In 1914 Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon finally obtained the concession to dig in the Valley of the Kings but soon after, and before work could really begin in earnest, war was declared in Europe. We can only imagine the disappointment and frustration felt by Carter after the years of waiting but he used the war years to prepare meticulously and, as soon as was practically possible after the end of the war, he began his long-awaited systematic excavation of the valley.
This talk looks at the build-up to arguably the most famous archaeological find of all time, the key events of the discovery itself and a glimpse of some of the “wonderful things” that Carter found. The aftermath of such a monumental discovery will also be considered, with some popularly held views being challenged, and the motivation and rationale behind certain actions will be examined. It concludes with a look at the later years of Carter’s life, his death in relative obscurity in 1939 and his legacy.
