Tutankhamun! It is the name of a pharaoh who has become famous throughout the world, and yet who died before he could achieve his true potential and was buried in a tomb much smaller than that of his predecessors. The fabulous treasures found with him illustrate the incredible opulence of life in the Egyptian court 3,500 years ago and the amazing skill of the ancient craftsmen. They continue to exercise a fascination that remains undimmed to the present day.
Throughout 2022, Ancient Egypt magazine has been running a series of articles in celebration of the centenary of the discovery of the young pharaoh’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. In this issue, which coincides with the actual date of the discovery in November 1922, we feature articles that cover some of the less well-known aspects of the Tutankhamun story. Bob Brier refutes the idea that the pharaoh was a sickly youth, Aidan Dodson investigates some of the strange theories propounded by early Egyptologists as to the identity of a royal individual about whom only the name was known, and Carl Graves explains how Howard Carter’s training as an epigrapher made him ideally suited for the task of investigating the greatest Egyptological discovery of all time. We also review a few of the many books published this year around the subject of Tutankhamun. On the cover you will see one of Tutankhamun’s canopic coffins, which were made of solid gold.