No golden mask, but plenty to wow in Tut exhibit

In total, there will be 130 Egyptian artifacts on display in Atlanta, including 50 items directly from the tomb. All are between 3,300 and 3,500 years old.

"There are many items that connect him to being a real human being and this makes for a great exhibition," said Lach, senior vice president of Arts and Exhibitions International, the Ohio-based company that negotiated the U.S. tour agreement with Egypt.

"Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" wrapped up a seven-month run in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 28, where it exceeded expectations by attracting more than 400,000 visitors.

"Of all the places we've toured, ... the Atlanta Civic Center gives me the most opportunity to create a great space," said Lach, who is spending several weeks in Atlanta overseeing the set-up of the show.

The center boasts 30-foot ceilings and 30,000 square feet of space.

A theater will offer screenings of "Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs," a 22-minute 3D movie that follows explorers as they piece together the archeological and genetic clues of Egyptian mummies.

Lach concedes that some have panned the Tut display for being a bit too "theme park-y."

But he argues that with so many stunning relics to see, no Hollywood gimmicks could possibly detract from their splendor.

The exhibit in Atlanta isn't the only one crossing the Atlantic.

A second traveling display, "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," drew nearly 4 million visitors during its two-year tour of four cities that ended in September 2007. That exhibit just finished a nine-month run in London and opened for an encore tour at the Dallas Museum of Art on Oct. 3.

Atlanta is the first U.S. city to host the second Tut exhibit, which will move to Indianapolis next for a run from June to October 2009.

The primary difference is that the Dallas exhibition explores the 18th Dynasty, when Tutankhamun and his ancestors reigned, while the Atlanta exhibition's focus is broader, covering some of the most important pharaohs throughout 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, Lach said.

Both tours are successors to the Tutankhamun spectacle of the 1970s that ushered in the era of blockbuster museum exhibitions.

Since his tomb was unearthed in 1922, the boy king has fascinated the world. Tutankhamun was born around the year 1346 B.C. and became pharaoh at age 9 before dying of mysterious circumstances about 10 years later.

"Because he was a boy king this is an exhibit that particularly appeals to children," Lach said.

A native New Yorker, Lach was also the designer behind the record-breaking Titanic exhibit that toured the United States a few years ago.

He said experience has taught him how to use theatrical lighting and dramatic sounds to enhance — rather than overwhelm — ancient artifacts.

At the Vienna exhibit, he organized six galleries thematically to show what life was like as a pharaoh and as a king in ancient Egypt.

He devoted another four galleries to the boy king that corresponded to the four rooms of his nearly intact tomb.

An impressive part of the exhibit was a series of prints by Harry Burton, the photographer who accompanied Carter during the excavation of the tomb.

The exhibit also showcased the latest scientific research into the life and death of Tut, including the most recent CT scans conducted on his mummy.

"I'm going to make more of the CT scan exhibit in Atlanta," Lach said, adding that the exhibit will be more "mysterious."

In Atlanta, the show will be presented by the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University.

"Atlanta was the right choice for this exhibit as the academic knowledge they have — the museum — is just perfect for this project," Lach said. "We've worked with museums around the world and Atlanta is second to none when it comes to energy and passion."

Bonnie Speed, director of the Michael C. Carlos Museum, said the fact that Atlanta is the premier venue for this exhibition speaks to the city's vibrant cultural environment.

"The response to news of Tutankhamun's arrival has been extremely positive," she said.

Speed estimates that at least 750,000 people will see the show based on projections from current reservations.

She also said that the exhibition would likely bring in an estimated $150 million in spending to the metro Atlanta areas.

Lach said that much of the money generated from the tours goes back to Egypt for conservation purposes. He wouldn't say how much but he added that funds are needed for a new children's museum and other projects.

The tours, he said, are introducing a whole new generation to the wonders of ancient Egypt.

"We're giving people knowledge about a certain point in history with the help of some incredible objects," he said.