My date with a king,,,

I have always had an interest with all things Egyptian. I think I may be one of the few people who *choose* to watch National Geographic, Discovery, and Travel Channel whenever I see some program listed related to Egypt. Imagine my delight when I discovered that the King Tut exhibit was coming to Philadelphia at a time when I could go and afford it!

Everything in the exhibit was surrounded with black. There were stragically placed faux stone columns that gave the feel of Egypt. At various points there were projections of pics and videos from the Valley of the Kings. The whole atmosphere was perfect.

The first several rooms contained artifacts from the various tombs of individuals believed to be relatives of Tut's. It was just amazing to see wooden things guilded with gold in the condition that they were in. Just knowing how old they were was mind-blowing. Viewing the statuary was incredible. I found myself looking at the carvings and inscriptions marveling at the detail and thinking about the crude tools that would have been available to the artists at that time.I noticed that all of the figures that were not portrayed in mummy stance had their left foot forward. I'm sure there's some religious belief involved here, but don't know what it is.

As we got into the actual Tut artifacts, I felt a rush of chill and got goosebumps. Whether this was related to the emotion of viewing the items, the energy surrounding them, or the possibility that the temp was turned down lower in this area, I cannot say. The experience was just a rush. I have trouble finding the words to describe the whole thing. The institute did a great job in re-creating the coffin room. They had a life size light box in the middle. The light box would go through images layer by layer showing what could be seen by the eye as well as xray technology. On the floor around the light box where brass inlays. These inlays showed the footprint of each of a series of golden boxes that nested over the coffin. There were video displays on the wall that showed how the coffin room looked as each "box" was removed. Around the room, the five items found in the coffin with the boy king were on display. It was just amazing. I cannot begin to imagine how I would feel getting to see all of the artifacts that will never be allowed to leave Egypt.