The first views of Tutankhamun’s tomb

What did the first people who entered Tutankhamun’s tomb see?

In 1922, a relatively obscure ancient Egyptian pharaoh became an international sensation when a team led by the British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, who reigned from roughly 1332-1323 BCE. The discovery marked the first time a pharaoh’s tomb had been entered essentially unlooted and untouched, providing an invaluable glimpse into ancient Egyptian society. In this short video, Daniela Rosenow and Richard Parkinson of the Griffith Institute at the University of Oxford discuss both the riveting first moments of discovery and the 10-year excavation that followed, during which archaeologists would comb over some 5,000 burial objects. In particular, Rosenow and Parkinson detail the work of the British photographer Harry Burton who, tasked with documenting the immense find, took a now-famous photo of an eclectic clutter of items revealed inside the tomb’s antechamber.

Video by BBC Global