More on Tutankhamun exhibition

The dark side of King Tut

http://www.suntimes.com/output/galleries/cst-ftr-tut26.html

An article looking at some of the darker aspects of the Eighteenth Dynasty, which the author detects beneath the glitter and beauty of the artefacts: "the fabled wealth and advanced culture of ancient Egypt were largely fueled by centuries of imperialist military policy, cutthroat domestic politics, cruel subjugation of enemies and mass enslavement of prisoners of war. Moreover, the existence of the Tut artifacts today is the result of a state religion that combined a major death fixation with an intense materialism that led the elite to pack up their worldliest goods for the trip to the afterlife, complete with forced labor by servants. . . . .To stroll through the exhibit -- which has been beefed up with dozens of additional objects from the tombs of Tut's royal ancestors -- is to be regularly treated, if you look closely enough, to the unselfconscious trumpeting of official brutality."

Protest outside Tutankhamun exhibit

http://tinyurl.com/flug4 (Chicago Tribune)

"Under the shadow of immense gold banners heralding the opening of the King Tut exhibit, dozens of Coptic Orthodox Church members from across the Chicago area gathered Thursday outside the Field Museum to protest religious discrimination against fellow Christians in Egypt."

See the above article for the full story.