King Tut's century-long legacy for archeology

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By Katrina Gulliver / Special To The Washington Post

A century ago this month, newspapers reported the opening of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, in the Valley of the Kings. It was an archaeological discovery that generated sudden popular interest in Ancient Egypt, aided by newsreels and photos.

While it was a rare moment of celebrity archaeology, it was also a high point of imperial attitudes that echo through today’s debates about ownership of artifacts. The archaeologists who discovered the tomb, containing 5,000 artifacts that had been untouched for thousands of years, represented a culture that felt entitled to claim the discoveries and had even paid for a license to do just that.

For centuries, the morality of taking archaeological discoveries (even human remains) for private collections or public display was never questioned. Today, by contrast, museums in the West are being asked whether they should keep the items in their collections that were acquired through colonial claims. The discovery of Tutankhamen was the beginning of that change.

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Egyptian authorities also recognized the magnitude of the discovery. Many ancient objects from Egypt had been taken over the centuries, as mummies were hauled off to Europe, sold as magical cures, ground for pigment or put into museums. The Egyptians wanted to hold on to this collection.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-king-tuts-century-long-legacy-for-archeology/

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1. Ground penetrating radar has been an enormous gift

in the sciences.

Egypt especially has made big investments in archeological digs and museums and general tourist safety.