Book- Tutankhamun and the golden age of the pharaohs
Author: Zahi Hawass, photographs by Kenneth Garrett
Score:8/10
Year: 2005
Publisher: National Geographic books. ISBN 0-7922-5311-6
64 Pages
Language: English
I've been fascinated by Egyptology since my childhood, so I read all the books and articles that I can get about this subject.
This tiny (15.5X 0.6X15.2 cm), 64 pages book cannot be exhaustive, even if it deals only with Tuntankhamun, probably the most famous pharaoh of Egypt.
This tiny book is a very fast read, especially since only 12 of its pages are full of texts, by Mr Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme council of Antiquities in Egypt, who reopened king Tut's sarcophagus and run a CT-scan which revealed new information that 3 previous examinations couldn't show because of limitations of x-ray technology.
This ''new information'' is now far less new, but over 10 years ago they shed light and disproved theories and speculations regarding Tut's dead. At this point in time, he is believed to have died at about age 19, probably from infection which set in a wound he sustained - most probably in battle.
As often, I dislike photos with a black contour, as I'm always afraid to leave finger marks. I prefer those with a white page, instead.
The book retraces very quickly the history prior to King Tut ; the first discovery of his tomb in 1922 and research about his life, all aided by Kenneth Garrett's photographs and comments, which are sometimes unfortunately quite difficult to read due to the font colors (white, black, orange...) and chosen background (white or black), not always clearly separated from the photo. They depict what I've come to expect from a book about archaeology and Egyptology : many objects, but also sarcophagus and burial chambers, as well as Mr Hawass & his team, and lastly, the CT-scan results, and, cherry on the cake, a photo representing king Tut's supposed appearance - using a latex model based on his skull.
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