In Our Time – "Tutankhamun" (Archive Episode Summary)

Broadcast Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Melvyn Bragg
Guests:

• Christina Riggs, Professor of the History of Visual Culture, Durham University, Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford
• John Taylor, Curator, Department of Egypt and Sudan, British Museum
• Elizabeth Froude, Associate Professor of Egyptology, Director of the Griffith Institute, Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford

Overview

This episode explores the story and legacy of Tutankhamun, focusing on the discovery of his tomb in 1922, its cultural and archaeological significance, the historical context of his reign, and the subsequent global fascination and myths associated with the "boy king." Melvyn Bragg and his guests unravel both the remarkable richness of the tomb's contents and the shifting narratives around Tutankhamun and Egyptology itself.

The Valley of the Kings: Setting and Significance

Description and Selection (02:56 – 04:18)

• Location: Valley of the Kings, West Bank of Nile, near Luxor (ancient Thebes)
• Landscape: A “ravine cut out over millennia by seasonal rains” honeycombed with tombs, ranging from high, hidden early graves to later, more accessible ones.
  • Elizabeth Froude: "Any number of deep tombs...highly decorated...many meters into the limestone." (03:46)
• Purpose: Chosen in the New Kingdom (ca. 1540–1075 BCE) for its concealment—an attempt to protect burials from tomb robbers by separating burial places from mortuary temples.
• Not just kings: Also elite officials and royal family members were buried there.

History of Plunder and Excavation (05:04–07:15)

• Plunder began early; systematic excavation started in the 19th century.
• By early 20th century, most tombs were at least partly plundered; exploration became more archaeological, less treasure-hunting.
• Theodore Davis, an American philanthropist, intensively excavated (1902–1914): “He gets the concession...and he boasts of finding a tomb a year. Of course, most...already plundered.” (06:30–06:53)
• By WWI, conventional wisdom was that the valley was exhausted—paving the way for Carter’s more meticulous work.

The Discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb

Howard Carter and His Team (07:15 – 11:26)

• Carter worked on behalf of Lord Carnarvon, employing many Egyptian archaeologists and workers—whose contributions have often been marginalized.
  • Christina Riggs: "All sorts of knowledge production in the Middle East, including archaeology, relied very much on local knowledge." (09:53)
  • On Egyptian foreman Ahmed Girdegar: “These men are never referred to as archaeologists...a term reserved for the white kind of European and American people who do the work.” (09:53)
• Extensive field experience but little formal training was the norm for both British and Egyptian archaeologists at this time.

Discovery Process and Significance (11:42 – 19:59)

The Find (11:42 – 13:55)

• Previous tomb discoveries had been plundered; Carter wanted a complete, untouched royal burial.
• The first glimpse (November 1922): Through a small hole, by candlelight, Carter and team saw beds, chairs, and burial paraphernalia stacked “in a jumble,” many covered in gold.
  • John Taylor: “He puts his arm through...gradually the objects begin to emerge...” (12:46)
• Unprecedented completeness and richness—“the gold mask...solid gold inlaid with lapis lazuli and glass.” (15:23)

Artistic and Scholarly Revelation (15:09 – 19:59)

• The tomb's contents represented two main groups:
  • Funerary/magical objects enabling the king’s journey to the afterlife
  • Everyday and luxury items: furniture, food, clothes, jewelry
• The craftsmanship: “Extraordinarily advanced...the sophistication in the making and in the placing of these things is one of the reasons why it’s such a compelling collection.” (17:26)
• Over 5,000 objects; only about 30% have been fully studied—overwhelming in both scale and complexity. There's continued scholarly reticence, sometimes embarrassment, linked to the popular "glitzy" image of Egyptomania.
  • Elizabeth Froude: “A bit of embarrassment...the material is so complex.” (18:29)

The Birth of Global Egyptomania

Media Frenzy and Egyptian Response (22:00 – 26:54)

• News was carefully managed, with The Times securing exclusive rights.
• First photographs by Harry Burton released in January 1923; these images became iconic worldwide.
  • Christina Riggs: “Photography was absolutely crucial to the work of archaeology. Without the camera, archaeology wouldn't have developed as it did.” (24:10)
• Tension arose since British outlets monopolized the story during a period of Egypt’s nationalist awakening after partial independence from Britain.
  • “It’s humiliating for Egyptian press...to be told that they’ve got to wait for the British newspaper to give them a story that’s taking place in their own backyard.” (26:01)

Tutankhamun Himself: Life, Dynasty, and Mysteries

Lineage and Dynasty (26:58 – 34:53)

• Last of Egypt’s powerful 18th Dynasty, which at its peak extended from the Euphrates to Nubia.
  • His wealth partly stemmed from Nubian gold resources.
• Likely son of Akhenaten (the religious reformer/“heretic pharaoh”), precise parentage unresolved.
• Little is definitively known about his mother or wife, although Ankhesenamun (possibly his half-sister) features in both his life and tomb art.

The “Boy King” and Myths of Frailty (29:27 – 30:58)

• Notion of "frailty" (club foot, bone infection) may be overplayed:
  • Elizabeth Froude: “As a disabled woman with bone infection, I dare anyone to call me weak and feeble. So already there’s an ableist narrative...” (29:54)
• While he ascended the throne as a child, by mid-teens would be regarded as a mature adult in his own culture.
  • "By the age of 15 or 16...we should ascribe some potential agency to that." (30:59)

Name and Religious Restoration (31:46 – 34:53)

• Born Tutankhaten, reflecting the Aten cult led by Akhenaten.
• Changed to Tutankhamun as the court and society pivoted back to the worship of Amun, restoring traditional religious practices and temples.
  • “A very active policy of restoration and renewal." (34:08)
• Some evidence, including art, suggests he may have led military campaigns or symbolic hunts (the ostrich hunt fan).

Cultural Legacy in Egypt and the World

Immediate and Long-term Symbolism (37:46 – 43:56)

• Tutankhamun: “the best known but least important” Egyptian king—his tomb’s fame far outweighs his brief reign or political impact.
• Nonetheless, he became a nationalist symbol almost immediately after discovery, reflecting Egypt's struggle for independence and pride in its ancient past.
  • John Taylor: “The Egyptian nationalist movement...saw Tutankhamun as a political figurehead.” (39:06)
  • Christina Riggs: "Different people want a bit of him, including Howard Carter...and the Egyptian nationalists...as an anti-imperial movement." (39:51)
• Tutankhamun was deployed as artistic, revolutionary and diplomatic icon in Egypt, reappearing in street art after the 2011 revolution and used in global exhibitions.
  • Elizabeth Froude: “There are lots of images relating to his possible mother Nefertiti as well...these are still really important icons of revolution.” (43:56)

Continuing Mysteries and Scholarship

Why Was the Tomb Intact? (45:48 – 48:05)

• Unlike most other tombs, Tutankhamun’s likely survived undisturbed because successive construction buried it under debris, possibly also due to his association with religious "heresy."
  • John Taylor: “I wonder if it’s to do with how he’s regarded by posterity...as tainted by the heresy.” (47:36)

Ongoing Research and Challenges (44:27 – 54:39)

• Many objects await detailed study.
• The removal of excavation records (archives, negatives, diaries) to the West has shaped who studies and interprets the tomb.
  • Christina Riggs: “Excavation archives like the Tutankhamun archive left Egypt...research...mainly by Westerners.” (54:05)
• Recent relocation of the collection to the Grand Egyptian Museum offers new opportunities for conservation and scholarship.

The Impact of the Tomb’s Photography (55:05 – 55:52)

• Harry Burton’s images remain central to public perception, often casting sacred ritual objects as “art” in the Western sense, which shifts their context and meaning.
  • “A photograph is not a fact...depends on how it’s used and how it’s taken.” (55:52)

Notable Quotes & Insights

• On the tomb’s wonder:

  “He puts his arm through...gradually the objects beyond begin to emerge...first of all, three large beds...covered with gold and inlaid with precious materials.” — John Taylor (12:46)

• On Egyptology’s oversight:

  “The Egyptian contribution is overlooked, not just for the tomb of Tutankhamun, but in all archaeology in Egypt.” — Christina Riggs (11:26)

• On scholarly attitudes:

  “A bit of embarrassment...the material is so complex.” — Elizabeth Froude (18:29)

• On Egyptian reaction:

  “It’s humiliating for Egyptian press, the Egyptian, you know, middle classes...to be told they’ve got to wait for the British newspaper...” — Christina Riggs (26:01)

• On Tutankhamun’s legend:

  "There’s a certain kind of...you can project different things onto Tutankhamun quite easily." — Christina Riggs (39:51)

Key Timestamps

• Valley of the Kings described: 02:56–04:18
• Plunder and early excavation history: 05:04–07:15
• Howard Carter’s background and team: 07:15–11:26
• Discovery of the tomb: 11:42–13:55
• The treasures and significance: 14:09–19:59
• Media and global reaction: 22:00–26:54
• Discussion of Tutankhamun's dynasty: 26:58–34:53
• Cultural symbolism and legacy: 37:46–43:56
• Why the tomb survived: 45:48–48:05
• Archives and continuing research: 54:05–54:39
• Impact of photography: 55:05–55:52

Final Thoughts

This episode immerses listeners in both the complexities and wonders of Tutankhamun’s discovery and afterlife in world culture. It highlights ongoing debates over scholarly approaches, the role of Egyptian expertise, repatriation of cultural heritage, and the enduring power of Egypt’s ancient past to resonate with living political and cultural movements. The discussion also underscores the need for continued study—both of what lay in the tomb and of how the world continues to visualize, mythologize, and sometimes misappropriate the “boy king.”