As a child, I was entranced by all things Egyptian. In fact, although it isn’t on my list, visiting the pyramids at Giza probably slides in at number 26. Yes, I still retain that little bit of childish enthusiasm for Egyptian history. I mean, I like the history and all, but I don’t read as much about it as I should — we can consider it an attention-deprived interest.
It was, therefore, a bit of a thrill (maybe ‘thrill’ is too strong of a word – let’s say I was titillated) during a recent holiday to an amusement park to walk through a recreation of an Egyptian archeological dig. Being the kind of Dad who will try to find educational aspects even in line for a rollercoaster, I pointed out a jackal-headed statue to my 9 year old. “Check it out,” I said. “That’s one of the Egyptian gods.”
He sighed. “Yes, Dad. That’s Anubis.” Then, pointing to various paintings on the walls, he said “And that’s Thoth. And that’s Ra. And that’s Osiris. I don’t see Isis.” The next few minutes consisted of a lecture on the family tree of Egyptian gods.
“How do you know all this?”
Another long-suffering sigh. “Dad. I’ve only been studying to be an Egyptologist since grade 2.”
“Oh.”
This long-winded story brings me to my point: how cool is it that a bunch of artifacts from King Tut’s tomb are on display in Toronto? Tickets to see these ancient bits of history are surprisingly reasonable and I’m tempted to fly to Toronto for a weekend only to take in the exhibit.
Part of me wonders why I would consider spending a few hundred dollars to see a handful of items that were buried thousands of years ago. The other part of me wonders how much I will regret it if I don’t spend the money.
After all, it is King Tut.
(As a post-script, by writing this posting, I think I’ve talked myself into making the trip.)
T. Keith Edmunds
-
Juel