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Nov 8 2006

Tickets On Sale For 'Tutankhamun And The Golden Age Of Pharaohs,’ Opening At The Franklin Institute Science Museum In February 2007

Tickets for the final venue on the current U.S. tour of “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” at The Franklin Institute will become available for public purchase beginning at 10 a.m. EST today, Wednesday, Nov. 8. The exhibition marks the first time artifacts from King Tut's tomb will visit Philadelphia.


Organized by National Geographic, AEG Exhibitions, and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, the exhibition will visit The Franklin Institute Feb. 3 through Sept. 30, 2007. Mellon Financial Corporation is the presenting sponsor and PECO is the associate sponsor in Philadelphia.

Since opening in June 2005, the exhibition has drawn more than 2.5 million visitors, breaking records in each city it has visited, including Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Chicago, where the exhibition is on display at The Field Museum until Jan. 1, 2007. Treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb were last displayed in the United States during a seven-city tour from 1976 to 1979 that set touring exhibition attendance records with some 8 million visitors.

"There is tremendous anticipation surrounding this exhibition," said Dr. Dennis M. Wint, president and CEO of The Franklin Institute. "We have already received requests for tickets from 32 states across the country and as far away as California and Oregon."

"The King Tut exhibition will be in Philadelphia for nine months and through three seasons, giving us a blockbuster show to promote throughout most of 2007," said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. "The exhibition has a proven track record and will be a great incentive for an overnight Philadelphia stay."

Coinciding with tickets becoming available, presenting sponsor Mellon Financial Corporation is announcing its underwriting of a Tut-related education program designed by The Franklin Institute. The program will provide curriculum material to teachers whose classes are visiting the exhibition, and facilitate access to the exhibition for children whose schools would not otherwise be able to afford the expenses associated with field trips to the museum.

“Education is a key philanthropic objective for many of our private wealth management clients,” said Steven Kaplan, Mellon senior vice president and chief of staff for Mellon’s Philadelphia-headquartered Mid-Atlantic region, “and we were strongly attracted to The Franklin Institute’s approach to presenting the Tut exhibition as not just an irresistible museum attraction, but also a once-in-a-lifetime educational experience for school children in the Philadelphia area.”

PECO is the associate sponsor of the exhibition in Philadelphia.

"As a long-time supporter and sponsor of The Franklin Institute, PECO, An Exelon Company is proud to be part of presenting the King Tut exhibit in the Philadelphia region," said Denis O'Brien, PECO president and member of The Franklin Institute board of directors. "Landmark events of this kind help position Philadelphia as a great cultural center and The Franklin Institute as a premiere educational and cultural institution."

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Tutankhamun was one of the last kings of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty and ruled during a crucial, turmoil-filled period of Egyptian history. The boy king died under mysterious circumstances around age 18 or 19 in the ninth year of his reign (1323 B.C.).

“Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” offers glimpses of that evolving period, taking visitors through galleries filled with more than 130 artifacts from the tombs of King Tut, as well as several of his relatives and 18th Dynasty (1555 B.C. to 1305 B.C.) contemporaries. All of the treasures in the exhibit are between 3,300 and 3,500 years old.

On display are 50 of Tutankhamun’s burial objects including his royal diadem — the gold crown discovered encircling the head of his mummified body that he likely wore as king — and one of the gold and precious stone inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs.

More than 70 objects from tombs of other 18th Dynasty royals as well as several non-royal individuals are exhibited. These stone, faience and wooden pieces from burials before Tut’s reign give visitors a sense of what the lost burials of other royalty and commoners may have been like.

TICKET INFORMATION
“Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” ticket pricing at The Franklin Institute follows:

Single Tickets

  • Adults: $27.50 (Friday – Sunday: $32.50)
  • Senior, student, military (all with ID): $24 (Friday – Sunday: $30)
  • Children ages 4-11: $17.50
  • Audio guide (adult/children): $7/$6
  • Complementary IMAX movie: $5


Tickets are timed and dated, and admission is 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily. Due to high ticket demand, advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. For information on The Franklin Institute Science Museum tickets, please call 1-877-TUT-TKTS or visit www.KingTut.org or www.fi.edu/tut. Information on tickets for groups of 15 or more is available at 888.600.KTUT or at www.fi.edu/tut. To plan a trip or book a stay, please visit www.gophila.com/TUT.

For more information on the exhibition, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com/tut or www.KingTut.org.

ABOUT THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE
Currently undergoing a major renaissance, the all new Franklin Institute initiated a capital campaign in 1998 and successfully raised $62 million to launch eight new, interactive, theme-based, state-of-the-art exhibits through 2006, as well as to renovate its museum theaters, retail store, and public areas. New and renovated exhibits include The Franklin Air Show, The Sports Challenge, Space Command, The Train Factory, the Fels Planetarium, and The Giant Heart.

Located in the heart of Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute is a renowned and innovative leader in the field of science and technology learning, as well as a dynamic center of activity. Pennsylvania’s most visited museum, The Franklin Institute recently hosted Gunther von Hagen’s Body Worlds, which became the City of Philadelphia’s most visited traveling exhibit with over 600,000 visitors. For more information please visit www.fi.edu.

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