Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century
A bold new history of the discovery of King Tut and the seismic impact it left on modern society

 When it was discovered in 1922, in an Egypt newly independent of the British Empire, the 3,300-year-old tomb of Tutankhamun sent shockwaves around the world. The boy-king became a household name overnight and kickstarted an international obsession that continues to this day. From pop culture and politics to tourism and the heritage industry, it’s impossible to imagine the past century without the discovery of Tutankhamun – yet so much of the story remains untold.
 
In Treasured, Christina Riggs weaves compelling historical analysis with tales of lives touched, or changed forever, by an encounter with the boy-king. Who remembers that Jacqueline Kennedy first welcomed the young pharaoh to America? That a Tutankhamun revival in the 1960s helped save the ancient temples of Egyptian Nubia? Or that the British Museum’s landmark Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972 remains its most successful ever? But not everything about ‘King Tut’ glitters: tours of his treasures in the 1970s were linked to Big Oil, his mummified remains have been exploited in the name of science, and accounts of his tomb’s discovery exclude Egyptian archaeologists.
 
Treasured offers a bold new history of the young pharaoh who has as much to tell us about our world as his own.
 
1139558990
Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century
A bold new history of the discovery of King Tut and the seismic impact it left on modern society

 When it was discovered in 1922, in an Egypt newly independent of the British Empire, the 3,300-year-old tomb of Tutankhamun sent shockwaves around the world. The boy-king became a household name overnight and kickstarted an international obsession that continues to this day. From pop culture and politics to tourism and the heritage industry, it’s impossible to imagine the past century without the discovery of Tutankhamun – yet so much of the story remains untold.
 
In Treasured, Christina Riggs weaves compelling historical analysis with tales of lives touched, or changed forever, by an encounter with the boy-king. Who remembers that Jacqueline Kennedy first welcomed the young pharaoh to America? That a Tutankhamun revival in the 1960s helped save the ancient temples of Egyptian Nubia? Or that the British Museum’s landmark Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972 remains its most successful ever? But not everything about ‘King Tut’ glitters: tours of his treasures in the 1970s were linked to Big Oil, his mummified remains have been exploited in the name of science, and accounts of his tomb’s discovery exclude Egyptian archaeologists.
 
Treasured offers a bold new history of the young pharaoh who has as much to tell us about our world as his own.
 
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Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century

Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century

by Christina Riggs
Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century

Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century

by Christina Riggs

Hardcover

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Overview

A bold new history of the discovery of King Tut and the seismic impact it left on modern society

 When it was discovered in 1922, in an Egypt newly independent of the British Empire, the 3,300-year-old tomb of Tutankhamun sent shockwaves around the world. The boy-king became a household name overnight and kickstarted an international obsession that continues to this day. From pop culture and politics to tourism and the heritage industry, it’s impossible to imagine the past century without the discovery of Tutankhamun – yet so much of the story remains untold.
 
In Treasured, Christina Riggs weaves compelling historical analysis with tales of lives touched, or changed forever, by an encounter with the boy-king. Who remembers that Jacqueline Kennedy first welcomed the young pharaoh to America? That a Tutankhamun revival in the 1960s helped save the ancient temples of Egyptian Nubia? Or that the British Museum’s landmark Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972 remains its most successful ever? But not everything about ‘King Tut’ glitters: tours of his treasures in the 1970s were linked to Big Oil, his mummified remains have been exploited in the name of science, and accounts of his tomb’s discovery exclude Egyptian archaeologists.
 
Treasured offers a bold new history of the young pharaoh who has as much to tell us about our world as his own.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781541701212
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Publication date: 02/01/2022
Pages: 432
Product dimensions: 9.30(w) x 6.30(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Christina Riggs  is an expert on the history of the Tutankhamun excavation and the author of several books, including Photographing Tutankhamun and Ancient Egyptian Magic: A Hands-on Guide. Born in Ohio, she studied at Brown University before moving to England where she received her doctorate at Oxford University. She is Professor of the History of Visual Culture at Durham University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Discoveries 1

1 Creation Myths 35

2 The Reawakening 67

3 Caring for the King 110

4 Rescue and Reward 140

5 The Dance of Diplomacy 179

6 Land of the Twee 221

7 Restless Dead 257

8 Tourists, Tombs, Tahrir 290

Conclusion: The Museum of Dreams 326

Acknowledgements 351

Timeline 354

Bibliography 357

Notes 373

Illustration Credits 414

Index 416

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