National Geographic, AEG Live Exhibitions and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, will bring an exhibition of more than 130 treasures from the tomb of pharaoh Tutankhamun (King Tut), other Valley of the Kings tombs and additional ancient sites to the United States on a 27-month tour beginning in Los Angeles on June 16, 2005 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The exhibit includes 50 major artifacts excavated from Tutankhamun's tomb, including his royal diadem — the gold crown discovered encircling the head of the king's mummified body that he likely wore while living — and one of the gold and inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs. Yum.

More than 70 artifacts from other royal graves of the 18th dynasty (1555 B.C.-1305 B.C.) are showcased as well, including those of pharaohs Amenhotep ll and Thutmose lV and the rich, intact tomb of Yuya and Tuyu, parents-in-law of Amenhotep lll and great-grandparents of Tutankhamun. Yuya and Tuyu's tomb was the most celebrated historical find in the Valley of the Kings until Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun's undisturbed burial chamber in 1922. All of the treasures in the exhibit are between 3,300 and 3,500 years old.

The exhibition will draw visitors back in time with inventive design and innovative technology, allowing viewers to explore and experience the world of King Tut. They will come face to face with his contemporaries, see and hear about the times in which the young king lived and learn how his short reign changed history.

The exhibit also features National Geographic images and film footage about the golden age of the pharaohs as well as information on cutting-edge research into the life and death of Tutankhamun. A smaller number of treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb were last displayed in the United States during a seven-city tour from 1976 to 1979, which attracted some 8 million visitors and set traveling show attendance records.

We went to another ancient Egypt exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art a few years ago and were transfixed - this sounds even better.

Click on the banner at the top for more info, to order tickets, or to enter the sweepstakes for a trip to see the exhibit in either LA or Ft Lauderdale.