Zahi Hawass

A thorough and absorbing account of the life and times of the famous young pharaoh, Tutankhamun, from the discovery of his tomb to the CT-scans of the twenty-first century, now fully updated and expandedPenned by one of the world’s best known Egyptologists, former Egyptian minister of state for antiquities Zahi Hawass, who was personally involved in research into the enigmatic young pharaoh, this revised and updated edition of Discovering Tutankhamun reviews the current state of our knowledge about the life, death, and burial of Tutankhamun in light of the latest investigations and newest technology, including the CT scans that finally revealed the identity of Tutankhamun''s mother.Hawass places the king in the broader context of Egyptian history, unraveling the intricate and much debated relationship between various members of the royal family, and the circumstances surrounding the turbulent Amarna period. He also succinctly explains the religious background and complex beliefs in the afterlife that defined and informed many features of Tutankhamun’s tomb. The history of the exploration of the Valley of the Kings is discussed, as well as the background and mutual relationships of the main protagonists.The tomb and its most important treasures are described and illustrated, and the modern X-raying and CT-scanning of the king’s mummy are presented in detail. The description of the latest DNA examination of the mummies of Tutankhamun and members of his family, much of which was never made known to the public, is one of the most absorbing parts of the book and demonstrates that scientific methods may produce results that cannot be paralleled by traditional Egyptology. This updated and revised edition recounts untold stories from 1922 about Howard Carter and his momentous discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. It also includes a whole new chapter dedicated to the Golden City, which was founded by Amenhotep III, shedding new light on our knowledge of Thebes’ landscape in the reign of Tutankhamun and the end of the New Kingdom.

For more than 4,000 years the pyramids of Giza have stood like giant question marks that have intrigued and endlessly fascinated people. Who exactly built them? When? Why? And how did they create these colossal structures? But the pyramids are not a complete mystery - the stones, the hieroglyphs, the landscape and even the layers of sand and debris hold stories for us to read. Mark Lehner and Zahi Hawass, with over four decades of involvement with Giza, provide their unique and personal insight into the site, bringing together all the information and evidence to create a record unparalleled in its detail and scope. The celebrated Great Pyramid of Khufu, or Cheops, is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing, but there is much more to Giza. We may think of the pyramids as rising from the desert, isolated and enigmatic, yet they were surrounded by temples, tombs, vast cemeteries and even teeming towns of the living. All are described in detail here and brought back to life, with hundreds of illustrations including detailed photographs of the monuments, excavations and objects, as well as plans, reconstructions and the latest images from remote-controlled cameras and laser scans. Through the ages, Giza and the pyramids have inspired the most extraordinary speculations and wild theories, but here, finally, in this prestigious publication, is the full story as told by the evidence on the ground, by the leading authorities on the site.