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King Tut Exhibition
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Downtown
Atlanta Civic Center
395 Piedmont Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 523-6275
Atlanta Civic Center
395 Piedmont Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 523-6275
- Nearest Transit:
-
Civic Center (North-South, Northeast-South, East-West, Proctor Creek)
- Good for Kids:
- No
12 reviews for King Tut Exhibition
We thoroughly enjoyed the King Tut exhibit and would disagree with some of the complaints posted here, but then maybe we got lucky.
We got a joint discount ticket for Tut and the Aquarium, which saved a lot on both and included the free shuttle between the two. We also went on Friday afternoon rather than a weekend, so the crowds were pretty sparse at Tut until the tail end of the day (5:30 or so).
So we didn't really see bottlenecks or swarms of kids, thankfully. That the artifact info was above and below the displays helped a lot. In fact, we wished the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit at the High Museum had done the same because those displays had one bottleneck after another since you couldn't read over/around people's heads.
As for the darkness in Tut, I thought it set the tone nicely, especially for the gold jewelry areas. Those pieces were amazing and the sculptures and other artifacts of all sizes and periods/dynasties gave a broader historical context than I'd expected to find (and appreciated).
Is there a marketing problem with the heavy emphasis on Tut and no mummy or sarcophagus? Probably. I can see how people might feel somewhat misled. I've been fortunate to see rich Egyptian collections in London, Philadelphia (visit the Univ of Penn museum's collection), and elsewhere, so maybe I saw this Tut exhibit as completing a picture I'd seen parts of before rather than expecting it to be all-encompassing.
It would've been great to have had more from Tut's tomb, no doubt. And we didn't do the audio tour, so I can't speak to that. However, we did have time and space to savor the exhibit, and came away feeling we'd learned new things and had a rare opportunity to view close up many stunning handcrafted items from the ancient world. For those reasons, we still thought it was a powerful, fascinating exhibit.
Took my mom here as part of her Christmas present. We got the first time ticket on a Sunday, hoping that we wouldn't have to deal with the crowds. We didn't go for the 3-D movie.
The audio guide was decently informative, but annoying at times. It was interesting to me, that the three different narrators never pronounced the names the same way. The player itself was annoying - making you hold it up to your ear life a cell phone, rather than being headphones. And there was no sound button, despite the varying volumes of the narrators voices. Mostly, it just made me chuckle at the instances of excitement and matter-of-factness of some of the statements. Also, some of the commentary went on much longer than necessary about topics that didn't even seem relevant to what I was viewing.
The exhibit itself was not that much about King Tut, but much more about his predecessors. The set up of the exhibit was somewhat awkward, particularly the panels of the dynasties, which were read in the opposite direction of the flow of people. The good news was that almost every item had a placard beneath it and a above it, so that if someone with no exhibit-viewing etiquette was standing right in front of whatever artifact for a long time, you could read the placard above. However, as Joel D mentioned - the low lighting made everything harder to read without really adding to the ambiance.
Mostly, I was disappointed at all the undefined or explained references. Sure, I'd heard of the Book of the Dead, so I knew somewhat about what they were referencing for the inscriptions on some of the pieces, but a refresher would have been helpful. Same with all the deity references.
For you to get maximum enjoyment out of this, I recommend reading up on ancient Egypt before you go. I definitely didn't think it was worth the price that I paid (particularly not for the audio guide) so look for a way to get reduced admission. Still, this is the first and last time that some of these pieces are going to be allowed outside of Egypt, so if you're never planning on traveling there yourself, it could be worth your while.
Ancient History Buffs - I know you're out there and curious if you should go see this exhibit. You have through May to get there and yes, I think it's worthwhile. I went to the exhibit on the Black Friday, and I guess everyone who wasn't shopping was there. We had a Noon reservation (make sure you don't just stop by and expect to get in - especially on a weekend or over the holidays) and it was crowded. The Civic Center tried to organize the people waiting to enter, but evidently too many people showed up late for their reservations so the waiting area was very crowded and borderline chaos. Of course the exhibit just arrived in Atlanta a week or so earlier so I'll give the Civic Center a break and hope they get better organized for winter break.
The exhibit was good, but my brother-in-law was disappointed that there was no sarcophagus (sp?) and the treasures from the tomb were split between Atlanta and Dallas. But the treasures that are there are definitely worth seeing. The audio tour handsets are worth renting, but you can save some money by sharing it with a friend. We didn't stay for the movie - a couple hours at the Exhibit was enough for us.
Check out the special exhibit times - I saw that Creative Loafing was promoting one on 12/10 in the evening. It might be more fun to go at night when there aren't a lot of kids around - but that's just me.
Go check it out and let me know what you think.
I think this exhibition is interesting and thorough, if not exactly what I expected from the billboards and brochures I'd seen around town.
The set-up was a little awkward at times. Wide rooms bottleneck in strange corridors, and occasionally objects were hard to find on the backs of displays. The lighting was dramatic - a little too dramatic - which was powerful but also a little cheesy.
I was somewhat disappointed in the extensive "pharaohs" introduction and the lesser "Tut-related" part of the exhibition. What was lacking in actual artifacts was made up for in cool design and the interesting CSI-Tut display towards the end.
Overall I enjoyed the exhibit - especially the video with VO by Harrison Ford! - but I'm not sure it is worth the full admission price. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for discounts!
(Also, I didn't try to visit with children, but I imagine on a crowded day, they could be very frustrated at not being able to see displays or read the labels in a number of areas.)
Wow! I have seen many Egyptian artifacts at several museums, and I have to say that this one is quite exquisite. The staging, lighting, music, and ambiance are one of a kind. It takes @ two hours to view the whole exhibition.
There are no sarcophagi because Tut and his death mask do not leave Egypt. The exhibit has extraordinary pieces that are especially incredible considering this is a traveling exhibit. Some are very large statues. They have Tut's bed, and jewelry that is gorgeous! This review would be too long if I tried to describe all the pieces that I enjoyed.
Recommendations: First, look for deals. We found a deal on http://kingtut.org that included two tickets, two audio tours, and a $30 national geographic DVD for $50.
Second, go on a school day. Sorry families, but most of you are annoying. The 10- to 13-year-olds stood directly in front of the displays constantly.
Third, the audio tour isn't worth $7. I always get the audio tours, but in this case, it was nice but not very informative. Most of it was the curator of Egyptian antiquities giving his impressions of the pieces. Everything you need to know is on the signs.
Fourth, bring reading glasses! The print was very small on informative signs.
Last, dress warm, the civic center is always chilly (And I never get cold).
This is a once in a lifetime experience. Go see it!
2.5 Stars
It was OK. Definitely too crowded to actually spend time and enjoy any of the artifacts. A lot of the stuff was about other pharaohs. And as the previous review noted, no sarcophagus or death mask of Tut. Mostly jewelry and little statues.
And maybe I'm just getting old, but the dark lighting and small print on the exhibit cards hurt my eyes.
We found a 2-For-1 Ticket Special (Expires January 18). I think it is much more worthwhile at $14 than the full price $28.
Daniel and I were pretty disappointed in this place. First of all, I bought tickets in advance off of ticketmaster because the King Tut website said that they usually sell out. Come to find out that the tickets online were twice as much as we would've paid at the door, and the staff there said that they just about never sell out! The door staff was very friendly and helpful, however. And if you're a single person or a couple, try hanging out in the lobby for a while, and people will offer you free tickets. (There's a family 4-pack that's really cheap, and lots of families of three will get it and then have a leftover ticket.)
The exhibit itself wasn't all that great. It was incredibly crowded, even on a weekday. Most of the artifacts were Egyptian statues, with some pottery and jewelry thrown in. Of King Tut, there was very little. Instead of his bones, they had a life-size printout of what his skeleton looked like. They also had a brief video of scientists working with the body to determine the cause of death. They had only a few items from the tomb itself. The dude was buried in 7 sarcophagi, and not one was in this exhibition. How is that even possible? It should have been billed as an Ancient Egypt exhibition, King Tut.
I was very impressed with this exhibit. I loved the history and the quality of the pieces that were available. I do regret not getting the audio to go along with it though. The staff was friendly and helpful and answered the numerous questions that i had regarding different exhibits.
The price was a little high but overall i think it is well worth it.
We bought tickets for a Monday (3-23-09). Our arrival time was 10:30a.m. We also purchased the audio and the 3-D movie. It was very worth it. There wasn't a line at all. It was very easy to read the captions above and below the artifact. Someone had mentioned in their review about it being cold inside so I dressed in layers and was glad I did. I would have been cold without a jacket. I thought the lighting was great. I really enjoyed everything about it. The jewelry was fabulous which was in the last room. It took us 2 hours for the walk thru, another 30 min. for the movie. I would suggest that you see the movie first which we did. I did see on the King Tut website that you can now get $10 off each ticket if you go Mon thru Thurs. and after noon. We bought our tickets thru Ticketmaster and didnot receive a discount.
I attended the King Tut exhibit at the Civic Center for a holiday party, so my experience was unique.
The exhibit is very interesting and covers a large span of Egyptian history. The stone work from some of the other collections is astoundingly beautiful, and the artistry is exceptional. I did enjoy the recorded handset for additional history and sound bites from archeologists and museum curators. It allowed for a larger understanding of what I was seeing, and some insight into the minds of the archeologists involved.
In the King Tut room there were some tremendous pieces of jewelry, small conopic jars and the conopic jar head of King Tuts bust.
All of the art on display was truly amazing, considering its age versus the state of its preservation. The boy kings bed fascinated me, as the reed work was in almost perfect condition, magnificently preserved.
However, the King Tut room, over all, was disappointing. All of the advertising for this showing includes a photograph of the famous gold Tut head piece, which was not included in the collection. There were NO large gold pieces at all. There was one small version of Tuts sarcaphogus, but it was less than 12 inches tall...not that impressive compared to the bust on their adverts, bill boards and website.
I think for $16 it might be a reasonable show, but at the higher price of $33, I'd take a pass.
I'm giving three stars, but it's really more like 2 1/2...and its not the exhibits fault really. Its the advertisements which miss lead you to believe you will be seeing a lot more than you actually do.
Thankfully,I attended on an early afternoon when the crowd was more reasonable.Once inside, I was amazed by the volume of information and artifacts at the exhibit. And best of all - besides the content of the exhibit being interesting, they brought in mediums like video/audio to help movie the story along. And, to be close enough to almost touch the artifacts made it all the better. I can know honestly watch/read about about that period with a deep appreciation thanks to the exhibit.
I enjoyed the exhibit! I'm a huge museum junky and the 3-D video and the audio tour were good. The only negative was that it was pricey, but it was still worth it. For anyone else that enjoys this subject, go see the Carlos Museum at Emory U. It actually has some cool stuff as well as a few mummies.
