Thursday, September 16, 2010

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction...

An Egyptian bust that resembled Michael Jackson on display in Inside Ancient Egypt, which opened in 1988 at the Field Museum. This bust of an Egyptian woman is nearly 3,000 years old, yet the resemblance to the late King of Pop is uncanny. The bust has been a part of the Museum's collection since 1899 and was collected by Edward Ayer, who spearheaded the founding of the Museum. 

The bust was made during the New Kingdom Period (1550 BCE to 1050 BCE) which is the same time period as King Tut and Ramses. According to the curator, 95% of Egyptian statues and busts were defiled by early Christians and Muslims because the statues were looked at as idolatry. Taking the nose off made them 'non-human' and less offensive.