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The earl and the pharaoh : from the real Downton Abbey to the discovery of Tutankhamun

Carnarvon, Fiona, Countess of2023
Book
In November 1922, a new door to the ancient past was opened. The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun would be the most astonishing of the young century, revealing the ruler's sarcophagus and a treasure trove of artefacts: chariots and model boats, board games and paintings, a coffin made of pure gold. On the face of it, the objects were astonishingly splendid. On further study, they changed the world's understanding of how the Egyptians had lived, transforming overnight what had been formed through centuries of history and myth. Howard Carter was the lead archaeologist, but the years of excavations were funded and engineered by the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, George Herbert, whose country house Highclere Castle is today known as the set of Downton Abbey.
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