The Treasures of Tutankhamun

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The Treasures of Tutankhamun was an exhibition in London, England shown in 1972 in the British Museum.

[edit] Exhibition Overview

“The Treasures of Tutankhamun” was shown in the British Museum to mark the 50 year anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, accomplished by Howard Carter in November 1922.

The exhibition displayed real objects excavated from Tutankhamun’s tomb, including the Gold Death Mask. The artifacts were transported from Egypt on two converted passenger jets.

1,694,117 people visited “The Treasures of Tutankhamun” in London, many people queuing for more than 8 hours to get inside. The exhibition stayed in London for 6 months - from 30th March to 30th September. It was open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays; and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. “The Treasures of Tutankhamun” became the most visited exhibition in Britain.

“The Treasures of Tutankhamun” established the tradition to accompany major exhibitions with memorabilia and souvenirs. “The Land of Tutankhamun” – a themed wall chart published by The Sunday Times was very popular among the visitors and sold for 95 pence, whereas tickets to the exhibition cost as little as 50 pence. Children, student and senior tickets were 25 pence. The official guide to the exhibition written by Egyptologist Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards sold over 300,000 copies in Britain.

[edit] Other Museums To Host The Exhibition

During the years 1976 to 1979 the exhibition was also shown in:

The American leg of The Treasures of Tutankhamun tour attracted more than eight million visitors.

Following the American Tour, the exhibition was shown at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.

[edit] See also