Over 3,000 years Old And Looking Good!

King Tutankhamun's (Tut) body was slowly removed from his sarcophagus (stone coffin) and face revealed the first time on Sunday, Nov 5th, 85 years after British archaeologist Howard Carter found his treasure-filled tomb.

The restoration process, which began two years ago, was primarily done to ensure that King Tut's face and what remains of the rest of the body could be preserved forever. When Howard Carter found the tomb, he nearly destroyed it by using sharp tools to remove Tut's gold mask. Further damage has been caused by thousands of tourists who visit the tomb every year.

King Tut was not the most powerful or most important ruler in Egypt , but he is one of the most popular and well known of the Pharaoh', for a number of reasons. His was the first tomb of its era to be discovered, was remarkably preserved and contained a treasure trove of gold and precious stones.  Added to this, were rumors of a mysterious "mummy's curse", that befell anyone who came in contact with this tomb.

Now King Tut lays in a glass case, in Luxor , Egypt, his toothy grin permanently affixed on his black leathery face and hopefully be preserved for many generations to come.  For read more about King Tut and the "mummy's curse" go to www.fieldmuseum.org/tut.

Sources: bbc.co.uk, nationalgeographic.com