The only way to transport King Tut’s trove of treasures is through painstaking care and precautions.

As the official logistics provider of the KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh exhibition, FedEx transported 20 crates filled with almost 14,500 kg of priceless artifacts more than 10,000 km.

Ancient relics are incredibly sensitive to humidity and temperature. Materials last longer at cooler temperatures, and rapidly changing temperatures may have damaging effects on metals, stone, and other items. Changes in humidity cause objects to expand and contract, which can cause damage and accelerate deterioration.

More than 150 objects in the KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh exhibition were expertly packed in custom-built crates. The process was overseen by members of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and the crates were fitted with special tilt-sensing recorders.

The artifacts were escorted from Los Angeles by their own embedded special security team and a curator from Egypt, and were given a dedicated flight aboard a FedEx 777F, one of the most fuel-efficient planes in the FedEx fleet. On board the aircraft, the materials were loaded to travel towards the center of the plane, away from the door. This regulates air flow, and is the most temperature-stable position on the plane.

When they landed in Liège, the crates were loaded to special temperature-controlled trucks for the final portion of the journey from the airport to the Grande Halle de la Villette.

Paris is hosting the exhibition from March 23, 2019 – September 15, 2019 before it moves to Europe. The exhibit will conclude with the items being permanently displayed in the new Grand Egyptian Museum being constructed in Cairo. More information at www.expo-toutankhamon.fr/en.
 

In 1,332 BC a nine-year-old boy took the throne of one of the greatest empires in the world. 

He died just 10 years later, and his name, King Tutankhamun, was largely forgotten by history for over 3,000 years.

But when King Tut’s tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, it was the most intact Egyptian royal tomb ever uncovered. King Tut’s place in history was forever altered. 
 

Over its 3,000 plus year history, ancient Egypt was ruled by at least 150 pharaohs. Their fame runs from the likes of little-known Sekhemkhet and Huni to the legendary Khufu and Ramses II.

Throughout antiquity, most other pharaohs’ tombs from the ancient pyramids to the Valley of the Kings were plundered for their gold, jewellery, and other treasures. But King Tut’s tomb somehow escaped the pillagers.

Our modern understanding of ancient Egypt has been shaped by information from Tutankhamun.

The artifacts discovered in the tomb answered many questions about pharaohs and ancient Egyptian customs, but over the last century, science has stepped in to fill in many more gaps.

It was apparent in early analysis that Tutankhamun had once suffered a broken thigh and other bone-related injuries.

But through development of DNA testing and modern scientific methods, we’ve been able to learn intricate things like the fact that King Tut had malaria more than once in his short life. Incidentally, the Egyptian mummification process contributed to preserving this as the oldest known genetic proof of the disease.

You can see more than 150 of the artifacts discovered in King Tut’s tomb at the exhibit KING TUT: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh as it embarks on a multi-year, 10-city world tour, spanning several continents. Many of the artifacts in this exhibit are making their first journey abroad, and include golden jewelry, sculptures, and weaponry that would have served the king in life as well as the afterlife.

As the official logistics provider of the King Tut exhibit, FedEx transported these priceless King Tut artifacts from Los Angeles to the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris.