Tutankhamun's Trumpet

Ancient Egypt in 100 Objects from the Boy-King's Tomb

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Pub Date Nov 01 2022 | Archive Date Oct 31 2022

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Description

Marking the one hundredth anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s magnificent tomb, its incredible treasures are revealed as never before.

In 1922, after fifteen years of searching, archaeologists finally discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun. There, buried alongside the king’s mummy, they found more than 5,000 unique objects, from the mundane to the extravagant, from the precious to the everyday. Tutankhamun’s spectacular gold mask is justifiably famous, but the rest of the treasures remain largely unknown, their stories untold.

In this rich and beautifully illustrated work of history, renowned Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson allows one hundred artifacts from the boy king’s tomb to speak again—not only for themselves, but as witnesses of the civilization that created them. A gold-decorated chariot reveals the impressive scale of Egyptian technology. Loaves of bread, baskets of fruit, and jars of wine hint at the fertility of the Nile Valley and the abundant feasts enjoyed by its people. Ebony and ivory from Nubia and a jewel of Libyan desert glass show the range of Egypt’s trading and diplomatic networks. Shaving equipment and board games provide a window into the everyday lives of the people. And perhaps most poignant of all the objects in the tomb is one that conjures up a lost world of human experience: Tutankhamun’s silver trumpet.

Through these treasures, Wilkinson bring us face-to-face with the culture of the pharaohs, its extraordinary development, its remarkable flourishing, and its lasting impact. Filled with surprising insights and vivid details, Tutankhamun’s Trumpet offers an indelible portrait of the history, people, and legacy of ancient Egypt.

About the Author: Toby Wilkinson is the New York Times best-selling author of The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt, A World Beneath the Sands, and Tutankhamun's Trumpet. He is a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge, and lives in England.

Marking the one hundredth anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s magnificent tomb, its incredible treasures are revealed as never before.

In 1922, after fifteen years of searching...


Advance Praise

"Beautifully written, sumptuously illustrated, constantly fascinating and the work of a man who is practised at explaining the past to the present" - David Aaronovitch, Times (UK)

"The cleverness of the book lies in how individual grave goods are used to crack open the mindset of a civilisation… This book thrums with life. To the ancient Egyptians, a pharaoh’s tomb was a ‘resurrection machine’ and, in a sense, they were right. The dead cannot be resurrected but, through the artefacts they used, we can sense the lives they lived. I’ve read many books on ancient Egypt, but I’ve never felt closer to its people." - James McConnachie, Sunday Times (UK)

"Beautifully written, sumptuously illustrated, constantly fascinating and the work of a man who is practised at explaining the past to the present" - David Aaronovitch, Times (UK)

"The cleverness of...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9780393531701
PRICE $37.50 (USD)

Average rating from 9 members


Featured Reviews

Written just in time for the 100 year anniversary of Howard Carter rediscovering Tutankhamun's tomb, this book provides an interesting look at ancient Egypt through the objects found in the tomb. Despite having been looted (twice in antiquity, and it's also possible Carter himself took items from the burial), the tomb held the majority of the wealth Tut was buried with, and remains one of the most complete and fascinating burials discovered in Egypt. Due to the huge amount of grave goods, and the nature of death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt, Tut's tomb also is crucial in helping archaeologists understand life and society in Egypt at that time. Each chapter focuses on a different topic, in which the author gives an overview of the historical context both in general and specifically during the eighteenth dynasty that Tut was a part of. By using the material culture, the book creates an interesting narrative and links the history to real objects. I enjoyed reading this, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in ancient Egypt.

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