In November of 1922, Howard Carter and his archeological team unconvered the almost-intact tomb of Tutankhamun. For thousands of years, it had protected his body and over 5,300 ornate artefacts meant to furnish their king in his afterlife - and their glittering quality took the world by storm. As much is evident in the multitude of books The Leeds Library has surrounding the subject! So, to celebrate 100 years since Tutankhamun's rediscovery, we've explored his life, death, and legacy through the pages of our collection. Examine our findings below!
Tutankamun: life and death
Tutankhamun (depicted on the left) was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the end of the 18th Dynasty, between 1333 and 1323 BCE. He took the throne at eight or nine years old, and shortly after married his 13-year-old half-sister Ankhsenamun (right). Due to his age, his advisors were influential over Tutankhamun's reign.
Though short, Tutankhamun's rule was marked with political changes. He re-established the Ancient Egyptian religion after its dissolution by his father Akhenaten, began restoring old monuments, and relocated the capital back to Thebes. Tutankhamun was also head of the Egyptian Empire's armies, and is thought by some historians to have led troops into at least one battle. He certainly was buried with the tools of a warrior; including six chariots and nearly 50 bows (some of which were child-sized)!
Tutenkhamun died at 19, of causes still debated by historians. He was entombed with two mummified infant girls; later identified to be his stillborn daughters with Ankhsenamun. He was succeeded by Aye, his godfather and trusted advisor.
Carter and Carnarvon
Howard Carter was not the first to excavate the Valley of the Kings in hopes of finding lost history. Quite the opposite! In fact, in 1914, American businessman Theodore Davis surrendered domination of digs in the Valley because he believed it had shown all of its secrets. Nevertheless, then-Earl of Carnarvon George Herbert had been happily sponsoring archeologist Howard Carter to dig in the Valley since 1907 - both secretly hoping to find the elusive Tutankhamun. In 1922, Carnarvon had declared that he would sponsor one last season of excavation and Carter agreed. Clearly, Carnarvon and Carter had started to give up hope by the time they succeeded.
The Rediscovery
On the 4th of November, 1922, a 12-year-old boy named Hussein Abdul-Rasoul was setting jars of water for Carter's workers into the sand. When driving the rounded bases into the sand for stability, his hand brushed cool stone. After carefully clearing the surrounding sand, he discovered the top of a step carved into the bedrock. When Carter arrived at the site for the day, he directed the workers to clear more of the area - and by the following day, they'd discovered a flight of steps descending into the earth. Carter called for Carnarvon, and when he and his daughter arrived from England two and a half weeks later, Carter began opening the door. In his book The Tomb of Tut.Ankh.Amen (1923), Carter describes the moment:
“With trembling hands I made a tiny breach in the upper left-hand corner. […] Lord Carnarvon [was ...] standing anxiously beside me to hear the verdict. At first, I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold - everywhere the glint of gold."
Aftermath
The extent, quality, and surprise of the discovery captivated minds worldwide. The furore around it was so great that Lord Carnarvon made one of the first cash-for-scoop deals with a newspaper, selling the exclusive rights to all Tutankhamun news to The Times for £5,000 (roughly over £300,000 today!). The find and continuing excavation of glittering artefacts and tantalising information about the king who owned them drew an endless sea of tourists to the site, peering over the wall into the entrance of the tomb in the hopes of glimpsing a find. So many diverted their tours to the Valley of the Kings that, as Carter writes in his book:
"We were really alarmed sometimes lest the whole wall should give way [... but] our real embarrassment was caused by the numbers of people who, for one reason or another, had to be shown the tomb itself. [...] Eventually we solved the difficulty by running away".
Outside of the Valley of the Kings, so-called 'Tutmania' was gripping the West. Ancient Egyptian motifs began cropping up in everything from perfume to lemons to gloves, and continued to do so throughout the ensuing decade. In the US, singers Billy Jones and Ernest Hare released 'Old King Tut' soon after the tomb's discovery in 1922, which was an instant hit - though its historical foundations were far from concrete:
Politically, however, the outlook became less positive. The rediscovery of the tomb coincided with huge shifts in Egypt's government; the British Protectorate was abolished in the same year, and the new Egyptian Government tightened the rules around archeologists keeping objects they found and mandated that an Egyptian inspector was on-site at all times. Additionally, the stricter Egyptian Antiquaries Service decreed that all artefacts found were the property of Egypt, to be handled at their discretion. To a modern reader, this seems natural; but under the British Protectorate, archeologists had been allowed possession of artefacts they found if those artefacts were 'duplicates' of existing finds. Carter was furious, and tensions that almost prevented work from resuming in 1923 escalated in 1924 to Carter suing the Egyptian government twice and him and his team stopping work in protest of "impossible restrictions and discourtesies". Relations were eventually repaired in 1925, but not before several artefacts were damaged and newspapers turned against both sides (as seen below).
Did you know?
Leeds has its own mummy! Nesyamun and his sarcophogus was donated to the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society in 1823, after banker John Blyads bought him in London. Nesyamun was a high-ranking priest and scribe in Thebes during Ramesses XI's reign (between 1113 and 1085 BC). He is the only known mummy from the 19th Dynasty! Recent investigations have shown that he likely died of an extreme allergic reaction. Despite his misfortune in life, however, he was lucky in death. He survived the bombing of Leeds City Museum in World War Two (unlike, tragically, his mummified pet cats!) and is still on display there.
Everywhere the Glint of Gold
The first exhibitions of Tutankhamun's treasures occured soon after his discovery. In fact, the first replicas of his artefacts were made not even two years after their unveiling, for an exhibition by The British Museum. Perhaps the most famous exhibition of Tutankhamun's artefacts, however, came 50 years later: The Treasures of Tutankhamun (1972-1981). A symbol of diplomatic efforts between Egypt and the West, it toured Europe, the USA, the USSR, Japan, and Canada, beginning at The British Museum in 1972. This souvenir book was bought by the Great Uncle of The Leeds Library's Communications and Marketing Officer Ian Harker, and is an excellent example of the many gifts sold at each stop on the tour.
In spite of expert supervision and care, the exhibits unfortunately suffered from their ordeal. Following the tour, the Egyptian government made a decision that the gold mask of Tutankhamun and many of the major treasures were not to leave Egypt again.
Post-Post-Mortems
Tutankhamun's cause of death is one of his final remaining mysteries. The first examination of his mummy took place on the 11th of November 1925, by Howard Carter and Egyptian Antiquities Service officials. They estimated he was between 18 and 22 years old and approximately 5’ 6” tall. In the process of their examination, however, they dismembered the body; covering their tracks by gluing him back together with resin. The next team to examine the body also found that Tutankhamun's genitals and one thumb were missing!
In 2005, the first all-Egyptian team to examine Tutankhamun carried out a CT scan and fixed the king’s age at death at 19. They also found no signs of malnutrition or chronic disease - though they did unveil an ancestral overbite and an extremely elongated skull. There is evidence that he suffered a fracture of his lower left leg a few days before his death, but there is no evidence of extensive healing. Their current theory of his cause of death is that an inherited bone disorder weakened him, leading to him succumbing to a bout of malaria - though a German team have suggested a diagnosis of Sickle-Cell Disease.
King Tut
Though the 'Tutmania' that followed Tutankhamun and his rediscovery in 1922 has faded in the 100 years since, he and his Ancient Egyptian kingdom continue to captivate audiences all over the world. The artefacts found in his tomb are beautiful and vibrant, and speak silently of the artistry and culture of ancient peoples. Though they are a credit to their direct ancestors in Egypt, they are a reminder to all world-wide of the richness of human history - and the stories it can tell, if you listen.
With thanks to:
Exhibition: Jane Riley and Niimi Day Gough
Digital: Niimi Day Gough
Bibliography
Images: Garrett, Kenneth, 'Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharohs', Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society (2005), Burton, Harry, 'The Tomb of Tut.Ankh.Amen', London: Cassell and Co. (1923), Frayling, Christopher, 'The Face of Tutankhamun', London: Faber and Faber (1992), Rainbird, George, 'The Treasures of Tutankhamun', London: The British Museum (1972). All other images courtesy of The Leeds Library.
Information: Leeds Museums and Galleries, 'Leeds Museums and Galleries object of the week- Coffin of Nesyamun', Online: Leeds Museums and Galleries (2017), Hawass, Zahi, 'Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharohs', Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society (2005), Carter, Howard, & Mace, A.C., 'The Tomb of Tut.Ankh.Amen', London: Cassell and Co. (1923), Marchant, Jo, 'Tutankhamen "killed by sickle-cell disease"', Online: New Scientist (2010), Mauney, Anna Clare, 'Blockbuster King Tut Exhibitions and their Fascinating History', Online: Art & Object (2022), Masters, Tim, 'Tutankhamun: How 'Tut-mania' gripped the world', Online: BBC News (2014).