Lastly, what is the schedule for the construction and opening of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization?
We are building the rooms for conservation right now. We got $300 million as a loan from Japan, and we are choosing the company to oversee the administration of the project. In January, we will announce a competition for the construction contract. The architectural design has already been chosen from an international competition. David Silverman, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and national curator of “Tutankhamun and the Golden age of the Pharaohs” (Courtesy David Silverman) [LARGER IMAGE] How is the exhibit organized; by object, by theme, by chronology? Why did you choose this particular layout? The storyline is dictated by the artifacts themselves and by how groups of objects relate to each other. Both thematic concepts and chronology are essential. In this way, the layout seems natural, the story flows, and the artifacts illustrate the story and the story explicates the artifacts. The idea is much the same as the way ancient Egyptian scenes are a v
