Liz: How do these objects fit in with the current idea of the splendour of the egyptian dynasty? I think they are. They fulfilled an er an expectation of what the new kingdom kings would have would have had as part of their panoply, she says. Liz: It all seemd to fit in with our ideas of a cosmopolitan, outward looking imperial dynasty that we are seeing the tale end of with tutan camun. The sophistication in the making and in the placing of these things is one of the reasons why it's such a compelling collection, absolutely.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the discovery in 1922 of Tutankhamun's 3000 year old tomb and its impact on the understanding of ancient Egypt, both academic and popular. The riches, such as the death mask above, were spectacular and made the reputation of Howard Carter who led the excavation. And if the astonishing contents of the tomb were not enough, the drama of the find and the control of how it was reported led to a craze for 'King Tut' that has rarely subsided and has enthused and sometimes confused people around the world, seeking to understand the reality of Tutankhamun's life and times.
With
Elizabeth Frood
Associate Professor of Egyptology, Director of the Griffith Institute and Fellow of St Cross at the University of Oxford
Christina Riggs
Professor of the History of Visual Culture at Durham University and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
And
John Taylor
Curator at the Department of Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum
Producer: Simon Tillotson