King Tut has left Toronto. The Tut exhibition – Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs – at the Art Gallery of Ontario wrapped up on Sunday after a blockbuster run. The final visitor total was about 400,000 people an impressivenumber but not as high as the 1979 show that drew 750,000 visitors. That show featured Tuts golden death mask, an artefact that no longer leaves Egypt.
Despite the lower numbers the art gallery considers the show to be a success.
“King Tut attracted 404,364 visitors, 47 per cent of whom were making their first visit to the AGO. The exhibition is the third most attended in the Gallerys history and the most visited since The Barnes Exhibit in 1994,” said the art gallery in a new release.The Barnes Exhibit was a display of works from impressionist and post-impressionist painters. It featured works by Picasso, Montet, van Gogh and others.
The Art Gallery Director and CEOMatthew Teitelbaumgave a final salute to Tut:
It has been a remarkable experience to host these Egyptian treasures during their final visit to Canada, he said in a statement. We are proud to have welcomed such a great number of first-time visitors to the Gallery and look forward to engaging them with many more exciting exhibitions to come.
King Tut will be staying in Toronto for two more weeks. The Art Gallery of Ontario announced today that his departure will be delayed until May 2 due to demand for the exhibition. The shows next stop is Denver the start date of which remains unaffected. Visiting hours for the Toronto show have also been extended to accommodate the crowds.
To accommodate weekend visitors, the Gallery has extended the exhibitions hours on Friday and Saturday evenings. Visitors will now be able to purchase tickets for entry at 4:30 pm, 5:00 pm, and 5:30 pm. The King Tut galleries will remain open to 7:00 pm, said the gallery in a news release.
King Tuts delayed departure is coming at just the right time. Art gallery employees have voted overwhelmingly to give their union a strike mandate. The employees cite job cuts and the high pay of the gallerys CEO as reasons. 39 employees are due to be let go, said the union in a news release.
AGO CEO Matthew Teitelbaum has come under fire for earning $945,000 in salary last year. In Ontario, public sector employees who earn more than $100,000 a year have their pay disclosed in an annual online report. Toronto media have had a field day with Teitelbaum’s salary saying that heis being paid like a king.
Needless to say the union is not happy with this. “The AGOs lack of respect for their employees is highlighted by their CEO’s salary,” said OPSEU President, Smokey Thomas.
It wouldnt be appropriate for the king to leave without a send-off, and the Art Gallery of Ontario has an interesting one. This Wednesday the gallery will play host to the premiere of Osiris and Isis the Opera. Composed by Colin Mack and directed by Guillermo Silva-Marin, this show will explore the most famous love story in Egyptian mythology. The company producing it is called Ariaworks, a start-up company created specifically to produce this.
Their website states: ‘The artistic vision of this presentation will make ancient Egypt and its mysteries vividly come to life through the dramatic expression of this passionate story of the ancient gods.’
To briefly sum up the Osiris and Isis myth, Isis is the loving wife of Osiris the same Osiris who has a rather nasty brother named Set. Set tries to kill Osiris by nailing him into a coffin (and throwing him into the Nile). Isis saves Osiris, recovering him intact. Set then chops Osiris up into pieces, forcing Isis to hunt them down and put them back together again. At the end of the day their son, Horus, is born. He in turn goes after Set, seeking revenge for all the mean things he did to Osiris.
Osiris isn’t the only Egyptian god to have escaped from the confines of the King Tut exhibitions recently. A giant Anubis was recently spotted being towed around New York’s harbour as a publicity stunt to announce that tickets are now on sale for the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at New York’s Discovery Times Square Expo. Tickets are also on sale for the Denver exhibit of the Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs show, and of course King Tut Virtual is always open to visitors.
Osiris and Isis the Opera premieres at the Walker Court at the Art Gallery of Ontario on Wednesday, March 31 at 7pm. Its a free event.
This Sunday tutters at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), in Toronto Canada, will attempt to set a world record for the most people tutting at one time.
The dance is a form of hip hop dance inspired by Ancient Egypt. It was epitomized by comedian Steve Martin in the 1970s on Saturday Night Live.
The Gallery has already signed up more than the 250 dancers needed to set the record, said the AGO in a news release sent out this morning.
The Art Gallery of Ontario’s ‘How to Tut’ Tutorial
Everyone who registers receives a free general admission ticket and a chance to win several special prizes. The grand prize is a King Tut VIP Package from the Westin Harbour Castle.
In other King Tut news the art gallery reports that the number of visitors to the exhibit has reached 250,000 people.It endsinApril.
Our exit surveys indicate that over 70 percent of visitors to King Tut have never been to the new AGO. Were thrilled with this response, and look forward to welcoming many more new faces in the coming weeks, said museum CEO Matthew Teitelbaum in a statement.
It should be cautioned that this exhibit is unlikely to top the 1979 showing. That showing had King Tuts death-mask and attracted more than 750,000 people by the end of its run.
Ontarios Minister of Culture, Aileen Carroll, wastossed out of cabinet today as part of a larger shuffle.She will now become a backbench member of the legislature.
The decision caught members of the media off-guard. The National Post said that, Ms. Carroll’s demotion is perhaps the most surprising. A former federal minister, the Barrie MPP was considered a high profile candidate in 2007.
The Toronto Star writes that she may have made a decision not to run in the next general election. In Canadian politics it is not unusual for retiring ministers to get dumped from cabinet before they actually retire. Her replacement is going to be Michael Chan, who is moving from the Citizenship and Immigration post.
Artefacts in the Bin
The culture ministry has come under fire over its handling of the provinces ancient artefacts. Dr. Ron Williamson told Heritage Key in an interview last summer that the province hasnt been making provisions to store artefacts properly with the result being that some of them have ended up in garbage dumps.
This is not a new problem, but rather one that Carroll inherited. New facilities are now being built in Hamilton and London Ontario to alleviate the situation.
The province is running a deficit of more than $20 billion (CDN) and, at some point, will likely have to cut spending to balance its books. If the cuts hit, it will be up to Chan to mitigate howtheyaffect the ministry.
The first visitor numbers are in for the number of people visiting the King Tut exhibition. The Art Gallery of Ontario, which is hosting King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, announced that more than 100,000 tickets have been sold to date That works out to at least $3.2 million in sales (Canadian currency). The exhibit has only been open for one month.
Now I should caution that tickets have been available for three months (you could buy them in advance). I should also add that it doesnt appear as if Tutankhamun will top the 750,000 visitors it attracted in 1979. That show featured King Tuts death mask. You can read a comparison of the two shows here.
However the gallery was quite happy with the attendance so far.
Public response to the Canadian exclusive of King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs continues to be overwhelmingly positive, they said in a press release.
They announced that in response to the sales, extended visitor hours will continue until January 31, 2010. The gallery will be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 9:30 pm.
I was at the media preview for the exhibit and can say that it is quite a treat. You can read my preview article here. I also found that taking a stroll through King Tut Virtual is a good way to round out the experience as you can see many of the artefacts that are not in the show.
With the current King Tut exhibition on show in Toronto at the moment (check out our preview here) the city has been gripped by Egyptomania. Everybody’s talking about the Boy King, and the buzz permeates the whole city.
But what is Egyptomania, and how did it start?
Simply put Egyptomania is a fascination with ancient Egypt – its culture, artefacts, architecture, religion and language.
The term tends to refer to activities that took place in the 19th and 20th centuries, but a careful look at history will reveal that the phenomenon dates from earlier times.
Mummy Parties
The first Egyptomaniacs were gung-ho mummimaniacs, and would have been found at mummy un-wrappings, held in
Mummies were unrolled (unwrapped) at frivolous social events in front of invited audiences. Most of these unwrappings had little scientific value
Mummies were unrolled (unwrapped) at frivolous social events in front of invited audiences. Most of these unwrappings had little scientific value,Western Europe as early as the 16th century. These unscientific events saw invited guests crowd into a house and unwrap a mummy to see what they would find.
Mummies were unrolled (unwrapped) at frivolous social events in front of invited audiences. Most of these unwrappings had little scientific value, said Rosalie David her 2008 book, Egyptian Mummies and Modern Science.
Not exactly a good start between Ancient Egypt and the west!
Egypt also had an impact on culture during this period. William Shakespeares work Antony and Cleopatra dramatizes the romance that helped bring about the Roman occupation of Egypt. Mummimania was also fuelled by the odd belief in Europe that mummies held medicinal powers (they’d obviously never come across the curse of the pharoah). King Francois I of France (reigned 1515-1547) travelled with a bag of crushed mummy powder to ward off illness.
But Egyptomania really got a shot in the arm at the end of the 18th century again not necessarily for thegood.
At this time the Ottoman Empire, the controller of Egypt, was in decline. The sick man of Europe was losing its ability to control its vast territory.
This paved the way for Napoleon Bonaparte to invadeEgypt at the end of the 18th century. Although he held onto the country for only three years, this was long enough for a French team of scholars to explore the country, make drawings of what they found, and discover the all-important Rosetta Stone.
Their work was published in a series of volumes called Description de l’gypte between 1809 and 1822. Through stunningdrawings and detailed information they brought home the wonders of Ancient Egypt to the audiences of Europe.
The next 100 years would be filled with European and American Egyptian activity.
The Egyptian language was deciphered, allowing for great advances in study. Museums across the western world from London UK to Vancouver Canada had an insatiable demand for Egyptian Antiquities.
Some artefacts were brought out through careful scientific excavation – done by people such as Flinders Petrie.Others were brought out of Egypt by amateurs like Giovanni Belzoni. Many antiquities were stolen and in one notable case in the 1830s Howard Vyse (a British colonal) and John Perring, explored the Great Pyramids using dynamite. Not the most sensitive technique!
Its difficult to say why Egypt caught the imagination of Europe and America so suddenly. There seemed to be a number of events that happened at the same time that allowed Egyptomania to flourish.
The decline of the Ottoman Empire made Egypt ripe for entry by westerners.
The enlightenment provided a climate which fostered a desire for knowledge of ancient cultures.
Improvements in sailing technology during the Renaissance made it easier to get to Egypt and bring artefacts out.
Blame the Curse of King Tut
The discovery of King Tuts tomb by Howard Carter added fuel to the Egyptomania fire. Newspapers carried front-page stories about the discovery. Speculation that a curse of King Tut (watch our video on how to avoid the curse in this enlightening video featuring Dr Zahi Hawass) had felled members of the team added a layer of paranormal intrigue. The press went ballistic over the story of the curse, which gripped newspaper-readers throughout the western world.
‘Tutting’ a form of dance based (very loosely) on Egyptian art, took off in the 1970s, with comedian Steve Martin performing his own rendition on Saturday Night Live. In that same decade Tuts treasures toured North America, setting attendance records and etching the boy king firmly into popular culture.
Toronto Dance Crew “For the Funk of It” Tut at an AGO press conference in September.
King Tuts treasures are now on the road again in North America, attracting enormous crowds, and prompting the need for a new word – Tutmania. The funds the exhibitions are earning will help the Egyptians preserve and study archaeological sites in Egypt. Nearly 200 reporters turned upat themedia preview for the Toronto show, and local papers are filled with stories about the boy king.
Tut has also become something of a symbol for modern-day Egypt. Dr. Zahi Hawass said recently, shortly after a visit to Egypt by US President Barack Obama, that:
Egyptology is now a honed science. The days of using dynamite to excavate the Great Pyramids are long over. Excavations in Egypt are scientific, closely monitored, events. Objects no longer leave the country unless the Egyptian government approves ending the plundering that was endemic in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The publics interest in Egyptology has not waned. Egyptian language, history and archaeology are taught at universities around the world. A recent three day Egyptian symposium, in Toronto, attracted scholars from as far afield as Australia, Uruguay and Spain.
Hundreds of years after the start of crude Renaissance mummy un-wrappings, by Europeans with a thirst for knowledge, Egyptomania in the western world is alive and well.
For me the Toronto show was the first time in my life that I saw Tuts treasures in person. Its a very remarkable experience to see them withmyown eyes andonethat Im never going to forget.
I thought I would take the opportunity to point out a few of Tutankhamun’s treasures which, for various reasons, are not part of the show.
This very fragile silver trumpet was embellished with gold. It was wrapped in reeds when it was found. According to NPR it has only been played twicesince the tomb was discovered the last time being 1939. In both instances a modern day mouthpiece was used. It is currently being housed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
King Tuts Golden Death Mask
With the exception of the pyramids, this artefact is probably the most well-known symbol of ancient Egypt. It no longer travels outside of the country (along with Tuts coffins) and itis currently housed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Sandro Vannini has taken some exceptional photographs of the mask and here at Heritage Key you can see a 360 degree slideshow of Tutankhamun’s death mask.
The Alabaster Perfume Vase
This particular jar is kept in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. It was dedicated to King Tut and his queen. It has a long slender neck with a vulture on top. The cool alabaster (calcite) material would have aided in keeping the perfume fresh. The figures on each side symbolize the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. Sandro Vannini’s great photographs of this artefact can be seen here.
Ceremonial Dagger and Sheath
This ceremonial weapon is currently being displayed at the San Francisco King Tut exhibit. Itwas meant forshow, not battle. Although its made with iron, the blade is decorated with granulated gold (a soft metal) and the end of the handle is made with coloured glass and semi-precious stones. Its golden sheath has a rope pattern on the front. This pattern continues onto the reverse and ends with an engraving of a jackals head.
Small Container in the Shape of a Double Cartouche
These double gold containers rest on a silver platform. Near the border of the platform the symbols for life and dominion were incised. The god Heh (a god that represents infinity) is depicted on the object. She is kneeling on a basket and grasping a palm brand. This object is located at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. See it in detail in this slideshow.
King Tuts Coffins
The three coffins, that held King Tuts body, no longer leave Egypt. Tut’s corpse doesn’t travel outside of Egypt either. Stephen Byrne has a detailed article on the design of the coffins. The third, and final, coffin is the most famous and is made out of solid gold. They are currently in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. These coffins, along with Tutankhamuns funerary mask and other treasures, will be housed in the GEM museum when it opens in 2013.
The Canadian exhibition will feature artefacts from the Tutankhamuns reign including the largest statue of King Tut ever found. The exhibit aims to go beyond Tut andgive viewers a lookat what Egypt was like during the Amarna period.
On November 20, Heritage Key will be at at the media preview of the King Tut exhibit. We will be publishing a fullwrite-up before it opens on November 24.
In conjunction with the Tut exhibit, the art gallery will be holding a lecture series that will add some context to the show. The highlight of the lecture series is Zahi Hawass!
The famous Egyptologist will speak at Convocation Hall, a domed amphitheatre at the University of Toronto, on Saturday March 6, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm.
The art gallery said in a press release:
Dr. Hawass will discuss CT-scans of Tutankhamun’s mummy that were obtained as part of the landmark Egyptian research and conservation project, partially funded by National Geographic. Dr. Hawass will also discuss the ongoing search for the mummy of Queen Nefertiti, and the discovery of KV63, the chamber recently found in the Valley of the Kings. Dr. Hawass will reveal new secrets discovered at the pyramids and detail his search for the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.
Info on how to get your tickets for this talk will be posted soon, according to Dr. Hawass’ website.
Seeing Tut and Dr. Hawass
This will be a good opportunity to see Dr. Hawass outside of Egypt. Convocation Hall is huge (more than 1,000 seats) so you should have a decent shot at getting tickets when they go on sale. Speaking of tickets you would be well advised to buypasses for King Tut, ahead of time,on the gallery’s website. Lines can get very long when these blockbusters hit Toronto.
In addition to the Dr. Hawass lecture, the art gallery will have talks by several local Egyptologists. All of these lectures are taking place at Jackman Hall inside the art gallery, and include the following:
For those interested in travelling overseas to see Tut or Dr.Hawassyou should note that Toronto is a relatively cheap travel option. The Euro and British Pound both trade at a premium on the Canadian dollar and even the US greenback is worth a little more than the loonie.
Also, be sure to bring a winter coat and be prepared for airport delays Torontos winter weather is not like Egypt!
For those who cant come, King Tut Virtual offers a winter-free way to check out the boy king and Keith Paynes interview with Dr. Hawassis quite an informative chat.
Toronto is a good place to be for Egyptian lovers this month.
While the weather in Toronto isnt exactly like Cairo (snowfall is common during November), there is going to be lots of important Egyptian activities happening.
The North American show, which made its last stop in Indianapolis, is opening at the Art Gallery of Ontario on November 24. Advance tickets are on sale now. The show is going to go beyond King Tuts tomb to explore Egypt as it was during the Amarna period. One of the most important artefacts on display is the largest statue of Tut ever found 10 feet long.
The second major event is happening this weekend. Its a three-day Egyptian symposium, hosted by the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities (SSEA) and the Royal Ontario Museum. Presentations take place at the University of Toronto campus and the museum. Schedules are posted on the SSEA website.
Saturdays segment will focus on Egypt and the Bible. A timely subject considering that the Dead Sea Scrolls are on display in Toronto. The Saturday segment costs $95 for members of the public ($90 if registration is online). Students with valid ID can get in for $45 ($40 if registration is online).
Friday and Sunday will feature shorter talks, on a wide range of topics, which are geared more towards scholars. These talks are free.
In total there are nearly 30 papers being presented.
Heritage Key has just reported that one of those presentations is an announcement of a rather touching discovery. A team of scientists have found the husband of a famous 3,000 year old Toronto mummy – the husbands location? Chicago.
A few other presentations I want to highlight here.
The pyramid at Seila
Professor Kerry Muhlestein, of Brigham Young University, will be in town. One of the talks hes going to be giving is an update on research at the pyramid of Seila.
The discoveries at Seila both cast light on the other pyramids and force us to ask questions regarding Sneferus innovations and intentions
This pyramid was built by the pharaoh Sneferu, the first king of the 4th dynasty (the dynasty that built the Great Pyramids by the way). Seila is smaller than the pyramidsthat Sneferubuilt atMeidum and Dashur and is only a fraction the size of the ones at Giza.
Says Muhlestein in his abstract:
While Sneferus pyramids at Meidum and Dashur have long been known and studied, less is known about his small pyramid at Seila. This is partially because of lack of good excavation until the last twenty years, and then because the publications of that excavation have not been finished.
He will talk about how the pyramid at Seila compares to Sneferus other pyramids.
In particular it will address some decorative and ritual elements held in common among the pyramids. The discoveries at Seila both cast light on the other pyramids and force us to ask questions regarding Sneferus innovations and intentions. Both his building and decoration program demonstrate innovations which would form many aspects of kingship for the grand era of the pyramid age.
Re-tracing Exodus
Professor James Hoffmeier of Trinity International University will be talking about his work in the Sinai Desert. He will besharing new informationabout what the Amarna era pharaohs (Tut, Akhenaten etc) were doing on the frontier.
He will also be discussing recent research that, he says, will help figure out the places the Israelis (fleeing from Egypt) came across in the Book of Exodus.
In his abstract:
In recent years, a debate has arisen about the authenticity of the geographical terms, with the suggestion being that the biblical narratives are historicized myth. This theory will be challenged in the light of new archaeological excavations and geological work in north Sinai that I have directed since 1999. The new data, I believe, assist in clarifying possible locations of some of the Exodus toponyms.
King Tut has left Toronto. The Tut exhibition – Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs – at the Art Gallery of Ontario wrapped up on Sunday after a blockbuster run. The final visitor total was about 400,000 people an impressivenumber but not as high as the 1979 show that drew 750,000 visitors. That show featured Tuts golden death mask, an artefact that no longer leaves Egypt.
King Tut
In three weeks the King Tut exhibit 
Ontarios Minister of Culture, Aileen Carroll, wastossed out of cabinet today as part of a 
The first visitor numbers are in for the number of people visiting the King Tut exhibition. The 
With the 
But Egyptomania really got a shot in the arm at the end of the 18th century again not necessarily for thegood.
