King Tut Mania Alive and Well

June 9, 2005 — -- King Tut never grows old. The boy king and his earthly treasures have endured 3,300 years thanks to ancient Egyptian burial practices. But it's the millions of fascinated fans worldwide who have pored over his treasures since the discovery of his tomb in 1922 that keep King Tut mania alive.

"Part of it is the objects themselves are what make this such a fascinating story, and trying to reconstruct the period at a distance in time when there is a lot not known -- the reign of this king, how he died, and who his family members were," said Nancy Thomas, curator for the Los Angeles County museum where the exhibit will debut in June. "These unanswered questions are part of what make this period of Egyptian history so tantalizing."

Eight million people visited the exhibit during its seven-city U.S. tour from 1976 to 1979, and experts expect that number to be even higher when the new "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaoh" makes its way back to the United States for a four-city tour. The exhibit will appear in Los Angeles; Chicago; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Philadelphia.

Some of the exhibit highlights are CT scans of King Tut's mummified internal organs and the diadem -- or gold crown -- found on the mummified king, which experts say he probably wore during his life.

DVD collections chronicling Tut's life and death, paraphernalia sold on eBay, and a famous "Saturday Night Live" skit by Steve Martin help keep the ancient king very much alive.

Jason Fields saw the exhibit 26 years ago in New York City. Although he was only 8, he remembers being impressed by both the exhibit and the masses of people.

"I think the first thing I remember was the huge hall filled with all the glittering things and the enormous press of the crowds," Fields said. "I remember looking up at all of the people, and down at a lot of shoes."