Tutankhamun excavation archive goes online

[The_Spartan]

THE huge archive of material relating to the discovery of King Tutankhamun has been put online for the first time.

The comprehensive notes and photos recording the find by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922, were donated to Oxford University’s first Professor of Egyptology, Frank Griffith, by the Carter family.

In turn, this archive became the Griffith Institute, attached to Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, and it is the institute’s Keeper of the Archives Dr Jaromir Malek, 66, along with his assistant Elizabeth Fleming, who have diligently been loading the mass of information on to the Internet in their spare time.

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The Griffith Institute has been uploading data from Howard Carter's Notes & Journals including Photographs from his excavation that discovered King Tut's stuff.

Griffith Institute

The website for Griffith Institute itself is a treasure trove on all stuff ancient egyptian.

The links for the King Tut stuff is at

The Search For King Tutankhamun or Howard Carter's records of the five seasons of excavations,financed by Lord Carnarvon,in the Valley of the Kings 1915 - 1922

Tutankhamun: Anatomy of an Excavation

Great Collection.

Everyone with an interest in King Tut and Ancient Egypt and archaeology should give it a read. Recommended.

[+susieice]

I was fortunate enough to see the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I will always remember it.

[Sarge Fury]

I wouldn't take a risk if I were you. The curse could still be able to reach us, even through the world wide web.

[TheSearcher]

I wouldn't take a risk if I were you. The curse could still be able to reach us, even through the world wide web.

I do hope you're joking? I for one will look into it, cause I see the opportunity for learning.

[Sarge Fury]

I do hope you're joking? I for one will look into it, cause I see the opportunity for learning.

I'm not joking. The curse of Tutankhamen is very well known. It's a killer. I wouldn't take the risk if I were you. I'm still young, and I still have plenty more to live for. It's not worth it.

[Pierce8]

I'm not joking. The curse of Tutankhamen is very well known. It's a killer. I wouldn't take the risk if I were you. I'm still young, and I still have plenty more to live for. It's not worth it.

There's no curse... its the belief that kills..

[ShadowSot]

There's no curse period.

It's the belief in the curse which looked into the random deaths of the men and assembled a pattern.

Carter died in 1939, at the age of 64, 17 years after opening the tomb.

Edited August 14, 2010 by ShadowSot

[kmt_sesh]

Nice job, Mr. Spartan.

I've been using the website of the Griffith Institute for years, particularly to access the Tut archive. It has a full array of Harry Burton's photographs, which alone makes a visit to the site worth your while.

I have to ask, however, why post a link to a scholarly and useful website? It will not help the fringe fans among us find speculative, nonsensical information!

Sorry, couldn't help it. But on that note, I know I generally poo-poo the internet as a means for research, but the Griffith Institute's web pages are on of those very rare and notable exceptions.

Just beware of the curse. It will travel through the ether of the Net and invade your computer, allowing you to see nothing on your browser but very nasty biker porn. Okay, that's not true. In point of fact, not one inscription among the artifacts in KV62, the tomb of Tutankhamun, bears a written curse. Nor does the tomb itself, for that matter. Very few tombs actually had curses on or in them--Hollywood has blown this way out of proportion.

For some reason people to this day still attribute some kind of curse to the tomb of Tut. They point to people involved in the excavation in the 1920s who died during the clearing of the tomb or afterward. But there were a hell of a lot of men involved in the excavation, and as ShadowSot mentioned, the few deaths were random. It's a given that some of the people involved would possibly die during or soon after the excavation.

There is no curse. Except for the biker porn. Beware the biker porn.

[Black Hound]

Having viewed it at the Egyptian Museum and the tomb, I still might look at it when it goes on line.BTW, yes I have been to Egypt.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Graveyard Hound

[Piney]

I was fortunate enough to see the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I will always remember it.

I did too! I really don't have any interest in Egyptology but I'm a artist and I went to see the beautiful, skilled workmanship of the Egyptians.

Lapiche

[archernyc]

I'm going to see it next week in Times Square! Piney and Susieice, was there a book about the exhibit available for purchase?

[kmt_sesh]

I'm going to see it next week in Times Square! Piney and Susieice, was there a book about the exhibit available for purchase?

I worked the exhibit during its eight-month run at the Field Museum in Chicago. For an Egyptophile like me it was a grand experience. I had admired and studied many of the artifacts through photography and literature, so it was a real treat finally to see the actual objects up close and personal.

The official exhibit website is here. If you're interested in the exhibit companion book, click here. You can always wait till you attend the exhibit, but if my advice is worth anything I honestly recommend buying and reading it beforehand. You'll be better prepared for the exhibit, you'll understand the history and background better, and I think you'll have an even better appreciation for the artifacts. This book was written by none other than Zahi Hawass. No surprise there. As goofy as he tends to be, and as inane as a lot of the stuff he tends to say in press interviews is, Hawass is a solid researcher and a good writer. As far as companion books go--trust me, I've seen some that are best suited to line the bottoms of bird cages--the companion book for the Tut exhibit is pretty damn decent. I really enjoyed it, myself.

By the time the exhibit was about done at the Field, I and other docents were ready to see it move on. Don't get me wrong, it was a fabulous experience, but the Field was an absolute madhouse during the eight-month run and we were worn out. To tell you the truth, however, I miss it now. Of course I do. I would love to see it again, if just one last time.

I wish I could be there with you, archernyc. There's so much to see and drink in. Don't expect to see Tut's mummy itself because it still lies in the tomb (KV62, in the Valley of the Kings) and has never travelled. Likely it never will. It's in awful shape and wouldn't survive extensive travel. Also, don't exhibit to see the iconic burial mask of King Tut. It traveled in the large exhibit in the late 1970s but hasn't since. I can appreciate why. It's of extreme importance to the heritage of Egypt.

There's plenty of wonderful stuff to see, however. If you leave the exhibit bored or dissatisfied, you've definitely done something wrong! Some of my own favorite things, and artifacts I recommend hunting down in particular, include (in no particular order):

Golden canopic coffinette

Throne of Queen Sitamun

Inlaid chest of Amunhotep III and Tiye

Any and all furniture found in Tut's tomb

Tut's golden dagger

The gilded coffin of Tjuya

There is a hell of a lot more than this, of course. Everyone probably determines his or her own very favorite object on display. For me it was hard to nail down but I'd have to say it was a particularly beautiful golden shrine found in Tut's tomb.

One thing that has us Field Museum folks extremely envious about the New York venue, is that it has installed one of the chariots found in Tut's tomb. Grrrrr! I am so jealous! I don't know if the chariot will be going on to the following venues but make sure you get a good, long look at it, and think of poor ol' kmt_sesh as you're enjoying it.

As a museum docent, allow me to offer one word of advice about touring the exhibit. Once you get to the end and can see the exit doors, don't just walk out unless you feel you're well and truly finished. I can't guarantee it's the same in New York as it was at the Field, but in our case, you could backtrack all the way back to the beginning and start over. And you could keep doing it, over and over. A savvy friend of mine did this at the Field and she spent the better part of an entire day in there.

Sorry to drone on so much, archernyc. LOL I'm living vicariously through you. I hope you have a wonderful experience, and once it's over, I sure wouldn't mind hearing your impressions of the exhibit. Enjoy!

[+susieice]

kmt_sesh- Philadelphia had the chariot also and I remember boats. Not just the small ones but rather large ones too. Where they in Chicago. There was so much to see. I loved the alabaster lion lying over the figurines that signified Tut's rule over Nubia according to my audio tour. Looking at the pictures in the second link in the OP and seeing photos of where they found it, I can't believe it. On the floor under all kinds of other stuff. LOL.

http://www.griffith.ox.ac.uk/gri/carter/gallery/gal-033.html

The canopic chest was very beautiful. We did an IMAX of ancient Egypt and the Valley of the Kings also. I bet it was an experience to work for the exhibit.

archernyc- Yes you can get a nice souvenier book that has pictures of the articles on display. Pictures are not allowed to be taken in the exhibit. Also, go into the gift shop when your finished with your tour. I picked up a couple of beautiful incense burners and oil diffusers of Anubis and Isis. They are reasonably priced and a great way to remember your trip. I got refrigerator magnets for all the people at work except our maintenance man wanted a mummy so I got him a pen. Enjoy your trip. It's the chance of a lifetime. If I can get to New York to see it again before it leaves the end of December I'm so there. A friend of mine is looking into it now, but we usually go by bus tour as she doesn't like to drive in NYC. It takes longer to get to Times Square from the tunnels than it does to get from where I live to the tunnels. LOL.

Edited August 15, 2010 by susieice

[kmt_sesh]

kmt_sesh- Philadelphia had the chariot also and I remember boats. Not just the small ones but rather large ones too. Where they in Chicago.

Are you sure about the chariot? The New York venue is touted as the first ever to have the chariot in the run of this exhibit, and the SCA reports that this is the first time one of Tut's six chariots has left Egypt. There are a lot of news reports like this one.

I'm sure you saw the same boats as we had in the Field Museum. Tut's tomb contained over 30 model boats and two or more were on display. The largest model boat on display was, however, one from KV35, the tomb of Amunhotep II (bow seen here). Kings by this time were no longer buried with real boats, and authentic pharaonic boats are extremely rare to see outside of modern Egypt. There are only two in all of the Western Hemisphere, one at the Field Museum and the other in your own neck of the woods, at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. They both come from the same funeral complex of Senusret III, Dynasty 12, at Dashur.

There was so much to see. I loved the alabaster lion lying over the figurines that signified Tut's rule over Nubia according to my audio tour.

I think you're talking about this one. You have good taste. LOL I like the little tongue lolling out of its mouth, as though it were hot and panting after the kill. The exhibit has a lot stunning vessels and those of calcite, like the one with the lion, are arguably the most spectacular. This is one I fondly remember.

The canopic chest was very beautiful. We did an IMAX of ancient Egypt and the Valley of the Kings also. I bet it was an experience to work for the exhibit.

Is this one of the chests? If I remember correctly there were two of them, one belonging to Yuya and the other to Tjuya (the great-grandparents of Tut). Some of my favorite artifacts were in that Yuya and Tjuya gallery, including Tjuya's gilded-wood coffin, her burial mask, the throne of Sitamun, and some particularly beautiful shabti figurines.

We don't have an IMAX at the Field so we missed out on that--I can only imagine what a treat that must have been. Yes, it was quite an experience working in the exhibit. I gave a number of private tours that I still fondly remember, including one for a very nice older man who was blind, and his family. I also remember a private tour for a group of deaf people for whom the museum had to hire a sign-language interpreter, and the interpreter I don't fondly remember. She was a real...well, let's just say it rhymes with "witch." To be fair, though, she works with her hands, and given the dim lighting and extremely crowded rooms, it wasn't easy for the poor lady.

archernyc- Yes you can get a nice souvenier book that has pictures of the articles on display. Pictures are not allowed to be taken in the exhibit. Also, go into the gift shop when your finished with your tour. I picked up a couple of beautiful incense burners and oil diffusers of Anubis and Isis. They are reasonably priced and a great way to remember your trip. I got refrigerator magnets for all the people at work except our maintenance man wanted a mummy so I got him a pen. Enjoy your trip. It's the chance of a lifetime. If I can get to New York to see it again before it leaves the end of December I'm so there. A friend of mine is looking into it now, but we usually go by bus tour as she doesn't like to drive in NYC. It takes longer to get to Times Square from the tunnels than it does to get from where I live to the tunnels. LOL.

LOL I had to chuckle when you mentioned refrigerator magnets. I loved those things and bought one of each kind. They're still on my fridge, all in a neat row!

[+susieice]

kmt_sesh- I wish you would have been there with us to give us the tour!! In Philly we didn't have any human tour guides we could ask questions, just an audio tour with numbers you matched to the exhibits and a recording told you what you were looking at. There were at least 2 guards in every room to make sure you didn't take pictures or get to touchy with anything. Many of the artifacts weren't on the recording. I think I missed alot of information about what I saw. Archernyc really should get the book before hand before she goes to see the exhibit. Good advise.

I am about 50% sure I saw a chariot there. I do remember some of the boats were raised off the floor and had to be 7-8 feet long. I remember thinking they would be too small to travel the Nile, but rather large for models. They were plain, kind of like a canoe but made of what looked like reeds.

The chest I remember because of the heiroglypics on it. It was gold and had engravings of Tut and his wife on the side with a story that told about how happy their life was together. I had seen those heiroglypics in a hundred books and remembered the translation. Maybe it wasn't even a canopic chest though that's what I remember the recording saying. It was amazing to see it in person.

That's the lion. I have his magnet on my fridge LOL- along with the exhibition's magnet. That little guy is so beautiful and the artwork is spectacular. I was disappointed because the funeral mask of Tut wasn't making this tour but he made up for that.

Now I really want to get to NYC to see it again!! Hope Archernyc keeps us posted on her experience.

[+susieice]

The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is now showing the exhibition of Cleopatra. The IMAX film is Mummies: Secrets of the Pharoahs. This looks really interesting too.

http://www2.fi.edu/

http://www.fi.edu/cleopatra/

Edited August 15, 2010 by susieice

[TheSearcher]

I'm not joking. The curse of Tutankhamen is very well known. It's a killer. I wouldn't take the risk if I were you. I'm still young, and I still have plenty more to live for. It's not worth it.

I hope you're old enough not to believe just any kind of nonsense, like the curse of Tut. Seriously, it might be well known, but that's only thanks to Hollywood and some damned fringers.

When Lord Carnarvon died on 5 April 1923, seven weeks after the official opening of pharaoh Tutankhamen's burial chamber, rumors were rife about a curse. News of Tutankhamen's tomb and its discoverers had sent the world's media into a frenzy. The death of Lord Carnarvon added another twist for eager journalists. All sorts of links were found. The lights of Cairo were said to have gone out at the moment of his death (which to be honest did happen an awful lot back then), while back at Carnarvon's English estate his dog, was supposed to have howled and died at the same time.

Carnarvon's death came just a couple of weeks after a public warning by novelist Mari Corelli that there would be dire consequences for anyone who entered the sealed tomb. The media and public lapped it up. Conan Doyle, author and believer in the occult, announced that Carnarvon's death could have been the result of a "Pharaoh's curse". Which promptly picked up by a newspaper became the story we know nosw. Some newspaper even printed a curse supposed to have been written in hieroglyphs at the entrance of the tomb, the translation being: "They who enter this sacred tomb shall swift be visited by wings of death." This actually never existed.

However, no inscribed curse was found. One inscription, found on the Anubis shrine (a jackal on a pedestal) in the tomb's so-called Treasury, did say: "It is I who hinder the sand from choking the secret chamber. I am for the protection of the deceased."

However, a reporter went on to add his own words to the reported inscription: "and I will kill all those who cross this threshold into the sacred precincts of the Royal King who lives forever."

Reporting of the curse was further fueled by more deaths, many with very stretched associations to Tutankhamen. Five months after Carnarvon died, his younger brother died suddenly. Closer to the tomb, another "casualty" was the pet canary of the tomb's discoverer, Howard Carter. The bird was swallowed by a cobra on the day the tomb was opened. This was interpreted as retribution for violation of the tomb, particularly as a cobra was depicted on the brow of the pharaoh from where it would spit fire at the king's enemies.

According to one list, of the 26 individuals present at the official opening of the tomb, six had died within a decade. In reality, many of the key individuals associated with the discovery and work on the tomb lived to a ripe old age. Moral of the story? Research a little before you believe in just anything.

.....

There is no curse. Except for the biker porn. Beware the biker porn.

Biker Porn? You'll have to explain what that entails to be honest, not really familiar with that particular concept. LOL

[archernyc]

Thanks kmt and Susie for your advice. I think now that I will hold off seeing the exhibit until September. This will give me time to read the book (thanks for the link!) and hopefully, the summer vacationing crowds to diminish a bit.

There was a 30 minute special about the exhibit on tv Saturday night (coincidentally) and they specifically mentioned the chariot and that it had not been in previous exhibits. I kinda wish that they had reproduced the part that would have rotted away - it looks like it's just the framework and wheels.

I'm very excited to see the exhibit - I well remember reading about the exhibit during the 70s in National Geographic and Reader's Digest and wishing that I could go. Then, art history classes in college whetted my appetite again. So, at long last, I get to see the real thing and am very excited! I'll let you all know what I thought and thanks for the tip about going back through. I know from my visits to the Met that I like to read everything and really take the time to examine things (I usually get the audiophones for the special exhibitions), so I need to forwarn my friend or else go by myself. My friend that I usually go to museum exhibits with (she has a fine art background too), moved to Seattle so I'm going with a new friend and I'm not sure how she takes in exhibits like this.

[+susieice]

That answers the chariot question. I still kind of remember something about wheels though. There was so many everyday things that were just labeled and not on the audiotape, read the book first. I really wish I had. Thanks for clearing that up archernyc.

I remember when the Tut exhibit came in the 70's. I didn't have a chance to go and was just thrilled to get to this one. I don't know if you checked out the link to the Cleopatra exhibit, but I'd really like to see this one also. It's the first tour for it and I wish kmt_sesh would look it over and give his comments. It looks like it would be very interesting. It even shows the underwater searches and how they are looking for the tomb of Cleopatra and Marc Antony.

[archernyc]

I remember when the Tut exhibit came in the 70's. I didn't have a chance to go and was just thrilled to get to this one. I don't know if you checked out the link to the Cleopatra exhibit, but I'd really like to see this one also. It's the first tour for it and I wish kmt_sesh would look it over and give his comments. It looks like it would be very interesting. It even shows the underwater searches and how they are looking for the tomb of Cleopatra and Marc Antony.

Cool! Hopefully, it will come to NYC....most things do eventually!

btw, the book is only $50 - I thought it would be more. The companion book for the Chanel exhibit at the Met was $150!

Edited August 17, 2010 by archernyc

[+susieice]

Oh yeah!! It's starting a tour and is sure to go there. I wish I was a little more knowledgable about ancient Egypt. I need to do some reading up on to. The beauty and artisianship of these artifacts is just breathtaking.

[kmt_sesh]

Oh yeah!! It's starting a tour and is sure to go there. I wish I was a little more knowledgable about ancient Egypt. I need to do some reading up on to. The beauty and artisianship of these artifacts is just breathtaking.

Susieice, if you'd like to learn more about art in ancient Egypt and what it meant to the Egyptians themselves, I'd have to recommend Gay Robins's book The Art of Ancient Egypt. There are a ton of books about ancient Egyptian art but Robins is a very polished Egyptologist and this topic is one of her specialties as a researcher. It's a terrific book for layperson and specialist alike.

I saw your link to the Cleopatra exhibit. I will check it out when I have a bit more time, perhaps. Did you have any questions in particular about it?

The Field Museum had slated this exhibit for the fall of 2011, so naturally we were all very excited. Much to our distress, however, the Field has cancelled its plans for Cleopatra, so we're not going to be showing it. This was a huge disappointment.

[+susieice]

Hi kmt_sesh. First thank you for the book recommendation. I will be ordering it from my local Barnes and Noble if they don't have it in stock. This time I want to be prepared to understand what I'm looking at more. I'm sorry your museum cancelled it's showing. Maybe they'll change their minds? I doubt we can even take pictures to try to upload but maybe we can find an internet link that better shows the relics.

My question for you was your opinion on the authenticity of the artifacts in the exhibition. I'm thinking they are relevant to the region that correlates to the story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony but not specifically related to them. It will just present the environment that they lived in.

I was also wondering about the sunken cities that are represented. I've never heard of them and wonder if you know anything about them.

Thank you again for answering all my questions.

[kmt_sesh]

Hi kmt_sesh. First thank you for the book recommendation. I will be ordering it from my local Barnes and Noble if they don't have it in stock. This time I want to be prepared to understand what I'm looking at more. I'm sorry your museum cancelled it's showing. Maybe they'll change their minds? I doubt we can even take pictures to try to upload but maybe we can find an internet link that better shows the relics.

I hope you enjoy the book, susieice. I know I did. Dr. Robins was in Chicago while we had the Tut exhibit in 2006, and she came to the Field to give a lecture on the decoration plan of Tut's tomb. LOL I've always enjoyed her literature but let's just say she's not the most thrilling speaker. She's from England and she kind of reminded me of a prim and proper ol' schoolmarm.

It's quite unlikely the Field will reconsider. I think it's the colossal expense it takes to mount and operate an exhibit like Cleo. The Field is going to be getting a special exhibit on the Vatican within the next year or so, and this will be a huge exhibit. I doubt the museum can afford to host two such high-stature exhibits practically back to back. I would choose Cleo over the Vatican but that's my personal bias. I'm sure the Vatican exhibit will be phenomenal.

I wouldn't count on seeing too many quality photos of the Cleo exhibit on the internet. They'll pop up here and there but it's been my experience that marketing photos are kept to a minimum, and photography prohibitions within the galleries will curtail the posting of private photos. Amazon will be selling the exhibit companion book and here's the link. It releases in late September. I'm going to buy a copy even though the exhibit won't be coming to Chicago.

My question for you was your opinion on the authenticity of the artifacts in the exhibition. I'm thinking they are relevant to the region that correlates to the story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony but not specifically related to them. It will just present the environment that they lived in.

I looked into the exhibit some time ago, when I first heard the Field was considering hosting it. From what I understand, and from what the exhibit website shows, it's principally on marine archaeology conducted in recent years off the coast of Alexandria. I'd bet many examples of statuary archaeologists have brought up from the Mediterranean do relate to Cleopatra and her time. She was the last of the Ptolemaic rulers, so many of the finds will reflect the remnants of building programs from her lifetime. I'm sure other finds predate her. I wish I could see this stuff in person.

I was also wondering about the sunken cities that are represented. I've never heard of them and wonder if you know anything about them.

I'm not familiar with the dates but in antiquity Alexandria suffered one or more devastating earthquakes. A big chunk of the city fell into the Mediterranean, so this is what the marine archaeologists have been bringing up. Alexandria is the city from which all of the Ptolemaic monarchs ruled, until Cleo's death and the arrival of Octavian Augustus and his legions following the battle of Actium. So it's not really "sunken cities," per se, but sections of Alexandria itself.

I am also not very familiar with the details of marine archaeology, and this was another reason I was looking forward to the exhibit. I was eager to learn more about it. Plus, for years I've been seeing the video footage of the stuff these archaeologists have been retrieving from the sea, so that would have been a pleasure to see. Man, the more I write about this, the more depressing it gets for me.

Thank you again for answering all my questions.

You're more than welcome, susieice. Please don't hesitate if you have more questions. As is evident, I can go on all day talking about ancient Egypt (although the Ptolemaic Period is not my specialty).

[+susieice]

Thank you again kmt_sesh for answering my questions. My friend and I just talked tonight and since neither of us like driving in Philadelphia we are going to book tickets with a local bus tour company for October 16. We wish we could take you with us.

The fact that these artifacts came from under the Mediterranean itself is intriguing. I will look into the companion book also. I want to be better prepared for this exhibit than I was for Tut's. Now my thirst for knowledge is in full force after seeing the beauty of those artifacts and realizing how much I missed out on because I didn't really understand what I was seeing. It's a once in a lifetime experience to see something like this and I don't want to miss out again. I'm sure I'll be asking you more questions before this is over. Thank you for your patience with me.