Limited time exhibit offers insight into history of Egypt -at a price

Healani Brennan
Staff Writer 

Lights dim and dramatic music plays as Harrison Ford’s voice carries out of the speakers to start off the group with a movie featuring back story on pharaohs.

The dramatic music sticks around throughout the whole exhibit. Harrison Ford’s voice only sticks around if extra money is paid for the audio tour.

That’s A-plus if one digs a sultry action movie star who once played an archaeologist in the “Indiana Jones” film franchise and now teaches tourists about Egyptians.

The King Tut exhibit demonstrates a variety of statues, whether they were buried among the dead or made by modern artists recreating the artifacts. Made up of many materials from granite to marble, these statues are carved with precision, carefully etched with details that with some attention and a sharp eye can be seen and appreciated.

The exhibit is made up mostly of art, with minimal description to go with each art piece, giving the gist of it all. These small templates displaying the information may be short, but say a ton about the piece on display.

The exhibit goes over many different pharaohs near the beginning and gives history about each to give the participant an idea of Egyptian culture.

Facts like Egyptians thinking gold was important because they thought it comprised the skin of the gods are learned.

The exhibit’s star, King Tut, seems not to appear until much later, making the exhibit less about him and more on Egyptian royalties and customs overall.

Even the replicated dead body of Tutankhamen shows up after the exhibit is over past the gift shop causing a crowd by the exit.

A whole portion dedicated to the many artifacts buried with King Tutankhamen, a tradition in Egyptian culture, became an interesting spot on the tour where people ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the many details on each piece of jewelry or statue, fascinating everyone.

The artifacts glimmer from the glass cases, each one getting more beautiful as you venture through.

Lisa Scales, an exhibit goer, stated that the exhibit itself was “really cool and extraordinary to see and it was really helpful to see all the pictures behind all the artifacts” but she also added that “it would be helpful if there was a timeline.”

Other patrons thought differently, chiming in that the exhibit did not seem to be worth the fifty dollars spent on the two of them plus the parking, and that it also lacked a learning experience for them because they didn’t come away with much.

Both felt cheated of something that could have been really awesome and a learning experience. One ticket alone averages around $30 even with a student discount. Education is so expensive these days.

Two differing opinions prove that this exhibit is for an acquired taste, so history buffs and art enthusiasts unite!

The Pacific Science Center puts on quite a show with the King Tut exhibit, causing a ruckus on how it is the last time the exhibit will be open to the public in the Northwest.

Now is the time to attend if you desire so for those interested in the exhibit, it closes Jan. 6.

To find dates and times of Tutankhamen: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs go to pacificsciencecenter.org. Find the dates and time of lectures given by various speakers throughout October and November.