A model from King Tutankhamun's tomb greets visitors at the Egyptian Museum.

How King Tut conquered pop culture

Tutmania influenced everything from Hollywood to fashion and advertising after the pharaoh's tomb emerged from the sands of Egypt in 1922.

The boyish face of King Tutankhamun greets visitors at the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo. This life-size model, which may have served as a mannequin to display royal robes or jewelry, is one of more than 5,000 treasures from the young pharaoh’s tomb that are being restored and prepared for display at the new Grand Egyptian Museum, planned to open in late 2022. An international team of scholars at the museum’s conservation laboratory is restoring a steady stream of artifacts from across the country.
Photograph by Paolo Verzone
The story has been updated to correct the name and details of the 1976 exhibit.
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