Saturday, February 18, 2006

Review: Museo Egizio

A description of the Turin museum of Egyptology. The presence of this article on a sports-focused website is due to the Winter Olympics, which are based in Turin. "Although the Greeks invented the Olympics, the ancient Egyptians were no couch potatoes in athletic feats. Pharaoh Amenhotep II -- an accomplished horse rider, runner and archer -- bragged that he was the greatest sportsman of all time and made sure royal sculptors captured his massive biceps and pecs.The granite colossus of the 15th century B.C. ruler is just one of the ancient marvels that Turin's Egyptian Museum offers to visitors looking for a break from the Winter Games hosted by this northern city and the surrounding Alpine slopes. The Museo Egizio claims one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities outside Cairo. Just in time for the Olympics, it opened a new pride-and-joy gallery set up by Dante Ferretti, Oscar-winning art director for The Aviator. The new exhibit gives visitors a who's who of ancient Egypt through 56 monumental statues, bathed in soft light and reflected in ghostly images by opaque mirrors."
See the above website for more details.

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