A hundred years ago, a team of archaeologists in the Valley of the Kings
made a remarkable discovery: a near-complete royal burial, an ancient
mummy, and golden riches beyond imagination. The lost tomb of
Tutankhamun ignited a media frenzy, propelled into overdrive by rumours
of a deadly ancient curse. But amid the hysteria, many stories -
including that of Tutankhamun himself - were distorted or forgotten.
Tutankhamun: Pharaoh, Icon, Enigma takes a familiar tale and turns on
its head. Leading Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley has gathered ten unique
perspectives together for the first time: that of the teenage pharaoh
and his family, ancient embalmers and tomb robbers, famous Western
explorers and forgotten Egyptian archaeologists. It's a journey that
spans from ancient Thebes in 1336 BCE - when a young king on a mission
to restore his land met an unexpected and violent end - to modern Luxor
in 1922 CE - as the tomb's discovery led to a fight over ownership that
continues to this day.
Above all, this is the story of Tutankhamun, as he would have wanted to
be remembered. Piecing together three thousand years of evidence and
unpicking the misunderstandings that surround Egypt's most famous king,
this book offers a vital reappraisal on his life, death and enduring
legacy.
