scuttling around the floor and appearing to climb on the legs and the backs of the audience !! Technology and scientific research could also tell us that Tutankhamun was only 19 at the time of his death, that he had malaria, a small cleft palate and that he had a leg fracture which could have contributed to his death.
The two items in this glorious trove that really were awesome were the famous solid-gold mask which was laid on his mummy and the gold throne. The throne was embossd in gold sheet, inlaid with thick vitreous paste and semi-precious stones. The art work depicts his shoulders being annointed by his royal wife, Ankhsenamur.
The items on display in the exhibition were a mix of originals and replicas. Z and I were fortunate to have been to the Archaeological Museum in Cairo some years ago and so have seen the original pieces in situ. But what we await eagerly is to visit the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, due to open in November 2025. This new museum was necessitated since the previous one was slowly sinking into the sand with the weight of its massive artefacts.
At the estimated construction cost of a billion dollars it sounds to be very grand indeed!
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