Egypt's Newest Antiquities

Beginning of article

Byline: Tara Weingarten

King Tut is certainly more famous now than in his own time. The boy king died suddenly at the age of 19, before he could make a monument, or even a name, for himself. But just look at him now. He, or at least his stuff--the gilded masks, the lapis lazuli necklaces, the ornate thrones--is on a second blockbuster tour, traveling the world displayed safely behind glass in grand museums. Meanwhile, the pharaoh himself lies mummified in a decidedly unroyal-looking tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.

You could line up with the throngs and plunk down about $28 to see a few of Tut's treasures, or you can hop a plane and see the royal mummy--and thousands of other ancient artifacts--on their home turf, where they have context, relevance, and meaning. There's never been a better time to visit the cradle of …