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Michael Jackson fans are flocking to a Chicago museum to see a 3,000 year old Egyptian model which looks remarkably like the late king of pop. Staff have been rushed off their feet since Jackson's death as thousands of mourners visit the exhibition to pay tribute to the star.
The limestone statue has gaunt cheeks and - most strikingly - a tipless nose. It is on display at the Inside Ancient Egypt exhibition at The Field Museum in the United States. The bust was bought in Cairo in 1889 and has been on display at the museum for 21 years.
But its popularity has soared since Michael Jackson's death after fans started writing about the ancient statue on internet blogs. The bust was carved during the New Kingdom Period, which ran between 1550 BC to 1050 BC. This was around the same time as famous Egyptians Ramesses and King Tut.
The museum's 4,500 daily visitors are banned from touching or kissing the statue, which is protected behind a glass screen. Astonished fans stand admiring the statue and discussing its likeness with others who have travelled to see it.
Darnell Williams, the director of guest relations, said some fans were treating a visit to the museum like a pilgrimage. He said: "The statue has been here for years but interest has beenboostedsince Michael Jackson's death. People are coming from all over the country to see the statue and compare its likeness to the king of pop.
“Many see it as a pilgrimage and as a way to pay tribute to his achievements. He had such a large influence on pop culture. Some fans are so desperate to see the model they are asking staff how to get to the Egypt exhibition before they have even bought their ticket.
"They want to touch and kiss the model like it is some sort of God but it is behind a screen to protect it from damage. Once people see it they are astounded and can't stop talking about its likeness. It really is remarkable."
James Phillips, curator of near east and north african exhibits, said little was known about the origins of the model.
He said: "The likeness is astonishing but I think it is probably a coincidence. We do not believe Michael Jackson ever visited the museum or saw the exhibit and there is therefore little chance he based his image on it. We believe the model is missing a nose because early Christians or Muslims removed noses from paintings and models to make them non-human.
"This was because it was against their religion to depict human beings. In this case it has the effect of making it look more like Michael Jackson. The model was carved during the New Kingdom Period but we do not know who it is or why it was made because there are no hieroglyphics on it."
The music video for Jackson's 1993 hit "Remember the Time" was set in Egypt and starred Eddie Murphy. At the time of the video Jackson looked almost identical to the statue. The model, simply called 'limestone statue of a woman', measures 25 cm high by 35 cm wide.
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(Agencies)
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近日，許多邁克爾?杰克遜的粉絲們都跑到芝加哥一家博物館，去參觀一尊有三千年歷史的埃及雕像，因為它的外貌酷似已故的流行天王。自從杰克遜死后，成千上萬的哀悼者參觀了這一展覽，以表達對已故歌星的敬意，這可忙壞了博物館的工作人員。
這尊用石灰巖雕成的人像有著瘦削的臉頰，而且，在臉上赫然可見的是一只沒有鼻翼的鼻子。該雕像目前在美國菲爾德博物館的古埃及內部展廳上展出。這座半身像是1889年在開羅購買的，迄今已經在該博物館展出了21年。
但是，自從邁克爾?杰克遜去世后，粉絲們開始在博客上寫關于該古雕像的評論，這尊模特一下子變得很受歡迎。這座半身像是在埃及新王國時期（公元前1550到公元前1050年），大約在著名的古埃及法老拉美西斯和圖特王時代雕刻而成的。
這座博物館每天接待4500名參觀者，雕像用玻璃隔板保護起來，禁止參觀者觸摸或是親吻。杰克遜的粉絲們站在那里欣賞雕像，并和其他游客一起談論雕像和杰克遜的相似之處。
客戶關系主管達尼爾?威廉姆斯說一些粉絲把來博物館參觀看作是朝圣。他說：“這座雕像已經在這里存放了許多年，但是一直到邁克爾?杰克遜去世人們才忽然對它感興趣。人們從全國各地過來觀看這座雕像，并把它和流行天王的相貌做比較?！?/font>
“許多人把這看作是一次朝圣，也看作是一種對杰克遜的成就表達敬意的方式。杰克遜對流行文化有著巨大的影響力。許多粉絲非?？释吹竭@尊模特，他們甚至還沒買票就詢問博物館工作人員要如何到達埃及展廳。
“他們想把模特當作神一樣去觸摸，去親吻，但是為了防止被損壞，模特被放在一個屏障后面。人們一看到那尊模特就驚呆了，然后就開始不停地談論它和天王是如何相似。這真的是太不可思議了。”
近東和北非展廳的管理者詹姆斯?菲利普斯說關于這尊模特的起源人們知之甚少。
他說：“這座雕像和杰克遜驚人地相似，但是我想這很可能只是一個巧合。我們不認為邁克爾?杰克遜曾經來過這個博物館或看過這一展出，所以如果說他是依據該雕像來塑造自己的形象，這是幾乎不可能的。我們認為模特沒了鼻子是因為早期的基督教徒或穆斯林教徒從畫作和雕像上把鼻子除去，來讓它們看起來不像人類。
“這是因為描畫或雕刻人像在他們的宗教里是不被允許的。這種“除鼻”行為讓雕像看起來更像邁克爾?杰克遜了。這尊模特是在埃及新王國時期雕刻的，但是我們不知道它是誰，也不知道為什么要制作它，因為它上面沒有象形文字可參考。”
杰克遜1993年的熱門歌曲《記住時間》的音樂錄影帶就是在埃及拍攝的，由艾迪?墨菲主演。在當時的錄影帶里杰克遜和那座雕像更為相似。這尊名叫“一個女人的石灰巖雕像”高25厘米，寬35厘米。
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（英語點津 陳丹妮編輯） |
