A reader has asked for a list of the upcoming dates for the Tutankhamun tour.   I have compiled a full list below.   The exhibitions in Basel and Bonn went under the title ‘Tutankhamun and the Golden Beyond’ (Tutanchamun Das goldene Jenseits).

• April 7, 2004 – October 3, 2004
  Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig (Basel Museum of Antiquities), Basel, Switzerland
• November 4, 2004 – May 1, 2005
  Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle (Art and Exhibition Hall), Bonn, Germany
• June 16, 2005 – November 15, 2005
  Los Angeles County Museum of Art Los Angeles, California, USA
• December 15, 2005 – April 23, 2006
  Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
• May 26, 2006 – January 1, 2007
  The Field Museum Chicago, Illinois, USA
• February 3, 2007 – September 30, 2007
  The Franklin Institute Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• November(?) 2007 – 2008 TBC
  The Millennium Dome London, UK

An article about the ancient trade in frankincense.   You may recall that Hatshepsut's expedition to Punt brought back frankincense amongst other trade goods.

...Frankincense is an aromatic resin from spindly trees, deemed essential for a host of uses ranging from religious, to cosmetic, to medicinal.

An expedition led by Dr Juris Zarins began in 1991, keeping the maps of Claudius Ptolemy, the Alexandrian geographer of the 2nd century AD as its guide...

...In Egypt, frankincense was used for all practical purposes.   It was used during mummification for embalming corpses...

...The 'kohl' used by Egyptian women to beautify their eyes was comprised of frankincense. ..

A fragrant passage, Deccan Herald via Daily News Online, Sri Lanka, June 20, 2005.

The text below is excerpted from a side-bar on the story linked at the bottom.   I have reproduced it here as I haven't seen it anywhere else and I thought readers might find it useful.

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is organized so that the viewer travels through 11 galleries.

• Gallery 1: The Introduction
• Gallery 2: "Daily Life in Ancient Egypt"
• Gallery 3: "Traditional Religion"
• Gallery 4: "Religious Revolution: The Focus on a Single God"
• Gallery 5: "Death, Burial and Afterlife"
• Gallery 6: "The Discovery of the Tomb"
• Gallery 7: "Tutankhamun, King of Egypt"
• Gallery 8: "Causing His Name to Live"
• Gallery 9: "Daily Life in Tutankhamun's World"
• Gallery 10: "The Tomb and Burial of Tutankhamun"
• Gallery 11: Is devoted to the CT scans performed on Tutankhamun's mummified body.   The CT scans were part of a five-year Egyptian research and conservation project with National Geographic that revealed new information about the boy king's brief life and untimely death.   The exhibition galleries take the viewer through a fascinating journey that builds to a finish with a bang.   While the artifacts and treasures are awe-inspiring, the last part of the exhibition is absolutely spellbinding.

Return of the king, The Desert Sun, California, USA, June 20, 2005.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will host an International Conference on Rivers and Civilization in 2006.

The international event will be June 25-28, and will bring together academics, river managers and ecologists, business leaders, writers, musicians, artists, politicians, river experts, recreational interests, wildlife managers, transportation experts and others to focus on contemporary issues related to the world's major river basins...

...Other speakers include ... Fekri Hassan, professor of archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology and Department of Egyptology at University College, London, England...

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to host 2006 Rivers conference, La Crosse Tribune, Wisconsin, USA, June 21, 2005.

cf. 2006 Great Rivers Conference.

TravelVideo.TV interview Zahi Hawass.

...Years 2005 and 2006 are very important for archaeology.   We will find out what is behind the secret doors blocking the shaft inside the Pyramids.   We will reveal what is hidden inside the tomb of Seti I, who we believe has his tomb kept intact within the chamber.   We are going to do more CT scans on famous mummies like Nefertiti, Hatshepsut and others.   Until now, we have unearthed only 30 percent of our monuments; 70 percent has yet to be excavated.   Imagine this.   Just before I left Cairo last week, the great temple of Rameses II was found under a house in Heliopolis, downtown which shows that continuously ancient Egypt is revealing itself for us to rewrite the history of a glorious past of our country and a world to whom ancient Egyptian history truly belongs...

Unraveling mystery behind King Tut, TravelVideo.TV, Canada, June 21, 2005.

A specialist south Wales company has won a contract to help preserve an ancient Egyptian temple.

Newport-based Cintec International will carry out work to reinforce the 2,500-year-old Temple of Hibis in the Western Desert.

The company is using a system which it says will leave no visible change to the temple's outward appearance.

Cintec has work on 10 mosques and maqaads, or pillared rooms, in historic parts of the Egyptian capital Cairo...

Firm secures Egypt temple mission, BBC News, UK, June 21, 2005.