Tutankhamun's tomb: the thrill of discovery

Abstract

This richly illustrated book of vintage photographs commemorates one of the most memorable episodes in the history of archaeology: the discovery and exploration in 1922 of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun (Dynasty 18, ruled ca. 1336--1327 B.C.). These photographs, documenting every stage in the process of discovery, were taken by the renowned archaeological photographer Harry Burton. Burton was a staff member of the Metropolitan Museum Egyptian Expedition when he was lent to Howard Carter, the famed excavator of Tutankhamun's tomb. From the rock-cut steps leading down to the entrance passage, to the opening of the sealed chambers inside, to the first view of the contents of the tomb and the removal of the objects, Burton's beautiful black-and-white photographs show thousands of the richly made and decorated objects found in the tomb. Carefully reproduced from Burton's original prints, the photographs are accompanied by new descriptive text written by two prominent Egyptologists with extensive knowledge of the history of Tutankhamun and the contents of his tomb.