"Wonderful Things": Howard Carter and Tutankhamun - Dr Richard Hoggett FSA

To mark the 99th anniversary of the moment when Howard Carter first looked into the tomb of Tutankhamun and uttered the famous words “wonderful things”, this study-day tells the story of how Carter, the son of a Swaffham artist, forged a career in Egyptology and doggedly pursued the tomb of the boy-king, only to be rewarded with one the greatest archaeological discoveries ever made.

Provisional Timetable

10.15 – 11.15: Howard Carter Before Tutankhamun - This session begins with an overview of Egyptian chronology, the Valley of the Kings and the historical figure of Tutankhamun, before focussing on how the young Howard Carter was inspired by childhood visits to the vast collection of Egyptian artefacts at Didlington Hall, near his childhood home in Swaffham, gained his first job in Egypt and rose to the position of Inspector General of Antiquities for Upper Egypt.

11.15-11.45: Coffee-break.

11.45 – 12.45: The Search for the Tomb - The second session tells the story of the extensive searches for the tomb of Tutankhamun carried out in the Valley of the Kings by American Theodore Davis, who excavated over 30 other tombs in the process. In 1912, Davis declared the Valley of the Kings to be ‘exhausted’, but the search was taken up by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, whose own search lasted for five years before they were successful.

12.45-13.45: Lunch-break.

13.45-14.45: The Tomb of Tutankhamun - The final session examines the opening of the tomb and the rich treasures which were revealed as it was methodically recorded and cleared. Carter’s work culminated in the opening of the sarcophagus itself and the unwrapping of Tutankhamun’s mummy, a process which he recorded in meticulous details. The day concludes by considering the legacies of both Carter and Tutankhamun, with a particular focus on ‘Tut-mania’ and, of course, the curse!

Some Suggestions for Optional Background Reading

Adams, J.M. 2013. The Millionaire and the Mummies. St Martin’s Press.

Carter, H. 2014 [1923]. The Tomb of Tutankhamun. Volume 1: Search, Discovery and Clearance of the Antechamber. Bloomsbury Revelations.

Carter, H. 2014 [1923]. The Tomb of Tutankhamun. Volume 2: The Burial Chamber. Bloomsbury Revelations.

Carter, H. 2014 [1923]. The Tomb of Tutankhamun. Volume 3: The Annex and Treasury. Bloomsbury Revelations.

Elliot, C. 2012. Egypt in England. English Heritage.

Frayling, C. 1992. The Face of Tutankhamun. Faber and Faber.

Hawass, Z. 2005. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. National Geographic.

Hawass, Z. 2018. Tutankhamun: The Treasures of the Tomb. Thames and Hudson.

Hawass, Z. 2018. Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh. Melcher Media.

James, T.G.H. 2001 [1992]. Howard Carter: The Path to Tutankhamun. Tauris Parke.

Luckhurst, R. 2012. The Mummy’s Curse. Oxford University Press.

Reeves, N. 1990. The Complete Tutankhamun. Thames and Hudson.

Reeves, N. and Taylor, J.H. 1992. Howard Carter Before Tutankhamun. British Museum Press.

Reeves, N. and Wilkinson, R. 1996. The Complete Valley of the Kings. Thames and Hudson.

Smith, G. 1923. Tutankhamen and the discovery of his tomb by the late Earl of Carnarvon & Mr Howard Carter. Routledge.

Wilkinson, T. 2020. A World Beneath the Sands. Picador.

Winstone, H.V.F. 1991. Howard Carter and the Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Constable.

About Dr Richard Hoggett

Dr Richard Hoggett is a freelance heritage consultant, writer and lecturer with over 20 years’ experience in the academic, commercial and local authority heritage sectors. He is the author of The Archaeology of the East Anglian Conversion (2010), The Book of Happisburgh (2011) and from 2006–13 was the editor of the peer-reviewed journal Norfolk Archaeology. He is a confident and popular public speaker and has lectured extensively on a wide range of subjects for institutions and organisations throughout the eastern region. In 2016 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

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