Tutankhamun: His Tomb and Treasures Exhibit

Over Christmas, we visited the traveling show Tutankhamun: His Tomb and Treasures in Washington, DC. The exhibit has recreations of various items found in the tomb of Tutankhamun along with full-size replicas of the nesting box coffins.

The first room gives the history of Tutankhamun's dynasty along with a general overview of ancient Egyptian culture. 

Info on the pharaohs of old

The Rosetta Stone was the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was a bit of bureaucratic information which was not interesting in itself, but it was written in three languages including Greek. Comparing the texts enabled linguists to finally crack the code on Egyptian writing.

Rosetta Stone copy

More on ancient culture

Next we watched a film about the discovery of the tomb by Howard Carter in 1922. The next displays showed the few rooms that made up the burial chamber. An anteroom led to the coffin chamber and a further room full of treasures.

The layout

This first display of the nested coffins shows how tight the space Carter's crew had to work in.

Pulling one coffin out of another

The lid on the floor!

The anteroom was full of items for the pharaoh's use in the afterlife, including an unassembled chariot and effigies of servants (more on that further down).

Supplies for later

The coffin room had almost no space outside of the large box containing the coffins. The inside of the largest box was laminated in gold and decorated for royalty.

Inside the largest box

Three nested rectangular boxes contained the three nested coffins, a very elaborate set up that was not fully explained.

Three boxes that were in each other

The coffins

Certainly the most icon item from the tomb is the mummy's mask. It shows a youthful and idealized king in his glory. The asp and vulture on the forehead symbolize Upper and Lower Egypt, the two realms ruled over by Tutankhamun.

Replica of the famous mask

The tomb had many fabulous treasures. The next exhibit has a sampling of what was found in the treasury. The first display shows the canopic jars used to store the internal organs of the mummy. They also were elaborately housed in the golden box just behind them in the picture below.

Canopic storage

The pharaoh would need servants in the afterlife. Thankfully actual people were not buried with him. Hundreds of small statues called Shabtis represented those who would serve the king in the land of the dead.

Shabtis display

Many larger statues represent various gods. Below, one god is lifting up Tutankhamun.

The god of gymnastics, perhaps?

A fully-constructed chariot would not have fit in the tomb but all the parts were there. This reconstructed replica shows it is more of a ceremonial ride than one fit for battle.

King's Chariot

These sandals show Egypt's enemies back in the day--the Nubians and the Lydians. The pharaoh would have them symbolically under his feet as he walked around (even in the afterlife).

Walking on your enemies!

The pharaoh's throne is flanked by two feathered fans that would keep him cool in the shade while suppliants came to beg favors. The footstool in front also has Nubians and Libyans as part of the artwork, again putting them under the king's heel.

Pharaoh's throne

Things weren't all war and superiority in the tomb. A few board games were found, though no rules were included!

Board games

We were a little nervous about visiting the exhibit when we heard they were all replicas of the real stuff. Turns out, the place was not overcrowded and we had time to appreciate the items that we wanted to appreciate without being moved along. The whole visit was about an hour and a half and was well worth it. They closed in DC on January 5, 2025, so hopefully you got to see it or are in a city that it moves to.

S'edav Va'aki Museum, Phoenix, AZ

Formerly known as the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archeological Site, the S'edav Va'aki Museum is very close to the airport and is an excavation of one of the many platform mounds found in Arizona. The mounds were built up over long years by the O'Odham natives (also known as the Hohokum). A Va'aki is a ceremonial house. Some were simple round, one-room structures. Others were the large, rectangular mounds that had dozens of rooms and multiple levels. The park traces the history of the O'Odham and shows how they lived long before the Americans of European descent came.

The front entrance is both impressive and unassuming. I was walking along the canal path and came into the museum over a bridge at the back.

Front entrance

The way to the back door

The O'Odham people worked hard to live in the harsh climate. In addition to developing an extensive canal system for irrigation, they also harvested various crops and would grind them into flour by hand. Some of the grindstones are on display.

Tools for grinding flour

This platform mound is large, with trails going around it. Some of the corners are well preserved, some are still being excavated away. 

Southwest corner of the mound

Less excavated

More of the mound

The "platform" part of the mound is the upper level, that had several rooms. Some were for storage, some for ceremonies. Archeologists determine the purpose by what they discover inside the room. If there's a lot of pot shards and no area for a fire, it probably stored food and other things. People probably did not live in there or spend any significant amount of time.

Roof rooms

A one-door room

This mound was part of a larger town, making this spot like a town square or gathering area. Other smaller structures were scattered around going north along a canal that we will see shortly.

The size of the town

The nearby structures below the mound show that they were probably used for ceremonies and for crafts, not as a residence. Again, the lack of fire pits and other archeological evidence indict their purposes.

View down to other buildings nearby

View to the museum

This pit has several layers in it, reflecting various periods of O'Odham civilization, from the early period to their Classical period from 1300 to 1450. 

Many additions were made over the years

Another rooftop room shows evidence of additions as the mound was expanded. The doorway in front leads to a doorway that looks like it was sealed.

Adding on and making changes

Another room on the roof

Vegetation in the distance (though not too distant)

A canal leading to the Salt River shows how the O'Odham built out their communities along the waterways. They could irrigate crops and have fresh water to use. I saw some ducks swimming by!

The ducks are barely visible

Trees growing along the canal

The museum has some recreations of homes. First on the trail is the later adobe homes. These required less wood to build. The frame structure was covered in clay that hardened into adobe. They put small walls around the homes, much like suburban homes in the area today!

Adobe homes

Inside the courtyard

A shaded cooking area

Inside the house

Weaving

The ceiling and some cotton drying

Further along are pithouses. People dug a bit into the ground and then used wood to make a more rounded house. The pit made a foundation and provided a little coolness.

Pithouses

The O'Odham built large pits called Huhugam ha Kovolka, or ancient sunken patios. Archeologists call them ballcourts. They were used for large gatherings, often inter-village events. Games would be played or trade would be held. This ballcourt was excavated and reinforced to preserve it. It is 82 feet long and 38 feet wide.

Ballcourt

Nearby is a sample of an outdoor kitchen and a garden.

Kitchen wall

Gardening in a dessert

A modernized kitchen (the O'Odham did not invent cinder blocks!)

To bake goods, the people dug a pit and put a fire in it. The hot coals were covered with food then buried. Another fire was put on top, heating the food from top and bottom. 

Pit oven

Some nearby cactus

Roger Lidman, long-time director of the museum, has a small memorial just outside the museum. he died in 2015.

Lidman's hat

In the museum is many of the items found in the area, along with a nice recreation of the platform mound. 

The mound in its heyday

The canal and village network

Artifacts from O'Odham life

Food stuff!

Housewares

Ancient petroglyphs (rocks with decorations) have been found in the area as well.

Petroglyph

Another map shows various trade routes used in the area.

Commerce in the old days

A display shows some balls from the ballcourt!

Balls

Another display shows how archeologists use the trash to find out more about people from the past. 

One man's trash is an archeologist's treasure!

When I visited, there was an art exhibit featuring many fine paintings. My favorite was "Mesa Verde," acrylic on canvas, 2012, by Ronnie Cachini. It is both expressive and detailed.

"Mesa Verde"

The museum and archeological park is a great place to learn about the area's past and the people who left their mark on the landscape.