The Oxford Comment

The Oxford Comment


Egyptology at the Turn of the Century – Episode 77 – The Oxford Comment

October 25, 2022


On November 1, 1922 Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team of excavators began digging in a previously undisturbed plot of land in the Valley of the Kings. For decades, archaeologists had searched for the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun with no success, and that November was to be Carter’s final attempt to locate the lost treasures. What Carter ultimately discovered—the iconic sarcophagus, the mummy that inspired whispers of a curse, and the thousands of precious artifacts—would shape Egyptian politics, the field of archaeology, and how museums honor the past for years to come.


On today’s episode, we discuss the legacy of early 20th century Egyptology to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.


First, we welcomed Bob Brier—one of the world’s foremost Egyptologist, and an expert in mummies who is one of a few scholars who have had the opportunity to investigate Tutankhamun’s mummy—as he discusses his new book Tutankhamun and the Tomb that Changed the World and the 100 years of research that have taken place since the tomb’s discovery. We then spoke with Peter Der Manuelian, the author of Walking Among Pharaohs: George Reisner and the Dawn of Modern Egyptology, to discuss Reisner’s life, the rise of American Archaeology in Egypt, and the archeological field’s involvement in nationalism and colonialism.


Please check out Episode 77 of The Oxford Comment and subscribe to The Oxford Comment through your favourite podcast app to listen to the latest insights from our expert authors:
– Amazon Music: https://oxford.ly/3O8bPBH
– Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2RuYMPa
– Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/38UpF5h
– iHeartRadio: https://oxford.ly/3xBtxaQ
– Spotify: https://oxford.ly/2JLNTTO
– Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/2R0fVNZ
– TuneIn: https://oxford.ly/3jKR0OG
– YouTube: https://oxford.ly/2YY4iMT


The Oxford Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Associate Producers: Sarah Butcher
Host: Rachel Havard


Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.


© Oxford University Press



On November 1, 1922 Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team of excavators began digging in a previously undisturbed plot of land in the Valley of the Kings. For decades, archaeologists had searched for the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun with no success, and that November was to be Carter’s final attempt to locate the lost treasures. What Carter ultimately discovered—the iconic sarcophagus, the mummy that inspired whispers of a curse, and the thousands of precious artifacts—would shape Egyptian politics, the field of archaeology, and how museums honor the past for years to come.


On today’s episode, we discuss the legacy of early 20th century Egyptology to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.


First, we welcomed Bob Brier—one of the world’s foremost Egyptologist, and an expert in mummies who is one of a few scholars who have had the opportunity to investigate Tutankhamun’s mummy—as he discusses his new book Tutankhamun and the Tomb that Changed the World and the 100 years of research that have taken place since the tomb’s discovery. We then spoke with Peter Der Manuelian, the author of Walking Among Pharaohs: George Reisner and the Dawn of Modern Egyptology, to discuss Reisner’s life, the rise of American Archaeology in Egypt, and the archeological field’s involvement in nationalism and colonialism.


Please check out Episode 77 of The Oxford Comment and subscribe to The Oxford Comment through your favourite podcast app to listen to the latest insights from our expert authors:
– Amazon Music: https://oxford.ly/3O8bPBH
– Apple Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/2RuYMPa
– Google Podcasts: https://oxford.ly/38UpF5h
– iHeartRadio: https://oxford.ly/3xBtxaQ
– Spotify: https://oxford.ly/2JLNTTO
– Stitcher: https://oxford.ly/2R0fVNZ
– TuneIn: https://oxford.ly/3jKR0OG
– YouTube: https://oxford.ly/2YY4iMT


The Oxford Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Associate Producers: Sarah Butcher
Host: Rachel Havard


Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.


© Oxford University Press


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