Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt Professor David J. Demko, PhD AgeVenture News Service "The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt" presents the largest group of antiquities ever loaned by Egypt for exhibition in North America. Ancient Egyptian beliefs and practices based on the afterlife journey of pharaohs will be dramatically illustrated through approximately 115 magnificent objects from Egypt and a life-sized reconstruction of the burial chamber of the New Kingdom pharaoh Thutmose III (1479-1425 B.C.) The exhibit helps unravel the intricacies of the ancient Egyptians' view of the afterlife. One such example is the photo (right) of the "Sarcophagus of Khonsu, 19th Dynasty, c. 1270 BC". From the earliest times, Egyptians denied the physical impermanence of life. They formulated a remarkably complex set of religious beliefs and funneled vast material resources into the quest for immortality. The exhibition focuses on the understanding of the afterlife among Egyptians some 3,000 years ago, in the period of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC) through the Late Period (664-332 BC). The New Kingdom marked the beginning of an era of great wealth, power, and stability for Egypt, and was accompanied by a burst of cultural activity, much of which was devoted to the quest for eternal life. Among the objects in the exhibition are numerous gold and jeweled items from the royal tombs at Tanis (21st and 22nd Dynasties), acclaimed as the most significant royal burial site since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. The last room of the exhibition is a reconstruction of the tomb of Thutmose III, ruler of Egypt in the 15th century BC. On the walls is the earliest known complete copy of the Amduat, the great text describing the sun god’s journey through the afterworld during the 12 hours of night when the sun god defeats his enemies in the netherworld and achieves rebirth at the eastern horizon to rise again in the morning sky. The 256-page exhibition catalogue, co-published by the National Gallery of Art and Prestel, is richly illustrated with some 190 color photographs, including multiple details of many objects. The photo (left) is that of the "Stele of Nebnakht and family Early Eighteenth Dynasty, 1550-1458 BC, painted limestone, The Egyptian Museum, Cairo" For several years, the exhibition has traveled throughout the United States and Canada. The remaining venues include the following locations. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, September 12, 2004 - January 23, 2005. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, September 2 - December 31, 2007. The exhibition is organized by United Exhibits Group, Copenhagen, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in association with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Cairo. Objects are loaned by the Egyptian government and come from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Luxor Museum, and the sites of Tanis and Deir el-Bahari. The catalogue of the exhibit, which contains essays, entries on each object, a selected guide to the gods, a chronology, a glossary, and a bibliography, will be available for $30 in softcover and $65 in hardcover in the Gallery Shops during the exhibition, on the Gallery Web site at www.nga.gov/shop/shop.htm, or by calling 1 (800) 697-9350. Image credits: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Front page image: "Pendant in form of Hathoric head, 22nd Dynasty, reign of Osorkon II, 874-850 BC." Also see: "The Death Calculator" Dr. David J. Demko is a certified gerontologist reporting on boomer lifestyles since 1974. BACK TO TOP