Funky Tut
November 4, 2007 9:19 AM Subscribe
King Tut's face revealed to the world The face of Egypt's most famous ancient ruler, King Tutankhamun, has been put on public display for the first time.
I always thought the reconstruction would reveal he was more Negroid than Semitic but it's fascinating anyway.
posted by hojoki at 9:53 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by hojoki at 9:53 AM on November 4, 2007
.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:53 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:53 AM on November 4, 2007
The gold mask had to be removed with hot knives and wires
I'd heard of getting off your face on hot knives before, but this is something new.
posted by Abiezer at 9:59 AM on November 4, 2007 [4 favorites]
I'd heard of getting off your face on hot knives before, but this is something new.
posted by Abiezer at 9:59 AM on November 4, 2007 [4 favorites]
In an effort to extricate the treasures, Carter and his team cut the body into pieces, chopping off the limbs and head, and using hot knives
Bet that cost an Amarna a leg.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 10:02 AM on November 4, 2007 [6 favorites]
Bet that cost an Amarna a leg.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 10:02 AM on November 4, 2007 [6 favorites]
Hilarious clicking on your famous link first. Loved that skit.
wow. Kind of feels blasphemous to look at the mummified remains but couldn't help wanting to see anyway. He died so young, 19. His remains seem small and vulnerable somehow. Like the bee stung lips look of his reconstructed face.
In 1976 The King Tut exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC was the first time in recent history there was such a tremendous public fascination with any museum exhibit. "This exhibition established the term "blockbuster." A combination of the age-old fascination with ancient Egypt, the legendary allure of gold and precious stones, and the funeral trappings of the boy-king created an immense popular response. Visitors waited up to 8 hours before the building opened to view the exhibition."
posted by nickyskye at 10:03 AM on November 4, 2007
wow. Kind of feels blasphemous to look at the mummified remains but couldn't help wanting to see anyway. He died so young, 19. His remains seem small and vulnerable somehow. Like the bee stung lips look of his reconstructed face.
In 1976 The King Tut exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC was the first time in recent history there was such a tremendous public fascination with any museum exhibit. "This exhibition established the term "blockbuster." A combination of the age-old fascination with ancient Egypt, the legendary allure of gold and precious stones, and the funeral trappings of the boy-king created an immense popular response. Visitors waited up to 8 hours before the building opened to view the exhibition."
posted by nickyskye at 10:03 AM on November 4, 2007
.
posted by PlusDistance at 9:13 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by PlusDistance at 9:13 AM on November 4, 2007
(um, sorry, that "." was supposed to be black. Worked in preview!)
posted by PlusDistance at 9:14 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by PlusDistance at 9:14 AM on November 4, 2007
I'd hit it.
posted by hermitosis at 9:15 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by hermitosis at 9:15 AM on November 4, 2007
Damn, suppose I should check those links ahead of time!
posted by i less than three nsima at 9:22 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by i less than three nsima at 9:22 AM on November 4, 2007
Negroid, one of the terms proposed by European anthropologists in the 18th and 19th centuries as part of a system of human racial classification, refers to the indigenous peoples of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It is sometimes applied to certain peoples native to Indonesia, New Guinea, Melanesia, and the Philippines as well. In all cases it is now considered both out of date and likely to cause offense.
FWIW.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:22 AM on November 4, 2007
FWIW.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:22 AM on November 4, 2007
I'd heard of getting off your face on hot knives before, but this is something new.
Oddly gratifying to know I'm not the only person to read "hot knife" and associate it with nefarious activity.
Aside from the nefarious activity that is desecrating mummies and emptying tombs, that is.
In 1976 The King Tut exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC was the first time in recent history there was such a tremendous public fascination with any museum exhibit.
I remember going to this (in San Francisco) when small, and being kind of bored, actually- we went on a weekday, and the DeYoung was still completely jammed. I really liked the book we got from the exhibition though.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:25 AM on November 4, 2007
Oddly gratifying to know I'm not the only person to read "hot knife" and associate it with nefarious activity.
Aside from the nefarious activity that is desecrating mummies and emptying tombs, that is.
In 1976 The King Tut exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC was the first time in recent history there was such a tremendous public fascination with any museum exhibit.
I remember going to this (in San Francisco) when small, and being kind of bored, actually- we went on a weekday, and the DeYoung was still completely jammed. I really liked the book we got from the exhibition though.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:25 AM on November 4, 2007
"Carter and his team cut the body into pieces, chopping off the limbs and head"
Rest in pieces, Tut dude.
.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:46 AM on November 4, 2007
Rest in pieces, Tut dude.
.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:46 AM on November 4, 2007
Craniofacial anthropometry and the use of the term negroid. Interesting.
posted by nickyskye at 9:48 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 9:48 AM on November 4, 2007
King Tut's penis was revealed a year and a half ago. (It turned out it was there all along, just really tiny).
So the world saw his nuts before seeing his face.
The world is a slut.
posted by ibmcginty at 10:03 AM on November 4, 2007
So the world saw his nuts before seeing his face.
The world is a slut.
posted by ibmcginty at 10:03 AM on November 4, 2007
Handsome fellow.
Though I, as a person who would be described 'negroid' do not take offense to the term in this particular context, I wonder if there are accurate alternatives.
posted by chara at 10:15 AM on November 4, 2007
Though I, as a person who would be described 'negroid' do not take offense to the term in this particular context, I wonder if there are accurate alternatives.
posted by chara at 10:15 AM on November 4, 2007
Here's a discussion on the World Association of Medical Editors' site, regarding the AP Style book for describing people. It's kind of interesting to read the comments, actually.
(They don't have to worry about me... I've accepted that I'm a white girl. On the outside, anyhow.)
posted by miss lynnster at 10:20 AM on November 4, 2007
(They don't have to worry about me... I've accepted that I'm a white girl. On the outside, anyhow.)
posted by miss lynnster at 10:20 AM on November 4, 2007
Boy, and he thought he was going to some glorious afterlife heaven when really he was just gonna lie around for a long long long fucking time then have all his shit stolen, put on display for total strangers to gawk at and spend money on (money that is manifestly _not_ going to he or his loved ones) and basically not get any of the goods he was billed for.
Man, if he could see himself now he would probably be pissed! "Hey, lady, quit lookin' at my nuts! Aw for christ's sake and my skin looks like hell. I knew that lotion was shit. Jesus, what a fiasco...
posted by From Bklyn at 10:24 AM on November 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Man, if he could see himself now he would probably be pissed! "Hey, lady, quit lookin' at my nuts! Aw for christ's sake and my skin looks like hell. I knew that lotion was shit. Jesus, what a fiasco...
posted by From Bklyn at 10:24 AM on November 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Seems sort of creepy and disrespectful to me. I mean, the science, yeah sure. But the ritualized mass gazing? I'm not so sure that his wishes are being much respected.
posted by washburn at 10:25 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by washburn at 10:25 AM on November 4, 2007
Damn paparazzi.
posted by Challahtronix at 10:49 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by Challahtronix at 10:49 AM on November 4, 2007
Yeah From Bklyn, I'll admit I've thought the same thing. When I saw Ramses II's mummy in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, I mean, you stare right down at the guy and you can see his hair and fingernails and everything. And I started thinking about all of the things he did in his ninety someodd years of life and 67 year reign of Egypt... and that probably the last thing he ever imagined was to end up as a shriveled Halloween corpse under glass for gum-chewing tourists to gawk at, I'd imagine.
And when I walked through the Tut exhibit, there were kids running in circles and screaming and one super rude guy chatting loudly on his cel phone (despite the no-phones signs) and all in all just being disrespectful, I thought. And it just seemed kinda wrong in a way. I mean, this isn't IKEA, you're walking through the artifacts of someone's TOMB, people.
I didn't go into King Tut's tomb (costs extra and it was too crowded) but I went into three others at Valley of the Kings. Those tombs were a lot easier to deal with claustrophobia-wise than going under the pyramids (couldn't deal with that). I really did wish they had left the artifacts in there, though, and put the walkways and glass encasements around them. The wall decorations are cool, but it would've been fascinating to see things closer to how they were found. It just seems more respectful, too. I know they took artifacts out to preserve them, but with all of the touring they've done I can't imagine that world travel is so great for them either.
How Egyptian relics travel the world is very political, though. My understanding is that most of the archaeology done in Egypt is done by other countries... they have far more money to spend on it. So then it's kind of implied that the countries that do the work also get dibs on having exhibitions in their home countries. It's a really competitive battle that's been going on forever. Kinda sucks for Egyptians in a way, because a lot of people would rather their artifacts stay on Egyptian soil and weren't sitting in Vienna or Manhattan or wherever.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:57 AM on November 4, 2007 [3 favorites]
And when I walked through the Tut exhibit, there were kids running in circles and screaming and one super rude guy chatting loudly on his cel phone (despite the no-phones signs) and all in all just being disrespectful, I thought. And it just seemed kinda wrong in a way. I mean, this isn't IKEA, you're walking through the artifacts of someone's TOMB, people.
I didn't go into King Tut's tomb (costs extra and it was too crowded) but I went into three others at Valley of the Kings. Those tombs were a lot easier to deal with claustrophobia-wise than going under the pyramids (couldn't deal with that). I really did wish they had left the artifacts in there, though, and put the walkways and glass encasements around them. The wall decorations are cool, but it would've been fascinating to see things closer to how they were found. It just seems more respectful, too. I know they took artifacts out to preserve them, but with all of the touring they've done I can't imagine that world travel is so great for them either.
How Egyptian relics travel the world is very political, though. My understanding is that most of the archaeology done in Egypt is done by other countries... they have far more money to spend on it. So then it's kind of implied that the countries that do the work also get dibs on having exhibitions in their home countries. It's a really competitive battle that's been going on forever. Kinda sucks for Egyptians in a way, because a lot of people would rather their artifacts stay on Egyptian soil and weren't sitting in Vienna or Manhattan or wherever.
posted by miss lynnster at 10:57 AM on November 4, 2007 [3 favorites]
I can safely say that if he were alive today, I would hit that. Why haven't they invented time travel yet? Science is slacking off.
posted by saturnine at 10:59 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by saturnine at 10:59 AM on November 4, 2007
CAT scans of him. But if he had shrinkage, rather than stolen crown jewels, they might become LOLCAT scans. tut tut.
/derail
In googling the member in question, found this funny penis site.
posted by nickyskye at 11:26 AM on November 4, 2007
/derail
In googling the member in question, found this funny penis site.
posted by nickyskye at 11:26 AM on November 4, 2007
Aw, he ain't pretty no more.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:43 AM on November 4, 2007
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:43 AM on November 4, 2007
So Steve Martin was wrong about him being a honky?
Needs "condomadastona" tag.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:01 PM on November 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Needs "condomadastona" tag.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:01 PM on November 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Apparently the CAT scan also detected the ossified remains of a cucumber wrapped in a sheath of gold foil in his pants.
posted by The Straightener at 1:19 PM on November 4, 2007
posted by The Straightener at 1:19 PM on November 4, 2007
I remember seeing the exhibit when it hit Seattle on the '76 tour. Someone scored a set of express cuts in line passes. So, we then skipped to the head of the line and breezed right in. But was scary--the Museum had just introduced the concept of recorded tours and there were these packs of folks wearing headphones suddenly lunging in unison from one case to another. Which totally weirded my fried on thai stick at the time compatriots.
In one group, a couple in their 60s were looking at one of the pieces of furniture found in the tomb--a simple wooden, albeit gilded and bejeweled, chair--and the guy suddenly pulled off his earphones and yelled at his wife, Wow! They sure don't build furniture to last like that anymore! My fried on thai stick at the time compatriots then burst out laughing in unison and repeated that one individually thereafter for years.
posted by y2karl at 1:45 PM on November 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
In one group, a couple in their 60s were looking at one of the pieces of furniture found in the tomb--a simple wooden, albeit gilded and bejeweled, chair--and the guy suddenly pulled off his earphones and yelled at his wife, Wow! They sure don't build furniture to last like that anymore! My fried on thai stick at the time compatriots then burst out laughing in unison and repeated that one individually thereafter for years.
posted by y2karl at 1:45 PM on November 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Photos from inside King Tuut's tomb.
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:36 PM on November 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by Effigy2000 at 2:36 PM on November 4, 2007 [1 favorite]
Effigy2000, superb photographs of inside King Tut's tomb. wow, Fascinating to see the stuff in such great detail. Thanks.
posted by nickyskye at 3:01 PM on November 4, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 3:01 PM on November 4, 2007
I am quite certain that this is not the first time Tut's face has been unveiled. I was a huge Tut fanatic when I was about seven years old (around the time the big exhibition came to New Orleans in the 70's) and I think the exhibition books had photos of his face. I know I have seen it before --- this is not the first time.
posted by jayder at 7:15 PM on November 4, 2007
posted by jayder at 7:15 PM on November 4, 2007
Isn't it bad luck or something to peek into his tomb? Didn't everyone who entered his tomb die (or are going to die, in the next 100 years)?
posted by the cydonian at 8:18 PM on November 4, 2007
posted by the cydonian at 8:18 PM on November 4, 2007
how do you use an egyptian doorbell?
toot and come in.
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:32 PM on November 4, 2007
toot and come in.
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:32 PM on November 4, 2007
the cydonian: that's only half of it. having merely *witnessed* king tut's visage on the internets, you and i are both guaranteed to die in the next hundred years...
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:34 PM on November 4, 2007
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:34 PM on November 4, 2007
My fried on thai stick at the time compatriots then burst out laughing in unison and repeated that one individually thereafter for years.
did your fried-on-thai-stick compatriots also happen to notice the little egyptian heiroglyphic men on tut's mask...the ones with the erections? not an image that makes it into the history books all that often, but i remember peering at the mask in the egyptian museum in cairo & thinking "wtf is with all these little guys with boners?"
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:43 PM on November 4, 2007
did your fried-on-thai-stick compatriots also happen to notice the little egyptian heiroglyphic men on tut's mask...the ones with the erections? not an image that makes it into the history books all that often, but i remember peering at the mask in the egyptian museum in cairo & thinking "wtf is with all these little guys with boners?"
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:43 PM on November 4, 2007
Effigy2000, superb photographs of inside King Tut's tomb. wow, Fascinating to see the stuff in such great detail. Thanks.
Fascinating indeed, just as they were left presumably. One can't help being reminded of a storage locker or perhaps cargo hold with everything just piled in to fit.
posted by scheptech at 9:48 PM on November 4, 2007
Fascinating indeed, just as they were left presumably. One can't help being reminded of a storage locker or perhaps cargo hold with everything just piled in to fit.
posted by scheptech at 9:48 PM on November 4, 2007
You're welcome, guys. I particuarly liked the photo PKV83.
posted by Effigy2000 at 10:25 PM on November 4, 2007
posted by Effigy2000 at 10:25 PM on November 4, 2007
When I look at that photo I just linked to, I can imagine it lying there, untouched for generations, a monument to a fallen leader... until this yahoo came along, blew a hole in the wall and (one imagines) ransacked the place.
posted by Effigy2000 at 10:35 PM on November 4, 2007
posted by Effigy2000 at 10:35 PM on November 4, 2007
UbuRoivas, that would've been Min. He was basically the God of boners.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:24 AM on November 5, 2007
posted by miss lynnster at 12:24 AM on November 5, 2007
Min, huh? How about that? i recall seeing him all over Egyptian temples. Half the time, with his bits chiselled off by the christians...
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:25 AM on November 5, 2007
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:25 AM on November 5, 2007
Metafilter: You are all going to die in the next 100 years
posted by psmealey at 3:32 AM on November 5, 2007
posted by psmealey at 3:32 AM on November 5, 2007
WCityMike writes "You know, when I was a young man, I'd never thought I'd see people stand in line to see the boy king. Gave his life for tourism."
He's my favorite honky.
posted by krinklyfig at 9:16 AM on November 5, 2007
He's my favorite honky.
posted by krinklyfig at 9:16 AM on November 5, 2007
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