Last week—or was it the week before?—it was Tut’s head, or the head of a statue of King Tutankhamen, one probably smuggled out of Egypt illegally. (Is it possible to legally smuggle something?) This week it’s Tut’s sarcophagus. The Pharaoh’s gold-gilt coffin is undergoing restoration work (it had developed some cracks) for the first time since the discovery of Tut’s tomb in 1922. This has necessitated moving it from the tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings, to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Will this cause a resurgence of the infamous and disputed “curse” of Tutankhamen? I remember reading that moving any of the artifacts from the tomb has in the past triggered some kind of unusual phenomena. I do believe it was an attempt to move the pieces out of the country, though, that led to a citywide blackout, and since the sarcophagus was moved for a good reason—its preservation—maybe that won’t rub the Pharaoh the wrong way. Plus the new museum is within spitting distance to the Pyramids, so it isn’t too far removed from its royal occupant, who remains, we must presume, in repose in his royal tomb.
There is no word yet whether the sale of that statue’s head has resulted in any bad luck or bizarre occurrences. Should any such thing make the headlines, rest assured we will be reporting on it here.