Tutankhamun

Former Metropolitan Museum of Art director Hoving recounts Howard Carter's search for Tut's tomb, and the international confrontations that followed, as Carter kept other archeologists away from his find, Carter's partner died shortly after the discovery thereby starting rumors of a curse, and the Egyptian government fought to keep the treasure in their country.

The discovery of Tutankhamun's treasure-filled tomb is one of the greatest events in modern archeology. It is also a story so filled with intrigues, accusations, international imbroglios, and lasting scandals that it forever altered the way archaeological expeditions were organized and conducted. Hoving'sTutankhamun focuses on Howard Carter, the archaeologist who persisted for six years in his search in the Valley of the Kings for Tutankhamun's tomb. Other major figures in the discovery include: Carter's patron Lord Carnarvon, who died shortly after entering the tomb, thus kindling rumors of a curse; Carter's rival Pierre Lacau, a French Jesuit who headed the Antiquities Service in Cairo and did everything he could to ruin Carter and deny his claim; the Egyptian authorities determined to keep the artifacts of their national heritage in their country; and Arthur Weigall and other Egyptologists who felt slighted by Carter's refusal to admit experts anywhere near his discovery.