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"Protestors also claimed that images of King Tut were altered to show him with lighter skin at the "Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit, which leaves Philadelphia for London September 30."

I can't believe that this tripe is still being allowed without refutation. We were accused of the same thing back in 1988, when some bizarre woman came into the Birmingham Museum of Art (Alabama) and said this about our Through Ancient Eyes exhibit. She was very aggressive and somewhat scared the gift shop staff when she demanded to "see the head of the exhibit." Donald Spanel, who curated the exhibit, was long gone back to New York, so I was called in to talk with her.

I heard her out, and then asked what proof she had that the Birmingham Museum (or any Egyptologist, for that matter, which was also part of her claim) had ever altered/repainted any piece within the exhibit. I asked to show me a specific piece that had been repainted of which she was aware. She faltered, and it was obvious she had never even seen the exhibit. Then she got all puffy about it again and said she would take her claim to the newspaper.

I looked her over for a minute, and then said, "Certainly, let's call them together. You give your side and I'll give mine; but I warn you, I know every piece in this exhibit, know its provenance, how it got here, helped oversee the unpacking, watched the installation, and can probably refute every claim you make....but please, let's call the Birmingham News right now."

She looked at me for a few seconds, and then turned and left the museum. We never heard anything from the newspapers (so I don't think she must have called them), and we never had any furter protests, beyond that odd incident.

When the same museum had the Searching for Ancient Egypt exhibit in 1999-2000, I prepared a statement for the Museum to give to the press in case they had a similar incident. It was factual, backed up with actual biological and DNA studies about ancient Egyptians, and filled with citations. As I recall, they only had one complaint and once the press release was given, not a word more was heard.

I often think museum should prepare for this sort of thing, because facts tends to shut these claims down. All folks to make such claims want is limelight, and I think the Museum shouldn't give it to them by allowing the protests without refutation.

Katherine Griffis-Greenberg

Doctoral Candidate
Oriental Institute
Doctoral Programme in Oriental Studies [Egyptology]
Oxford University
Oxford, United Kingdom





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2007 09:19AM by Katherine Griffis-Greenberg.