One of the greatest archeological discoveries of all time, the tomb of Tutankhamen, was the first burial site of an Egyptian king to have been found virtually intact.

"A guide to an exhibition of some of the artifacts found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, discussing the life and death of the young king, daily life in ancient Egypt, and ancient Egyptian religion and funerary practices." --

Beautiful color photos of the breathtaking tomb of Tutankhamun and the magnificent objects buried with the young pharoah.

The purpose of this book is to describe by text and illustration the extraordinary tomb of this seemingly unimportant king of the late Eighteenth Dynasty, with its exceptional contents. An introductory chapter sets the historical scene for the reign of Tutankhamun, placing it in the context of the anciently reviled period of heresy associated with King Akhenaten, and its disintegration after his death. Tutankhamun ruled on the point of the change back to a traditional Egyptian regime, with the rehabilitation of the old gods, a change, which was consolidated after his death by his general Horemheb. A second chapter discusses the archaeology of the discovery of the tomb by Howard Carter in 1922. It will show, more clearly than has previously been appreciated, how Carter's obsession with the Valley of the Kings and, secondarily with the Amarna Period and its aftermath, developed from his earliest days in Egypt, the course of this search for 'the' royal tomb. The drama of the final season, with the discovery, the revelation of a virtually un-robbed royal tomb's contents, and the poignant death of the Earl of Caernarfon, provides the element of the Greek tragedy to this unique event. A large selection of the objects found in the tomb is described in the main body of the book. Colour photographs specially taken for this publication accompany the descriptive texts, which place the objects in their distinctive settings as exceptional example of the creativity of the ancient Egyptian artists and craftsmen.

Records the events surrounding Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter's exhaustive search for archaeological treasure in Upper Egypt and offers a full account of the Tutankhamen discovery and its aftermath. Bibliography.