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Egyptian Michael Jackson: The limestone statue has gaunt cheeks, glaring eyes and - most strikingly - a tipless nose.

Michael Jackson fans are flocking to a Chicago museum to see a 3,000 year old Egyptian model which looks remarkably² 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 bust³ 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 touching⁴ or kissing the statue, which is protected behind a glass screen. Astonished fans stand admiring the statue and discussing its likeness⁵ 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 astounded⁶ and can't stop talking about its likeness. It really is remarkable⁷."

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 Christians⁸ or Muslims removed noses from paintings and models to make them non-human.

"This was because it was against their religion to depict⁹ 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 hieroglyphics¹⁰ 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.

近日，许多迈克尔•杰克逊的粉丝们都跑到芝加哥一家博物馆，去参观一尊有三千年历史的埃及雕像，因为它的外貌酷似已故的流行天王。自从杰克逊死后，成千上万的哀悼者参观了这一展览，以表达对已故歌星的敬意，这可忙坏了博物馆的工作人员。

这尊用石灰岩雕成的人像有着瘦削的脸颊，而且，在脸上赫然可见的是一只没有鼻翼的鼻子。该雕像目前在美国菲尔德博物馆的古埃及内部展厅上展出。这座半身像是1889年在开罗购买的，迄今已经在该博物馆展出了21年。

但是，自从迈克尔•杰克逊去世后，粉丝们开始在博客上写关于该古雕像的评论，这尊模特一下子变得很受欢迎。这座半身像是在埃及新王国时期（公元前1550到公元前1050年），大约在著名的古埃及法老拉美西斯和图特王时代雕刻而成的。

这座博物馆每天接待4500名参观者，雕像用玻璃隔板保护起来，禁止参观者触摸或是亲吻。杰克逊的粉丝们站在那里欣赏雕像，并和其他游客一起谈论雕像和杰克逊的相似之处。

客户关系主管达尼尔•威廉姆斯说一些粉丝把来博物馆参观看作是朝圣。他说：“这座雕像已经在这里存放了许多年，但是一直到迈克尔•杰克逊去世人们才忽然对它感兴趣。人们从全国各地过来观看这座雕像，并把它和流行天王的相貌做比较。”

“许多人把这看作是一次朝圣，也看作是一种对杰克逊的成就表达敬意的方式。杰克逊对流行文化有着巨大的影响力。许多粉丝非常渴望看到这尊模特，他们甚至还没买票就询问博物馆工作人员要如何到达埃及展厅。

“他们想把模特当作神一样去触摸，去亲吻，但是为了防止被损坏，模特被放在一个屏障后面。人们一看到那尊模特就惊呆了，然后就开始不停地谈论它和天王是如何相似。这真的是太不可思议了。”

近东和北非展厅的管理者詹姆斯•菲利普斯说关于这尊模特的起源人们知之甚少。

他说：“这座雕像和杰克逊惊人地相似，但是我想这很可能只是一个巧合。我们不认为迈克尔•杰克逊曾经来过这个博物馆或看过这一展出，所以如果说他是依据该雕像来塑造自己的形象，这是几乎不可能的。我们认为模特没了鼻子是因为早期的基督教徒或穆斯林教徒从画作和雕像上把鼻子除去，来让它们看起来不像人类。

“这是因为描画或雕刻人像在他们的宗教里是不被允许的。这种“除鼻”行为让雕像看起来更像迈克尔•杰克逊了。这尊模特是在埃及新王国时期雕刻的，但是我们不知道它是谁，也不知道为什么要制作它，因为它上面没有象形文字可参考。”

杰克逊1993年的热门歌曲《记住时间》的音乐录影带就是在埃及拍摄的，由艾迪•墨菲主演。在当时的录影带里杰克逊和那座雕像更为相似。这尊名叫“一个女人的石灰岩雕像”高25厘米，宽35厘米。

Vocabulary:

rush sb. off one's feet:使某人手忙脚乱；使某人精疲力尽

boost:提高；增加