Who's your Mummy?

Most time sensitive first: Bob Brier of History Channel fame will be reading from his book “The Murder of Tutankhamun” January 9th at the Friends Select School. His wife Pat Remler will also be there, reading from her “Egyptian Mythology A to Z.” We don’t like to think about his wife though, because we have a huge crush on Bob. (Phillyist is a bit of a mummy-nerd, could you tell?)
Friends Select School (17th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway)
January 9, 7 pm

Biggest deal second: The Franklin Institute will be hosting the traveling “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” show from February 3rd through September 30. Featuring nearly 130 artifacts from the 18th dynasty (the aforementioned “Golden Age”), including some that haven’t left Egypt before now, the show has double the number of items as the original 1977 King Tut tour. Philly is the last stop, so get over there. Also featured are CT scans of Tut (which if you’re a medical nut like us is pretty cool).
The Franklin Institute (222 N. 20th St.)
February 3, 2007 – September 30, 2007
Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
$17.50-$32.50

And speaking of CT scans, researchers have been using them and a local sculptor to make models of ancient mummy heads, in the process discovering that there was probably a great deal of ethnic diversity in ancient Egypt. Sculptor Frank Bender works from 3D models printed from the CT scans to create busts of mummies; one, “Annie,” belongs to the Academy of Natural Sciences, and was unveiled early in December.

The other big Egypt exhibit: “Amarna: Ancient Egypt’s Place in the Sun” at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology which opened in November and runs through October. Featuring more than 100 items, some of which are on display for the first time, the exhibit deals with the royal city of Amarna, founded by the Pharaoh Akhenaten (better known as husband to Queen Nefertiti and probable father of the Big Tut himself). Akhenaten is the one who tried to shake things up by tossing out most of the gods and goddesses and worshipping only Aten, the disk of the sun; this had the effect of altering the artistic style of the region, so the artifacts on display will offer something beyond the familiar eye of Horus.
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (3260 South St.)
Until October
Tuesday through Saturday, 10am - 4:30pm
$8 Adults, $5 children, students, and seniors

If you want to see the exhibit in a slightly different way, try Watson’s Adventures one-time only scavenger hunt “Demons & Mummies.” Phillyist is a big fan of the Watson hunts, and is already signed up for this one. It takes place at University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and gives a tour of tombs of the world… but we have a feeling Egyptian mummies will play a starring role.
March 24, 2-4 pm

Finally, for up-to-date events throughout the year, both University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Franklin Institute have events calendars. Highlight from Penn’s: On the first Sunday of every month from January to May, the museum will be having free screenings of “blockbuster” Hollywood films to do with all things Egypt. First up is Land of the Pharaohs this Sunday at 1:30. Others to follow are DeMille’s Cleopatra, The Mummy starring Boris Karloff, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser. There are also plenty of educational offerings for those more intellectually inclined, like a King Tut Crash Course. Oh, and Mummy Day, an early celebration of Mother’s Day on May 5. Oh, and… well, we better quit while we’re ahead.

Image Credit: Flickr user mrtwism