Yesterday afternoon we checked out the Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario here in Toronto.

The Kiddo and I outside of the AGO underneath a giant Anubis.

The exhibit itself was breathtaking! And it was a lot of fun to be led through giant doors made to look like the opening of the tomb itself. Unfortunately no photography is allowed once you're inside, so I have scanned a few images from postcards to give you a taste of some of the fascinating pieces that have been included. The mummy, and death mask are not included.

This is a lid of one of the canopic jars used for Tut's vital organs.

These are part of an assortment of Shabtis that were found in the tomb.

This gorgeous piece of jewelry is an earring!

This is part of the colossal statue of Tutankhamun. Colossal is almost an understatement to describe this figure, which is simply gigantic, and neck straining to look up at.

This is a cosmetic jar that has a cartouche containing the King's name.

There are thousands of pieces that include other Dynasty's and Pharaohs tombs to look at. The exhibit is definitely worth checking out (runs to April 2010) in my opinion, and who knows when or if they will ever come back to Toronto. The last time a King Tut exhibit was in town was in 1979 when Matthew and I were both 12 years old.

The only disappointments were the prices on most of the items in the special gift shop area for the exhibit itself. You would be far better off checking out the Egyptian stalls at the Canadian National Exhibition in August located in the International pavilion where last year I bought gorgeous statuettes of Horus, Bastet, and Anubis for $30 bux a piece. To be fair the prices in the main AGO gift shop especially for art prints is fantastic in comparison, and we did buy a few.

Also an overzealous security guard shouted at us when Matthew was simply pointing at a symbol on a cat's sarcophagus. He was explaining something to the kiddo when the security guard started shouting (as opposed to simply coming over and talking with us) and when Matthew stated he did not touch the object the security guard actually had the nerve to say "Yes, you did!" despite another patron who was standing right beside Matthew that he (the security guard) was mistaken, and that Matthew had not touched the object at all. The security guard was very rude to both us, and the other guest, and being an older, middle aged fellow I can only assume is possibly a failed cop. You know the type. Otherwise the other AGO staffers particularly in the ticket area were very helpful, and friendly.

Overall an excellent once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the ticket price includes admission to all the other exhibits within the gallery so you can make it a full day.