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Published Nov 2022
496 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
Marking the one hundredth anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's magnificent tomb, its incredible treasures are revealed as never before.
In 1922, after fifteen years of searching, archaeologists finally discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun. There, buried alongside the king's mummy, they found more than 5,000 unique objects, from the mundane to the extravagant, from the precious to the everyday. Tutankhamun's spectacular gold mask is justifiably famous, but the rest of the treasures remain largely unknown, their stories untold.
In this rich and beautifully illustrated work of history, renowned Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson allows one hundred artifacts from the boy king's tomb to speak again―not only for themselves, but as witnesses of the civilization that created them. A gold-decorated chariot reveals the impressive scale of Egyptian technology. Loaves of bread, baskets of fruit, and jars of wine hint at the fertility of the Nile Valley and the abundant feasts enjoyed by its people. Ebony and ivory from Nubia and a jewel of Libyan desert glass show the range of Egypt's trading and diplomatic networks. Shaving equipment and board games provide a window into the everyday lives of the people. And perhaps most poignant of all the objects in the tomb is one that conjures up a lost world of human experience: Tutankhamun's silver trumpet.
Through these treasures, Wilkinson bring us face-to-face with the culture of the pharaohs, its extraordinary development, its remarkable flourishing, and its lasting impact. Filled with surprising insights and vivid details, Tutankhamun's Trumpet offers an indelible portrait of the history, people, and legacy of ancient Egypt.
50 black-and-white illustrations throughout; 16 pages of color illustrations
"A fresh history of King Tut and his world, generously illustrated and lucidly written." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Wilkinson's expert discussions touch on each item's significance to Tutankhamun and what they reveal about daily life in ancient Egypt…Accentuated with black-and-white and color photos, this is an informative and immersive survey of the ancient world." - Publishers Weekly
"Beautifully written, sumptuously illustrated, constantly fascinating and the work of a man who is practised at explaining the past to the present" - Times (UK)
"The cleverness of the book lies in how individual grave goods are used to crack open the mindset of a civilisation… This book thrums with life. To the ancient Egyptians, a pharaoh's tomb was a 'resurrection machine' and, in a sense, they were right. The dead cannot be resurrected but, through the artefacts they used, we can sense the lives they lived." - Sunday Times (UK)
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
An acknowledged expert on ancient Egyptian civilization and one of the leading Egyptologists of his generation, Toby Wilkinson has given lectures around the world and his international reputation has led to invitations to contribute to other major collaborative projects. He has excavated at the Egyptian sites of Buto and Memphis. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Egyptian History and has broadcast on radio and television in the UK and abroad, including BBC's Horizon and Channel 4's Private Lives of the Pharaohs, and was the consultant for the BBC's award-winning documentary on the building of the Great Pyramid.
His books include the critically acclaimed Early Dynastic Egypt (1999), Genesis of the Pharaohs (2003), Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (2005), ...
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