ARCHAEOLOGISTS labelled it "The Golden Age of the Pharoahs". Perhaps no other single treasure from that era has done more to mesmerise public attention than the glowing, gold-bejewelled mask of ill-fated young King Tutankhamun.

Travellers from North and South America have been following Tut's slow progress across the US on an almost two-year odyssey, displaying incomparable treasures from his family during the Eighteenth Dynasty.

It turned out to be much safer and far less expensive than jetting off to Cairo to view them at the Egyptian Museum. Perhaps you might like to do the same, with air service now making it easily accessible.

Nearly 130 pieces of ancient treasure that may never leave Egypt again are definitely worth the effort. It will be at Chicago's Field Museum until January 1, when it goes to Philadelphia for a final exhibit.

Although it has drawn captivated crowds, the museum offers several less crowded, more private ways to savour the treasures in more solitude. More about that later . . . Come along as we tour the wonders last seen in America 30 years ago.

First off, to put things in fair perspective, this traveller must admit to a fascination with all things involving ancient Egypt. If conditions were not unsettled there and terrorism a threat, I'd probably go there almost annually.

Three trips focusing on the Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery plus two additional ones visiting Cairo and sailing off on very special Nile cruises visiting all major monuments were unforgettable.

Yet, of course, everyone views such sights differently. I'll never forget that first cruise in the early Seventies via one of Hilton's boats. Then only Isis and Osiris were on the river . . . last trip there were more than 100.

Scheduled to go ashore to tour famous Valley of the Kings, one of our small group of ten journalists stayed glued to his deck chair. "Aren't you coming?" I asked. "No, I've been there once and seen Tut and Ramses tombs already."

So? Apparently he didn't consider them worth an encore visit. Yet my second trip there in more recent years was every bit as exciting as the first . . . new discoveries had been uncovered, more areas open to visitors.

The story of Tut's tomb discovery contains all the drama of which movies are made. And certainly many have covered adventures of Howard Carter's search for tomb of the young pharoah entombed more than 3,000 years . . . just imagine, 3,000 years!

Archaeologists had searched for his tomb for years while those of other pharoahs were discovered barely footsteps away. Then Carter, on the trail five years and close to the end of funding, convinced patron Lord Carnarvon to finance his expedition for yet another season.

Standing there before the unimposing entrance, one can easily understand the difficulties of discovery. Close by that of the great Ramses, it was modest in size, hastily done and literally packed to its very entrance with 5,000 pieces of treasured artefacts considered necessary in the after life.

His death had been sudden, very unexpected at only 19, having ascended the throne as a child. Although X-rays taken in 1968 had suggested a blow to the head, more recent very detailed CT scans show no signs of trauma.

Visitors can view the CT scan in the exhibit, a sort of vertical autopsy, but the mystery surrounding his death remains. Interestingly, it was part of a unique research and conservation project partially funded by National Geographic that will eventually CT scan all Egypt's ancient mummies.

A display, "The Faces of Tut", attempts to use advanced scientific knowledge to interpret the appearance of the five-foot, six-inch pharoah married to one of Nefertiti's daughters.

Why has this young pharoah been such a centre of attention since his tomb's discovery in 1922? First, it happened in an era where more instant dispatch of news was becoming available. It was one of the rare tombs not already looted of its treasures in ancient times. And what became known as "Tut's Curse" captured headlines world-wide.

This collection not only covers 50 treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb, but more than 70 more from other royal tombs give an insight into life in the Eighteenth Dynasty. They include many never seen outside Egypt. Like a magnificent gold sarcophagus from the tomb of Yuja and Tjuya, believed to be Tut's great grandparents.

CHICAGO visitors will come away captivated by the exhibit. Only disappointment is the absence of the famous mask that covered the mummy's face . . . a treasure I viewed almost daily while staying at Cairo's Nile Hilton adjacent to the Egyptian Museum.

Field Museum also has a permanent "Inside Ancient Egypt" exhibition. Across from Tut's exhibit, and included in museum admission, it contains 23 mummies. There's also an authentic tomb of Unis Ankh, son of Old Kingdom Pharoah Ums brought here from Sakkara.

In fact, Field Museum alone is worth the trip, its New Guinea exhibit absolutely sensational. You can also continue delving into Egyptology by visiting the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute on its southside campus near the Museum of Science and Industry. Responsible for much archaeological work in Egypt, this museum, too, is world famous. Our evening at Field Museum was enjoyed in a special way. To help finance the exhibit, corporations are offered an opportunity to schedule elegant evenings for clients and business associates.

Our bank had one for certain investors that included cocktails, formal dinner in its great entrance hall and the opportunity to stroll through the exhibit and entire museum from 6.30 to 10.30 p.m., when it's closed to the public. A very grand affair. So if you have a Chicago business connection, it wouldn't hurt to mention your interest!

Of course, we both arrived in Egyptian-purchased caftan, djellabah, and jewellery, with enough in our inventory to attend several weeks more of such events without repeating wardrobes. Shopping for such things is yet another of Egypt's joys.

When I first started purchasing caftans there in the early Seventies, the economy was so stressed, you were presented with an attractive traditional necklace, bracelet and earrings to match as a bonus.

All this traveller's trips to ancient Egypt have been magical, a series of sights one more awesome than the next and it should certainly be on any travellers future dream list.

Walk through massive ruins of Luxor's Hypostile Hall with its giant pillars during a sound of light presentation . . . enjoy an evening train ride to Aswan where tribesmen gathered around campfires along the route looked like a tableau from the Middle Ages . . . savour the wonders of the temple of Philae, both before and after preservation efforts to save it from rising waters caused by the Aswan Dam . . . and take a flight to Abu Simbel to actually gaze on the great statues that so fascinated this traveller since first seeing them on the back cover of my grandparents' monthly National Geographic magazine.

Temple after temple leave visitors almost in a daze. So did a dazzling night beside the pyramids of Giza hosted by the Egyptian Government with actor Omar Sharif welcoming guests. The approach was past an elite camel corps and activities included an actual chariot race beside the great pyramid. Who could forget riding along Luxor's Avenue of the Sphinx in a horse-drawn carriage while poor, begging children ran beside calling out "baksheesh . . . baksheesh".

I always carry a suitcase full of pencils, pens and small gifts to be given discreetly to very needy youngsters. Then in one forgettable instance I found myself suddenly being surrounded by 30 out-of-control children appearing from nowhere, tugging at my clothes, purse and scarf until restrained by a local mullah.

Certainly nothing restrained enthusiasm of a merchant from whose large Aswan shop I'd bought considerable amounts the previous October. It was now the following March and driving from Taba on the Israeli border down into the Sinai to St. Catherine's Monastery, we'd detoured over to Dahab for a brief stop.

I didn't at first recognise the Egyptian merchant when he came charging across the street to greet me. "Don't you remember me? You were in my Aswan shop." He owned one in Dahab as well. Eyeing the unusual wooden, hand-painted purse I often carry, he asked if he could look at it. Soon he had three employees with him sketching it, hoping to make copies. It's sold as a charity by my local hospital to raise money to help care for needy patients and I have a collection of them. So don't be surprised if you see less costly versions on sale in Egypt.

But Dahab is not a site this traveller would recommend. Site of recent serious terrorist bombing attacks, it's also a centre for illegal drugs. It didn't take long for us to realise many people seen there were definitely very spaced out and we left fast.

Who could ever forget descending down into a very dark, newly-discovered Sakkara tomb and coming face to face with a mummy complete with long eyelashes? I hope they left him there at peace.

But there was something very exceptional about Tut's tomb . . . small in size, but with well-preserved paintings on the wall overlooking the tomb where I'm pleased to report his mummy still remains.

ALTHOUGH fascinated by this culture, museums would not be pleased to learn how strongly I personally disapprove of shuttling people's remains about for display. Artefacts are one thing, but bodies? Some thousands of years from now, would you like your skeleton on display somewhere, or quietly interred where you intended according to your beliefs?

There was a time when mummies were actually sold and ground up for medicinal purposes, unbelievably disrespectful of everything those ancients believed in preparing for their after life!

American Indians have happily won major law suits to have ancestors remains returned from museums. Some might call their display archaeology . . . isn't body snatching or grave robbing more accurate?

Travel factfile: In conjunction with the exhibit, many major Chicago hotels are offering special packages. All include exclusive VIP, non-timed, non-dated stamped tickets offering great flexibility. There's a special VIP queue at the museum for those guests.

Among packages are Fairmont Chicago where guests can enhance their experience with an in-room Egyptian Serenity Spa treatment of frankincense, myrrh and rose prepared by the Fairmont's bath sommelier.

Other hotels include Four Seasons, Sheraton Chicago, Swisshotel, Essex Inn, Four Points Sheraton, Hyatt Regency-McCormick Place and the Millennium Knickerbocker. They offer everything from Tut- themed lobbies to Tut martinis served in bejewelled goblets. See www.fieldmuseum.org.tut.

Regular tickets are $25 adults, $22 seniors and students, $16 children 4-11. Special $50 "Tut at Twilight" evenings offer opportunities to visit when crowds are more restricted. They're set for select evenings in August, September, November and December with audio tour narrated by Omar Sharif; www.fieldmuseum.org.

q Next week: Starved Rock State Park is a Midwest surprise.