I saw the King Tut exhibit in Philly.
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:16 pm
So one of my classes this semester is in the Honors College, and that carries two things with it. First, extra work: a research paper is generally required for honors-level courses. Second, perks. The Honors College pays for neat educational experiences.
The class in question is Special Topics (Ancient): Religion in Ancient Egypt. For those of you unaware, I am currently pursuing a degree in religious studies.
The perk? On Friday, March 23, The HC sent our class to Philly to see the traveling exhibit Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. I am still awestruck, three days later.
The trip begin with my poor lovely Julie, God bless her, getting up at 2:00 AM on Friday to drive my sorry ass into Oakland and drop me off to meet my class across from the Cathedral of Learning at Fifth and Bigelow, where at 2:45 we boarded the bus to Philly. Aside from two rest stops, most of us slept the majority of the 6-hour journey. At around 9:00 AM we arrived in Philadelphia and made our way to the first stop on our trip, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Ancient History (Yes, UPenn has its own campus museum, and if there's one thing I learned on this trip, it's that the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is ass. It's like someone's garage compared to what I saw in Philly). We discovered, upon arriving, that UPenn's museum didn't open till 10:00...so Dr. Denova (our prof.) had the bus driver take us to the art museum, so we could see the famous stairs from the Rocky movies. Of course, the whole class ran up the stairs and many of us jumped up and down like Sly in the movies. It was cheesy and touristy, but damn if it wasn't fun. I had one of the girls in class take a pic of me in front of the famous statue of Rocky.
At 10, we headed back for UPenn and after Dr. Denova wrangled our way in (apparently their online info is a bit misleading about the use of student ID's), we were told to go upstairs, view the exhibits for Upper and Lower Egypt, and then we would be free to view the rest of the museum or make our way around Philly as we pleased; we had until 3:15, at which time we were to meet in front of the Franklin Institute, which we were told was a 20 minute walk from UPenn.
So up to the Egypt exhibits we went...and wow, was I blown away. UPenn has an amazing collection: intact sarcophagi, opened and upright so that you can see the carvings inside, death masks, jewelry, wall and door carvings, enormous statues of gods and pharaohs (mostly artifacts from the Ramesides, particularly Rameses II and III--though there was a very nice section on the Amarna period, which is our main interest at this point in class), shabti, canopic jars, and at least 5 full mummies; one unwrapped specimen which, a classmate pointed out, had a p*n*s.
Yes, I've seen a mummified p*n*s. And a rather large one, at that. It looked a bit like a tentacle. I'm still rather traumatized by that particular sight.
As we traveled through the exhibit, ten of us kept kind of bumping into each other, so after we all made our way through the whole museum (also neat exhibits on China, Japan, India, Rome, Greece, and the Etruscans) we all decided to stick together and go get a bite (a Cheesesteak, of course). As we walked through Philly, one of our group turned around and went, "You know what'd be nice? If we actually knew each others' names." So we introduced ourselves. I'm terrible with names, but let's see if I can remember: There was Erin, Maria, Sinead, Amanda, Nikki, John, Mark, Luke, Abby, and me. Sadly, I'm actually not positive about John and Luke. I already knew Erin, Maria, Sinead, Nikki, and Abby's names because they sit near me and we chat in class regularly. Mark and I have a lot in common because he's 27 and like me, is working towards getting his GPA up and eventually getting a teaching certificate. We made a few jokes about being the "old guys."
After lunch in a nice little place called the Philly Diner, we headed towards the Institute. We stopped off at the UPenn campus bookstore to kill a little more time, and good Lord, the place was like a Barnes and Noble. Seriously, after seeing their campus, I want to transfer to UPenn. Unbelievable.
At about 2:45, we set off for the "20-minute" walk to the Franklin Institute, which turned into a 40-minute walk. So yeah, we were a bit late arriving...but it wasn't too bad, because we couldn't actually enter the exhibit until 3:30 anyway.
3:30 arrives, and we make our way in. The line for the Tutankhamun exhibit is obnoxious, but it moves quickly. As our group arrives at the entrance, we're treated to a 90-second introduction to the brief reign of Tutankhamun, then admitted.
From the first room, every single display case is utterly, completely, and indescribably breathtaking. In case you'rew ondering, no, you don't get to see the actual mummy, sarcophagus, or death mask. These things are in Egypt, in Tut's tomb, and do not ever leave, though if you go to Egypt I understand you can tour his tomb and see them for yourself.
Even still, the things they had there...there was a trunk with carrying poles, which is the only one in existence. There was also a trumpet from ancient Egypt, which is one of only two in existence. We saw the chair that Tut sat in when he was a child. That may not seem like much, but when you're there, looking at it, you can't help but think, "My God, these were real people with an amazing society...the pharaoh of the greatest empire in the world at the time...he sat in that chair." Same thing when looking at his crook and flail (two of the symbols of kingship in ancient Egypt).
I don't know...I could go on and on and on...long story short: it was truly an awe-inspiring experience.
At about 5:45 or so, we headed home (through Philadelphia rush-hour traffic. What fun that was!). The tour bus had a DVD player, and a number of my classmates brought movies, so we occupied ourselves watching Borat, The Inside Man, and Boondock Saints. About 6 1/2 hours and two rest stops later, we arrived back in Pittsburgh, where my saint of a girlfriend, who had been up, you'll recall, since 2 AM the night before, came to pick me up in Oakland. I drove home, since she was so tired.
My only complaint was that the trip went far too fast. I have already made tentative plans to go back with my mom, my dad, and Julie to visit the exhibit again before it's gone. This time we'll take a weekend trip and enjoy the other sights in Philly (like the Liberty Bell).
In any case, if anyone gets the opportunity to do this, please, by all means, go. There just aren't words to explain how incredible it is. The exhibit is there until September 30, and if you go, be sure to stop at UPenn's museum as well. You won't regret it; I know I'll remember it for a long, long time to come.
Anyway, it was a brilliant day, and I just felt like sharing. Comment if you like.
The class in question is Special Topics (Ancient): Religion in Ancient Egypt. For those of you unaware, I am currently pursuing a degree in religious studies.
The perk? On Friday, March 23, The HC sent our class to Philly to see the traveling exhibit Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. I am still awestruck, three days later.
The trip begin with my poor lovely Julie, God bless her, getting up at 2:00 AM on Friday to drive my sorry ass into Oakland and drop me off to meet my class across from the Cathedral of Learning at Fifth and Bigelow, where at 2:45 we boarded the bus to Philly. Aside from two rest stops, most of us slept the majority of the 6-hour journey. At around 9:00 AM we arrived in Philadelphia and made our way to the first stop on our trip, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Ancient History (Yes, UPenn has its own campus museum, and if there's one thing I learned on this trip, it's that the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is ass. It's like someone's garage compared to what I saw in Philly). We discovered, upon arriving, that UPenn's museum didn't open till 10:00...so Dr. Denova (our prof.) had the bus driver take us to the art museum, so we could see the famous stairs from the Rocky movies. Of course, the whole class ran up the stairs and many of us jumped up and down like Sly in the movies. It was cheesy and touristy, but damn if it wasn't fun. I had one of the girls in class take a pic of me in front of the famous statue of Rocky.
At 10, we headed back for UPenn and after Dr. Denova wrangled our way in (apparently their online info is a bit misleading about the use of student ID's), we were told to go upstairs, view the exhibits for Upper and Lower Egypt, and then we would be free to view the rest of the museum or make our way around Philly as we pleased; we had until 3:15, at which time we were to meet in front of the Franklin Institute, which we were told was a 20 minute walk from UPenn.
So up to the Egypt exhibits we went...and wow, was I blown away. UPenn has an amazing collection: intact sarcophagi, opened and upright so that you can see the carvings inside, death masks, jewelry, wall and door carvings, enormous statues of gods and pharaohs (mostly artifacts from the Ramesides, particularly Rameses II and III--though there was a very nice section on the Amarna period, which is our main interest at this point in class), shabti, canopic jars, and at least 5 full mummies; one unwrapped specimen which, a classmate pointed out, had a p*n*s.
Yes, I've seen a mummified p*n*s. And a rather large one, at that. It looked a bit like a tentacle. I'm still rather traumatized by that particular sight.
As we traveled through the exhibit, ten of us kept kind of bumping into each other, so after we all made our way through the whole museum (also neat exhibits on China, Japan, India, Rome, Greece, and the Etruscans) we all decided to stick together and go get a bite (a Cheesesteak, of course). As we walked through Philly, one of our group turned around and went, "You know what'd be nice? If we actually knew each others' names." So we introduced ourselves. I'm terrible with names, but let's see if I can remember: There was Erin, Maria, Sinead, Amanda, Nikki, John, Mark, Luke, Abby, and me. Sadly, I'm actually not positive about John and Luke. I already knew Erin, Maria, Sinead, Nikki, and Abby's names because they sit near me and we chat in class regularly. Mark and I have a lot in common because he's 27 and like me, is working towards getting his GPA up and eventually getting a teaching certificate. We made a few jokes about being the "old guys."
After lunch in a nice little place called the Philly Diner, we headed towards the Institute. We stopped off at the UPenn campus bookstore to kill a little more time, and good Lord, the place was like a Barnes and Noble. Seriously, after seeing their campus, I want to transfer to UPenn. Unbelievable.
At about 2:45, we set off for the "20-minute" walk to the Franklin Institute, which turned into a 40-minute walk. So yeah, we were a bit late arriving...but it wasn't too bad, because we couldn't actually enter the exhibit until 3:30 anyway.
3:30 arrives, and we make our way in. The line for the Tutankhamun exhibit is obnoxious, but it moves quickly. As our group arrives at the entrance, we're treated to a 90-second introduction to the brief reign of Tutankhamun, then admitted.
From the first room, every single display case is utterly, completely, and indescribably breathtaking. In case you'rew ondering, no, you don't get to see the actual mummy, sarcophagus, or death mask. These things are in Egypt, in Tut's tomb, and do not ever leave, though if you go to Egypt I understand you can tour his tomb and see them for yourself.
Even still, the things they had there...there was a trunk with carrying poles, which is the only one in existence. There was also a trumpet from ancient Egypt, which is one of only two in existence. We saw the chair that Tut sat in when he was a child. That may not seem like much, but when you're there, looking at it, you can't help but think, "My God, these were real people with an amazing society...the pharaoh of the greatest empire in the world at the time...he sat in that chair." Same thing when looking at his crook and flail (two of the symbols of kingship in ancient Egypt).
I don't know...I could go on and on and on...long story short: it was truly an awe-inspiring experience.
At about 5:45 or so, we headed home (through Philadelphia rush-hour traffic. What fun that was!). The tour bus had a DVD player, and a number of my classmates brought movies, so we occupied ourselves watching Borat, The Inside Man, and Boondock Saints. About 6 1/2 hours and two rest stops later, we arrived back in Pittsburgh, where my saint of a girlfriend, who had been up, you'll recall, since 2 AM the night before, came to pick me up in Oakland. I drove home, since she was so tired.
My only complaint was that the trip went far too fast. I have already made tentative plans to go back with my mom, my dad, and Julie to visit the exhibit again before it's gone. This time we'll take a weekend trip and enjoy the other sights in Philly (like the Liberty Bell).
In any case, if anyone gets the opportunity to do this, please, by all means, go. There just aren't words to explain how incredible it is. The exhibit is there until September 30, and if you go, be sure to stop at UPenn's museum as well. You won't regret it; I know I'll remember it for a long, long time to come.
Anyway, it was a brilliant day, and I just felt like sharing. Comment if you like.
