The Tomb of Tutankhamun
Howard Carter (1874-1939) was an English archaeologist who made one of the most celebrated contributions to Egyptology – the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Carter was the son of a portrait artist, and his first endeavours in Egyptology were as a painter and draughtsman. At the age of 17, he joined his first expedition to Egypt, working with Percy Newberry as an artist at the site of Beni Hasan. His progression was swift, and in 1899 he was appointed the first chief inspector of the Egyptian Antiquities Service. By 1907 he was conducting his own excavations, financed by the Earl of Carnarvon. The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 brought Carter worldwide fame and recreated an interest in the glories of ancient Egypt. The task of clearing the contents of the tomb took 10 years and, when complete, Carter turned to other research topics. He also travelled throughout Europe and America, giving lectures on the discovery, and acted as an agent for collectors and museums.
David P. Silverman is the Eckley Brinton Coxe, Jr., Professor of Egyptology at the University of Pennsylvania, Curator of Penn Museum’s Egyptian Section and one of the leading authorities on the civilisation of ancient Egypt. He was the national curator, advisor and academic content creator for the blockbuster exhibition ‘Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs’ and was also responsible for the curatorial content in the original 1977 ‘Treasures of Tutankhamun’ exhibition. His extensive publications include numerous books and articles on Egyptian language, art and religion, and he has directed several field expeditions at sites throughout Europe.