My niece was 'walking like an Egyptian' through the kitchen... I stared at the Rosetta Stone for hours in the British Museum... The draw to the ancient world is strong. We have always been pulled by knowledge of what came before us. Treasured is a big piece of that: the hype and reveal of King Tut's tomb. While Riggs tells a good story, I found it didn't hold my interest for long. I picked it up several times but didn't have different results.

To say that I windmill-slammed the request button on NetGalley for this book is an understatement. Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century promised something very tantalizing: a look into a cultural phenomenon that took the world by storm a hundred years ago. Christina Riggs does not exaggerate when she talks about the “Tut-mania” that swept the world over and over throughout the twentieth century, literally inspiring so many people like her to become Egyptologists. Though it had no such enduring impact on me, I remember the requisite ancient Egypt unit in elementary school, the making of a papier-mâché mummy entombed in a shoebox sarcophagus painted like Tutankhamun’s famous funerary mask. So when I saw Public Affairs offering eARCs, yeah, it touched something deep within my psyche. “Let’s dive into this,” I thought, “and see what more I can learn.”

Riggs weaves her own personal backstory throughout the book as she examines the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, the subsequent analyses of his tomb and body, and the way the objects of his tomb became an important part of Egypt’s export of its culture on tour for political and economic benefits. Much to my satisfaction, Riggs explicitly calls out the colonialist and imperialist forces that shaped everything about Tutankhamun’s treatment, from his discovery up to the present day. That was my main concern going in—that the book would be a little shallow and not engage with the colonial elephant in the room—and Riggs allayed it immediately.

These are the science history books I truly appreciate: the ones that grapple with the darkness at the root of Western science’s often harmful history. We like to hold up science as a neutral process, but that is true only in the most abstract sense of the scientific method. The truth is that for the vast majority of the history of science, the scientists, the people involved, have often resorted to callous, careless, cruel experiments and methodology to get answers. In the case of Tutankhamun, the subject is millennia dead—but I don’t really see that making much of a difference. At the end of the day, this is the story of British archaeologists digging up the dead bodies of an ancient culture because they wanted to and had the power to make it happen. It’s gross.

Riggs highlights this while also, quite appropriately I think, stressing that her discipline of Egyptology is not all mummies all the time. Indeed, while Tutankhamun might have been an inciting incident in her childhood that nudged her on this path, she recounts that it was a long time into her studies before she came face-to-face with an actual mummy. This is a good reminder that it is possible to study history in a less invasive way.

So the chapters (which come later in the book) that focus on the physical examinations of Tutankhamun and the two fetal mummies found in his tomb were difficult but necessary to read. What of the earlier and later chapters, focusing on the tomb’s discovery and then Tutankhamun’s legacy for modern Egypt?

The discovery chapters are fun to read because Riggs is helpful at unravelling the sensationalism and mythology that has built up over the years. She digs into the personalities of Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon, talking about Carter’s early life, his career in Egypt, and how he wasn’t quite the dashing archaeologist that his hometown back in England might like to portray him as being. It’s worth remembering, Riggs tells us, that archaeology in the early twentieth century was still very much crystallizing as a science, and many people saw it as much as a business opportunity as a scientific one. Again, the blatant, wholesale extraction of objects from Egyptian tombs to Britain, the United States, and other destinations feels so wrong—but as Riggs pointed out, it was seen as perfectly normal back then, a kind of salvage right built into the contracts between those digging and the fledgling antiquities ministry in Egypt.

The legacy chapters, similarly, point to a complicated history of political tension between newly independent Egypt, its former colonizer, and the rest of the world. Tutankhamun at times becomes an olive branch and a rallying cry. He is Egypt; Egypt is him. (I really liked Riggs talking a little smack, carefully but ever so critically, of Zahi Hawass—if you have ever watched an ancient Egypt special on Discovery Channel, you know this guy. I don’t know much about him and have no skin in this game, but his absolute ubiquity as the go-to expert for all these shows made me skeptical, and it seems with good reason.) The detail that Riggs goes into helps us understand the monumental scale of undertaking an international tour of these artifacts.

In a similar way, I appreciated how much time Riggs spends discussing the photography and archiving of photographs of Tutankhamun’s tomb and artifacts. She lingers on this to a point where some people might be critical of it, but I think it’s important. So much of what we see as young people is visual—is not Tutankhamun’s mask one of the most recognizable visual icons in our culture today? That is so because of the decades of photography that happened, from the discovery of the tomb all the way through its tours. Riggs explains how this was achieved with the technology of the time, as well as how two very determined women mounted an effort to catalogue and preserve the original negatives in a way that would prove useful for future generations. Science is not just the dramatic discovery: it is also the decades of hard work that follow by people, often who do not have fancy degrees, who spend their days organizing, administrating, and believing in the importance of what they do.

Treasured is an intense, lively, and interesting read about this young king, the discovery of his tomb, and the sensation he sparked off a hundred years ago. It was satisfying, critical in the way I wanted but also inspiring. Would read more from Christina Riggs, and very well might.

"Burying a king was busy work. So was finding him."

1922

British archaeologist, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun (King Tut) in 1922. The tomb contained between 5,000 to 6,000 objects/artifacts. This discovery not only shocked the world, but King Tut became (and remains) a household name. He did not reign for long and his tomb was small for King, but his legacy remains. He may have reigned in Egypt, but he has traveled the world. Jacqueline Kennedy first welcomed the young pharaoh to America in the 1960's. His artifacts have traveled the world many times.

"...he remains a source of pride to millions of Egyptians for whom the pharaohs are not only the national football team but a daily reminder of their country's renowned past."

In this book, the author not only showcases the discovery of the pharaoh, but of Howard Carter, and everything in between. She also makes a point to mention those who were not named in the discovery of his tomb - mainly Egyptian archaeologists. She tells of the lives touched by their encounter(s) with "boy king" There is a lot of information given and it does read like a textbook at times. The book ended at the 75% mark on my kindle, where she provided the timeline from c.1550 - 2022. The remainder of the book is the bibliography and notes which goes to show the impressive and extensive amount of research that went into the writing of this book.

There is a lot to take in and as I mentioned, at times this reads like a textbook. There is a lot of information and a lot of detail, but fans of ancient Egypt, King Tut, and Egyptology will not be disappointed.


Extensively researched and informative.

Thank you to Perseus Books, Public Affairs and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

As we approach the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb Christina Riggs gives us some new perspectives of the King's importance to society, politics and so much more. While she delves deeply into the backgrounds of those involved in the discovery - Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon - we learn about colonialism, sexism, politics. She also brings into the light so many of the people who contributed to introducing him and marketing him to the world. I was enthralled and kept telling myself 'just a few more pages" more than once.
My thanks to the publisher PublicAffairs and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Nearing the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, expert Christina Riggs takes a decidedly different angle on the mystique, with a payoff much to the delight of 2022 readers. By shining a light on biases, the efforts of seemingly well-intended organizations are examined through the lens of places mattering more than people and what that looks like today. Riggs presents a fascinating intersection of archaeology, colonialism, politics, economics, projects, and who claims history. She challenges and reestablishes what the term 'revisionist' means. And in doing so, she restores what has been long missing in the King Tut fandom. A must for all collections

Christina Riggs, a British-American historian and former museum curator who, among other topics, specialized in ancient Egyptian art presents Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century.
A combination of analysis, biography and history, Riggs covers the history of Egyptology, Howard Carter's life, the discovery and processing of the Tutankhamun's Tomb and the ebb and flow of Tutankhamun in the public consciousness.

Riggs is comprehensive in her coverage of the topic, beginning by presenting the reader with a biography of Howard Carter and the history of the field of Egyptology. From there the discovery of the tomb in 1922 is detailed in depth making sure to point out the lack of credit given to the contributions of the non-Europeans to the point where many of those who worked on the dig are unknown beyond their appearance in photos.

And this is a recurrent strength of Riggs work, she frequently points to those who work has not been acknowledged or credited. She also explore the challenging question of ownership and representation of these historic treasures. The latter half of the book explores Tutankhamun's Treasures as a political tool in Egypt's international relations and their use in creating blockbuster exhibitions. And in that latter the question of money is very important. Who benefited from the exhibitions? For the first batch, they were intended to assist UNESCO efforts to move historic locations from the flood zone of the Aswan Dam project. Later exhibitions were more political or financially focused.

At times dense and detail heavy, Riggs presents a thorough history of the discovery and propagation of Tutankhamun's Tomb throughout the 20th century. A book worth reading for anyone interested generally interested in Egypt's history.

I’m fascinated with Ancient Egypt and with the era of exploration that saw the birth of Egyptology. Howard Carter’s archeological exploits that culminated with the discovery of King Tut’s burial is also a favorite subject of mine. Treasured, however, focuses on the historical and political climate that was influenced by the find, and I didn’t enjoy that part as much. I like the way that the author places the story in a historical context, which makes it easier to follow. I also enjoyed the look at the exhibits through time. My problem was that the large amount of details eventually became distracting. There are brief bios of many of the people involved in the events, but some were not that relevant. I was hoping for more anecdotes from the original discovery and, instead, there were many historical facts and dates with a heavy political bias. I agree with many of the author’s points of view, but I was hoping for a lighter read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#Perseus Books, PublicAffairs!

With the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb, several books about the boy king are on the horizon.

Instead of a biography of the young pharoah, this is an examination of the discover and the enduring popularity of King Tut and Egyptology. More importantly, Riggs also highlights the racism and colonial attitudes that surrounded the discovery and the erasure of Egyptian opinions and assistance. Riggs also shares her childhood fascination with Egyptology, and how it has changed throughout her career.

Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase to provide readers a thoughtful look at Tut-mania.

Many thanks to Perseus Books/PublicAffairs and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.