King Tut's 'comeback tour' begins

Arranged chronologically into 11 galleries, visitors are first confronted with the simple humanity of King Tut, in the form of a wooden figure — head and torso — taken from his tomb. In the darkened room, all light rests on the Boy King depicted without the gold and jewels that have earned him his latest moniker — King of Bling.

First marking the discovery of Tut's tomb in 1922, the exhibition presents 50 items buried with the Boy King, including several pieces of furniture, a game board and two golden statuettes.

One gallery is dedicated solely to items found with Tut's mummified remains, including a ceremonial dagger on his left thigh and a gold crown found around his head.

But perhaps the most prized object is the coffinette that contained Tut's mummified liver. The ornate figurine is propped open, and a peek inside shows rows of intricate hieroglyphs set in gold.

The gallery ends with a video showing digital scans of Tut's remains, part of a five-year project partially funded by National Geographic. The scans show he was not killed by a crushing head blow, as had been theorized, but perhaps died from a broken left leg and subsequent gangrene infection.

FREE VIDEO King Tut bling goes on tour June 13: Four-city tour opens this week in Los Angeles. "Today" show host Katie Couric reports. Today show

Sponsors expect some 1.2 million people will see the Los Angeles exhibition, which runs through Nov. 15, before the show travels to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Chicago and Philadelphia. A schedule of dates can be found at the exhibit's Web site, http://www.kingtut.org/.

Tickets cost $25 apiece for weekdays and $30 for weekends.

An estimated $35 million of the exhibition's proceeds will be used for conservation efforts in Egypt. The country has announced plans to build 13 new museums.

"Egypt is proud to share these treasures with another generation," said Ahmed El-Maghraby, Egypt's tourism minister. "Tourism is another bridge to peace and understanding."

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