Tutankhamun's Trumpet: Ancient Egypt in 100 Objects from the Boy-King's Tomb

by Toby Wilkinson Narrated by David Timson

Overview

In 1922, after fifteen years of searching, archaeologists finally discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun. There, buried alongside the king's mummy, they found more than 5,000 unique objects, from the mundane to the extravagant, from the precious to the everyday. Tutankhamun's spectacular gold mask is justifiably famous, but the rest of the treasures remain largely unknown, their stories untold.



In this rich work of history, renowned Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson allows one hundred artifacts from the boy king's tomb to speak again-not only for themselves, but as witnesses of the civilization that created them. A gold-decorated chariot reveals the impressive scale of Egyptian technology. Loaves of bread, baskets of fruit, and jars of wine hint at the fertility of the Nile Valley and the abundant feasts enjoyed by its people. Ebony and ivory from Nubia and a jewel of Libyan desert glass show the range of Egypt's trading and diplomatic networks. Shaving equipment and board games provide a window into the everyday lives of the people. And perhaps most poignant of all the objects in the tomb is one that conjures up a lost world of human experience: Tutankhamun's silver trumpet.



Filled with surprising insights and vivid details, Tutankhamun's Trumpet offers an indelible portrait of the history, people, and legacy of ancient Egypt.

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile

More than five thousand unique objects were found in King Tutankhamun's tomb when it was unearthed in 1922. English Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson has selected 100 of these artifacts as a launching point to describe everyday life in the time of the pharaohs, both for royals and nonroyals. Accomplished British narrator David Timson guides listeners through this fascinating exploration of ancient Egypt with aplomb. His vocal variation and creative expressiveness maintain the listener's interest, complementing the intriguing subject matter. Timson is an accomplished narrator and a natural choice for this amply detailed audiobook. In the wrong hands, listening could lapse into drudgery; instead, Timson enlivens the material. S.E.G © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Times (UK) - David Aaronovitch

"Beautifully written, sumptuously illustrated, constantly fascinating and the work of a man who is practised at explaining the past to the present"

Shepherd Express - David Luhrssen

"British historian Toby Wilkinson tells everything we need to know about pharaonic Egypt…Wilkinson writes beautifully, melodically."

Sunday Times (UK) - James McConnachie

"The cleverness of the book lies in how individual grave goods are used to crack open the mindset of a civilisation… This book thrums with life. To the ancient Egyptians, a pharaoh’s tomb was a ‘resurrection machine’ and, in a sense, they were right. The dead cannot be resurrected but, through the artefacts they used, we can sense the lives they lived. I’ve read many books on ancient Egypt, but I’ve never felt closer to its people."

Library Journal

05/01/2023

Following a timeline and three maps, Egyptologist Wilkinson (Univ. of Cambridge; Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt; A World Beneath the Sands) gives a stirring introduction to Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. From here, Wilkinson proceeds in topical chapters (geography, domesticity, mortality), using artifacts from the tomb to explore Egyptian life and culture. Faience vases show the importance of temple life; a linen glove decorated with feather patterns and with tabs for holding it to the wrist shows sophisticated design elements and attention to craftsmanship. VERDICT Some may wish all 100 objects were included among the color plates, but readers will glean an understanding of ancient Egyptian life, its influences, and its ongoing legacy.

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile

More than five thousand unique objects were found in King Tutankhamun's tomb when it was unearthed in 1922. English Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson has selected 100 of these artifacts as a launching point to describe everyday life in the time of the pharaohs, both for royals and nonroyals. Accomplished British narrator David Timson guides listeners through this fascinating exploration of ancient Egypt with aplomb. His vocal variation and creative expressiveness maintain the listener's interest, complementing the intriguing subject matter. Timson is an accomplished narrator and a natural choice for this amply detailed audiobook. In the wrong hands, listening could lapse into drudgery; instead, Timson enlivens the material. S.E.G © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2022-09-14
A fresh history of King Tut and his world, generously illustrated and lucidly written.

The ancient Egyptian obsession with burying important people in elaborate tombs has rewarded archaeologists with more Egyptian artifacts than those found for all other ancient civilizations combined. British journalist Wilkinson, author of many books on this subject, including A World Beneath the Sands, builds this expert history on items recovered from Tutankhamun’s tomb, which, only lightly looted, contained more than 5,000 well-preserved objects and drawings, making it “the greatest archaeological discovery of all time.” Following tradition in the genre, the author includes a history of Egyptology, initially a sophisticated form of looting in which European antiquarians snapped up objects for their collections. By the 19th century, scholars had solidified the study of ancient Egypt, and the establishment of the Antiquities Service (by the British, who ruled Egypt) produced a steady stream of discoveries, capped by the bombshell of Howard Carter’s 1922 opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Wilkinson writes that the early rulers of the Nile Valley were the first humans to exercise authority over a geographically extensive state, beginning around 3000 B.C.E. The pharaonic government endured unchanged—though often challenged—for three millennia until Cleopatra surrendered to Rome in 31 B.C.E. It remains the longest-lived nation in history; as the author notes, “a greater span of time separated the Great Pyramid from Cleopatra than separates her from our own age.” Even better, artifacts include innumerable written documents because papyrus preserves better than paper. Uniquely blessed with material, scholars have had no trouble filling multivolume tomes on ancient Egypt, but readers will have no regrets at the end of this one. Beginning not with “prehistoric” but “predynastic” people who settled in the river valley, he moves smoothly through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, inevitably emphasizing religion but not ignoring politics and war as well as the surprisingly well-documented daily lives of the people. The book includes 50 black-and-white photos and 16 pages of color.

A well-written, beautifully produced piece of ancient history.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175831734
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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