Published by Perseus Books, Public Affairs Format: ARC, eBook
“Burying a king was busy work. So was finding him.”
1922
British archaeologist, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun (King Tut) in 1922. The tomb contained between 5,000 to 6,000 objects/artifacts. This discovery not only shocked the world, but King Tut became (and remains) a household name. He did not reign for long and his tomb was small for King, but his legacy remains. He may have reigned in Egypt, but he has traveled the world. Jacqueline Kennedy first welcomed the young pharaoh to America in the 1960’s. His artifacts have traveled the world many times.
“…he remains a source of pride to millions of Egyptians for whom the pharaohs are not only the national football team but a daily reminder of their country’s renowned past.”
In this book, the author not only showcases the discovery of the pharaoh, but of Howard Carter, and everything in between. She also makes a point to mention those who were not named in the discovery of his tomb – mainly Egyptian archaeologists. She tells of the lives touched by their encounter(s) with “boy king” There is a lot of information given and it does read like a textbook at times. The book ended at the 75% mark on my kindle, where she provided the timeline from c.1550 – 2022. The remainder of the book is the bibliography and notes which goes to show the impressive and extensive amount of research that went into the writing of this book.
There is a lot to take in and as I mentioned, at times this reads like a textbook. There is a lot of information and a lot of detail, but fans of ancient Egypt, King Tut, and Egyptology will not be disappointed.
Extensively researched and informative.
Thank you to Perseus Books, Public Affairs and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.