Tutankhamen Life and Death of a Pharaoh Author:Christine Desroches-Noblecourt TUTANKHAMEN first tells the story of the discovery of the tomb by Howard Carter in 1922 and explores the legend of the curse of the pharaohs. Then, with remarkable historical insight, Mme. Desroches-Noblecourt sets the scene for the drama that took place in Egypt 3,300 years ago. She explores the background of Tutankhamen's early life and dise... more »ntangles his complicated family relationships; she reconstructs, in graphic and moving detail, the ceremony of his coronation and the nine short years of his reign. Giving a new and often controversial interpretation of the objects found in his burial treasure, she goes on to describe the elaborate process of mummification of the young king's body and the funeral rites involved in the preparation for his after-life and immortality. Finally, she brings new evidence to shed light on the pathetic predicament of his widow and the problems of succession caused by his death.
No major work on this subject has been produced since the publication of the original account by Howard Carter, a generation ago. TUTANKHAMEN, which combines a brilliant and thoroughly up-to-date text with color reproduction at its finest, will surely become a classic work on a personage and period of Egyptian history which have perennially intrigued mankind.« less