Files reveal new secrets about the mummy of Tutankhamun 100 years after its discovery | Globalism
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The tomb of the ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun in Luxor is one of the most famous discoveries in modern archeology.
A new exhibition in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University marks the centenary of the discovery of British Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team.
The exhibition Tutankhamun: An Excavation of the Archives displays highly luminous photographs by photographer Harry Burton, and letters, plans, drawings and journals from the Carter Archives.
Below is a 2016 report on an examination by archaeologists of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Archaeologists examine the tomb of King Tutankhamun
The material sheds new light on the ten-year history of the fossils. The tomb was found largely intact – quite rare for an ancient archaeological site. Egypt.
Tutankhamun’s gold mask, shown here without the beard, was covered in paraffin by Henry Burton to reduce reflections in the image – Photo: Harry Burton/Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
The exhibition also challenges the perception of Carter as the “lonely hero,” highlighting the contribution of many Egyptian skilled workers who are often overlooked.
An unnamed Egyptian boy wearing a jeweled necklace from inside a sarcophagus inside Tutankhamun’s tomb, Egypt ancient and modern. Several people later claimed to be the boy, including Hussein Abdel-Rasoul of Qurna, who had aided Carter’s team – but none of these allegations have been confirmed.
An unnamed Egyptian boy wearing a heavy bejeweled necklace from inside Tutankhamun’s tomb – Photo: Harry Burton/Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
This image is in a series that occupies the center of the exhibition. It shows two foremen and a boy carefully dismantling a dividing wall to open the burial chamber.
Four Egyptian workers – Ahmed Gregar, Gad Hassan, Hussein Abu Awad, Hussein Ahmed Said – were named and thanked by Carter in his publications. However, they are unrecognizable among the workers photographed.
The restoration of the golden sarcophagus of Tutankhamun for the first time since its discovery in 1922 – Photo: Reuters / Mohamed Abdel Ghani
Archaeologist Daniela Rosino, the gallery’s curator, says that more than 50 local workers have been employed by Carter and that there are dozens of other workers, including children, on the site.
Although their names have not been registered, Rosnow says the photos challenge the colonial stereotype of a one-man discovery.
“Through these photos we can see the vital contribution [dos egípcios] This shows that what we have here is only part of the story.”
Image in a series that occupies the center of the exhibition – Photo: Harry Burton / Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
The deliberately posed dramatic image shows Team Carter opening the doors to a golden haven. Carter crouched on the ground while his assistant, Arthur Callender, and an unknown Egyptian stood in front of him.
The photo helped publicize the discovery of the tomb around the world and promoted Carter as an “English adventurer”.
Another portrait of Burton from the outer casket of Tutankhamun focuses on the wreath of flowers and olive leaves adorning the young king’s forehead.
Soon after the exhibition, the natural materials that accompanied the mummy disintegrated. Its existence is now preserved only by this stunning image.
Images from the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb – Photo: Harry Burton / Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
In another photo, British surgeon Douglas Derry made a first incision in Tutankhamun’s mummified body during a “scientific examination” that began on November 11, 1925.
Egyptian surgeon Saleh Bey Hamdi to the right of Derry. Pierre Lacao, French Director General of the Department of Antiquities in the Arab Republic of Egypt Egypt; Also among the spectators, Carter and an Egyptian official.
Tutankhamun’s mask on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo – Photo: AFP/Mohamed al-Shahed
One of the most famous objects discovered in the tomb was Tutankhamun’s mask made of pure gold, found on his embalmed body.
Statue of Anubis, god of the dead, subject of Carter’s drawing, includes notes and measurements. Carter, the son of a painter, trained as an artist before turning to archaeology – yet he did not have any formal academic qualifications in the field.
Carter called the deposit to the east of the burial chamber “the treasury.” In one image, Burton used subtle lighting to create a deliberately mysterious and dramatic effect, highlighting the sanctuary of the god Anubis.
Mask found in the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb – Photo: Harry Burton / Griffith Institute, University of Oxford
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