King Tut’s Life in Pieces
King Tut — Egyptian Pharaoh — A Life in Pieces
Life in Pieces: A Child God
King Tut was a boy who lived–and was preserved in death–like a god. He was only nine or 10 when he inherited the throne as pharaoh in 1332 BC. His short life amounted to only 19 years. He was unlucky in the health department, constantly plagued with maladies including malaria and infection, which scientists believe contributed to his early demise.
Life in Pieces: A Tomb Unearthed
On November 4, 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed the entrance to Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Carter’s team breached the interior walls of the tomb and found a setting surprisingly intact and untouched by time (3,000 years!). Thousands of objects were found and catalogued, among them a coffin of solid gold that held Tut’s remains.
Life in Pieces: Touring Tut
In the 1970s, the artifacts from Tut’s tomb went on a worldwide touring exhibition. 1.6 million visitor attended it when it came to the British Museum, some people waiting as long as eight hours to see the show. More than eight million people in the United States attended the exhibition. From that time on, King Tut’s name became a household one. Saturday Night Live spoofed on the young king’s notoriety, led by Steve Martin, who parodied the young pharoah as a funky front man for a band.
The latest research suggests that all of the loot in Tut’s tomb may not have been meant for him. Scientists believe several items had been ear-marked for the tomb of Queen Nefertiti, the young king’s step-mother.
The latest update to the Tut saga has to do with the possible dissolution of the NEA and NEH. Without these funds in the 1970s the Tut exhibition would never have landed on American shores. A literal king’s worth of archaeological knowledge would have passed an entire generation by.
**Check out more from the Life in Pieces series:
Hi Anthony,
We welcome your opinion! No voice is silenced here on ArtistsNetwork! We all come together and learn something from each other. I think the positioning of the NEA is one area where we can agree that there are so many opinions on how arts should be funded on a national level. I’ve learned a lot, personally, from talking to people who come at it from completely different points of view. I would add you to the list because you’ve brought up yet another key point. Thank you!
Dear Courtney Jordan:
I do not expect that you will print my comment but here it is anyway…
The Artist’s Magazine making a political statement that refers to President Trump in 2017, as a reason for this country being deprived of cultural enrichment is out of place. As it stands, I would rather we all had more money to spend on the Arts as we see fit, not the Government. Artists pay taxes, too!
As a famous example: In 1987, Serrano’s “Piss Christ” was exhibited at the Stux Gallery in New York with good reviews. The piece later caused a scandal when it was exhibited in 1989, with detractors, including United States Senators Al D’Amato and Jesse Helms, outraged that Serrano received $15,000 for the work, and $5,000 in 1986 from the taxpayer-funded National Endowment for the Arts. (Wikipedia)
I love most of your Articles and apologize for being overly critical. For the last eight years, (more of us than you realize) have put up with a Regime of total fantasy and lies. That is why I am giving you some push back. The end of religious patronage of the arts does not mean that our government needs to step in. I read The Artist’s Magazine because it is about Art and Artists; I can read political innuendo anywhere.
Thank you for the 99% that you write that is inspiring and usually informative,
~ Anthony Essex