Tut Tut

I had the pleasure to join a small group of Archaeology Crew students on a trip to Atlanta, GA, last month. We were on our way to see the King Tutankhamun and The Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center. After four hours of sitting on a bus with fifteen other students and David Moore, archaeology professor and trusty crew supervisor, we arrived before the gate into the exhibit.

First, we watched a 3D video of all the Pharaohs leading up to King Tut himself. I do not know who can complain when beautiful gold jewelry and statues feel only to be an arm length away. Then I had the amazing opportunity to walk through the exhibit where fifty objects from King Tut’s tomb were displayed beautifully behind a thin sheet of glass. We gazed upon statues that were made hundreds of years BC. The part that left me in the most awe was the fact that everything looked like it was made yesterday. If I had not been at such a legitimate place, I would have never believed the plaques reading that the object were from 1355 BCE. One statue left me speechless, and it was not exactly for the stature either. For below the statue was a piece of rock with the sketch of the statue in what looked to be pencil. It was so well preserved! It is very difficult to explain the overwhelming feeling of awe that I felt as I walked though all the rooms adorned with priceless processions of Pharaohs.

After we all were dragged away from the beauties that were kept in the dimly lit rooms, we were off to the High Museum of Art. It was here that we were witness to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th Century: China’s Terracotta Army. Numerous Soldiers in the exhibit once guarded Emperor Qin’s burial complex. Over 7,000 soldiers are still standing underground and only a select 1,000 have surfaced for the world to see. What I found very interesting was the fact that the tomb itself has yet to be excavated for archaeologists want to wait until improvements in conservation and preservation are made before they remove the objects with the utmost care.

So how does someone from Admissions get the opportunity to go on a trip with the Archaeology department? Connections. I just so conveniently had a friend on the Archaeology crew who knew I would be interested in such an adventure and invited me along. This was an unforgettable experience and I was extremely fortunate to be apart of it.

Andrea