King Tut's face unveiled to world
Last Updated: Sunday, 4 November 2007, 12:53 GMT
The body of Tutankhamun on view in Luxor, 4 November 2007
Critics fear the display will cause harm to the body
The face revealed
The face of one of Egypt's most famous ancient rulers, the boy king Tutankhamun, has been put on public view for the first time.
Archaeologists took the mummy from its golden sarcophagus and placed it in a climate-controlled case inside his tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings.
The event comes exactly 85 years after the site was discovered by British explorer Howard Carter.
Until now, only about 50 living people have seen the 3,000-year-old face.
The face remained intact because of the mummification process and will continue to be protected from heat and humidity.
"The golden boy has magic and mystery and therefore every person all over the world will see what Egypt is doing to preserve the golden boy, and all of them I am sure will come to see the golden boy," Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told reporters.
Tutankhamun was probably still in his teens when he died. Although he was a fairly minor royal, the treasures that were unearthed have captivated the world and drawn millions to the Valley of the Kings.
Critics say the remains will be put under threat by the heat and the humidity brought into the tomb by the vast crowds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7077423.stm
Last Updated: Sunday, 4 November 2007, 12:53 GMT
The body of Tutankhamun on view in Luxor, 4 November 2007
Critics fear the display will cause harm to the body
The face revealed
The face of one of Egypt's most famous ancient rulers, the boy king Tutankhamun, has been put on public view for the first time.
Archaeologists took the mummy from its golden sarcophagus and placed it in a climate-controlled case inside his tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings.
The event comes exactly 85 years after the site was discovered by British explorer Howard Carter.
Until now, only about 50 living people have seen the 3,000-year-old face.
The face remained intact because of the mummification process and will continue to be protected from heat and humidity.
"The golden boy has magic and mystery and therefore every person all over the world will see what Egypt is doing to preserve the golden boy, and all of them I am sure will come to see the golden boy," Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told reporters.
Tutankhamun was probably still in his teens when he died. Although he was a fairly minor royal, the treasures that were unearthed have captivated the world and drawn millions to the Valley of the Kings.
Critics say the remains will be put under threat by the heat and the humidity brought into the tomb by the vast crowds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7077423.stm
Discover What Traders Are Watching
Explore small cap ideas before they hit the headlines.
