Author Description

An up-to-date history of the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb -- includes new evidence on the Pharaoh's Curse and previously unpublished material from original documents On 4 November 1922 Howard Carter and his sponsor, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, made a discovery in Egypt's Valley of the Kings which would change the face of archaeology forever. For the first time in recorded history the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh had been stumbled upon virtually intact. The impact of the discovery exploded around the world, turning Carter and Carnarvon into celebrities overnight. But the triumph turned sour. Carnarvon unexpectedly died, supposedly a victim of the 'Pharaoh's Curse' while, against a background of jealousy, greed and nascent revolution, the situation spiralled rapidly out of Carter's control. As curator of the Egyptian Collection at the Earl's Highclere Castle and an excavator in the Valley of the Kings, Nicholas Reeves has literally followed in Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter's footsteps. In a thorough and well-documented history, he brings fresh insights and little-known facts to bear on this 20th-century fairy tale -- from its very beginning, through the days of breathtaking triumph, to its apocalyptic end. Yet there is a very positive epilogue -- the tomb of the boy king has proved a priceless source of research and insight into the ancient world and will remain so for generations to come.