Malek, Jaromir. Tutankhamun: The Story of Egyptology's Greatest Discovery. London: Carlton Books Limited, 2009.
Review by STAN PARCHIN
May 9, 2010
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| Egyptian, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (ca. 1332-1323 B.C.). Gold Mask of Tutankhamun. Gold, lapis lazuli, colored glass, faience, quartz, carnelian, obsidian and feldspar. H. 50.4 cm; W. 39.3 cm. Thebes, Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV 62). Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Photograph by Lee Boltin. |
Tutankhamun: The Story of Egyptology's Greatest Discovery by Jaromir Malek is one of the best hardcover introductions to the life of ancient Egypt's boy-king (r. 1332-1323 B.C.) and the archaeology of his tomb. The author is Keeper of the Archives at the Griffith Institute of Oxford University's recently refurbished and greatly expanded Ashmolean Museum. The British repository's collection of vintage black & white photographs documenting the excavation of Tutankhamun's burial rivals that of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Malek takes full advantage of important pictures from various sources for his lively and informative text. Thankfully he uses Lee Boltin's color image of the pharaoh's Gold Mask from the landmark special exhibition Treasures of Tutankhamun (1976-79). The photograph remains unsurpassed in its clarity.
Well-sequenced Narrative
The book's first half begins with a brief introduction. Two maps and a chronological list of rulers from New Kingdom Egypt (1540-1069 B.C.) are followed by succinct treatments of the land and its people, society, religion, the arts and the role of the pharaoh. The heretic king Akhenaten (r. 1353-1336 B.C.) and art of the Amarna Period are discussed. Egyptology's origins, the decipherment of hieroglyphs and major monuments' significance are explained.
The remainder of the text is devoted to Tutankhamun and all things related to him. Biographies of archaeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, his British patron, are provided. The story of finding the pharaoh's tomb and embalming materials is recounted. Interspersed among chapters that describe the sepulcher's Antechamber, Burial Chamber, Treasury and Annex are essays devoted to: the burial site's two robberies in antiquity; Carter's team of excavators; how the tomb's contents were recorded; photographer Harry Burton and his methodology; the ruler's stone sarcophagus, three nested coffins and mummy; interpreting the finds; and the artifacts' importance to Tutankhamun in the afterlife.
Facsimile Memorabilia
A magnetic strip inside the book's outer edge turns the volume into a self-contained instructional kit. Four translucent envelopes woven into its 65 glossy pages contain 24 removable reproductions of memorabilia. These include: site drawings, correspondence and a hieroglyph chart; Howard Carter's plan of the tomb; an extract from his diary; record cards that illustrate and describe some of Tutankhamun's funerary treasures; an article from The Illustrated London News; and renderings of the gilded wooden shrine that housed the pharaoh's alabaster Canopic chest. The facsimile items, suitable for classroom use, encourage the reader to participate virtually in the archaeologist's work. They help to make the well-written text a valuable resource for teachers of history, art history and world civilizations.
Tutankhamun's Death
Malek's book was released shortly before the published results of the groundbreaking DNA testing of Tutankhamun's mummy supervised by Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egypt's Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Deputy Minister of Culture. The recent findings dispelled notions of the frail pharaoh's supposed clandestine death popularized by Bob Brier, professor of philosophy at the State University of New York-Stony Brook, in The Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1998). Malek's scholarly exposition prudently avoids such sensational speculation about the young monarch's untimely demise.
Aside from several misspellings, Tutankhamun: The Story of Egyptology's Greatest Discovery is an easy-to read text. With 90 color and 70 black & white images, the book concludes with a thorough index, a list of important Egyptian art collections worldwide and some useful Web site citations.