ATLANTA --- Atlanta has become a popular stop for the things of kings.

Two major exhibitions celebrating the lives and accomplishments of ancient rulers open this weekend in Atlanta. Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs opened Saturday at the Atlanta Civic Center, and The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army opens today at the High Museum of Art.

Tutankhamun features objects from the tomb of the boy king and artifacts from some of the most important rulers of ancient Egypt, ranging from the Fourth Dynasty (2600 B.C.) to the Late Period (660 B.C.).

About 30 percent of the objects relate directly to Tutankhamun, one of the few pharaohs whose rich tomb remained undisturbed by grave robbers. His tomb was discovered in the 1920s. The objects run the gamut from funerary splendor such as the solid-gold sandals discovered on Tut's feet when his mummy was uncovered, to a stone toilet seat, an important throne in the royal household.

Differing in scope and focus from the celebrated 1977 tour of Tut objects, the new exhibition, which premiered in Atlanta, features more artifacts but excludes some of the more celebrated pieces. The Tutankhamun death mask, for instance, did not make the trip.

One object that did is a fragment of a colossal statue thought to have once stood at attention at Tut's mortuary temple before being commandeered and rededicated by a later king. Even in fragmentary form, the stone statue stands more than 10 feet tall.

"I do miss that statue very much," said Wafaa El-Saddik, the general director of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. "I couldn't stand being in the museum without it. So before it left, I had a life-size photo taken. It hangs in my office."

Ms. El-Saddik said seeing the artifacts she has become so familiar with in their temporary Atlanta home has been a pleasurable, rather than painful, experience.

She celebrates the idea of patrons who might not otherwise get an opportunity to see her country's treasures being exposed to Egypt's rich history, she said.

"I consider these artifacts my children," she said. "And I feel like a mother celebrating the wedding of her children. I am very happy to see these artifacts in this way."

A few miles away, at the High Museum, the First Emperor show focuses on Ying Zheng, often called first emperor of China. Responsible for uniting warring states into an empire, he is credited with being the founder of China.

The name China, in fact, comes from Qin, which is the state that Ying Zheng came to rule at the age of 13 and was the base of his power.

Ying Zheng, who was also responsible for starting construction on the Great Wall, believed that as he had ruled in life, he would also rule in the afterlife. To that end, he constructed a vast tomb complex to provide him with all he would need to govern from the underworld -- including an army.

The first of the celebrated terra cotta warriors was discovered by farmers in 1974. Since then, a network of pits that cover 22 square miles (about the size of Manhattan) has been discovered. The High exhibition features 15 of the statues, the largest number ever exhibited outside China.

As in the larger Tut exhibition, the warriors are used as a contextual tool to explain Ying Zheng's importance to Chinese history.

Although smaller in scale than the Tut show, The First Emperor has proven enormously popular.

"To date, we have over 90,000 reservations," said Michael Shapiro, the museum's director . "That's an absolute record. ..."

Zhou Wenzhong, China's ambassador to the United States, said that bringing the warriors to the United States allows the American public an opportunity to see China's treasures and perhaps to understand the history of his nation.

"Culture is a window into a nation," he said. "The terra cotta warriors are a hallmark of China's 5,000-year history."

Atlanta will be the only city where both Tutankhamun and The First Emperor will be on display simultaneously. William Pate, the president-elect of the Atlanta Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said having the exhibitions in tandem means more than economic impact for the city.

"Giving visitors a chance to see the treasures of two great kings positions Atlanta as one of the great cultural capitals in the United States."