Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs
Tutankhamen's reign, though brief, is historically significant because it coincided with restoration of the traditional Egyptian pantheon, which had been suppressed in an experiment in radical monotheism under the famous pharaoh Akhenaton. But it's the trove discovered in 1922 that has elevated Tutankhamen into an archaeological superstar, invariably drawing stadium-size crowds to museums that periodically exhibit its objects. A selection of about 130 items (without the spectacular coffins but including grave goods from other kings of Tutankhamen's dynasty) will tour four U.S. cities from 2005 to 2007: this book is the sanctioned companion to the exhibition. Written by one of the premier names in Egyptology, it closely describes the physical and symbolic attributes of each object and explains its purpose in the afterlife. Hawass' text sustains his reputation (Secrets from the Sand, 2003) as an engagingly clear public presenter of the subject, as it threads a general history of the eighteenth dynasty with dramatic narration of archaeologist Howard Carter's finding of Tutankhamen's sepulchre. An arrestingly visual album destined for high demand.Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved