Tutankhamen: The Search for an Egyptian King

by Joyce A. Tyldesley

The discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 was perhaps the world’s most important archaeological find.  The only near-intact royal tomb to be preserved in the Valley of the Kings, it has supplied an astonishing wealth of artifacts, spurred a global fascination with ancient Egypt, and inspired folklore that continues to evolve today.  Despite the tomb’s prominence, however, precious little has been revealed about Tutankhamen himself.  In Tutankhamen, acclaimed Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley unshrouds the enigmatic king.  She explores his life and legacy as never before, and offers a compelling new window onto the world in which he lived.

Tutankhamen ascended to the throne at approximately eight years of age and ruled for only ten years.  Although his reign was brief and many of his accomplishments are now lost to us, it is clear that he was an important and influential king ruling in challenging times.  His greatest achievement was to reverse a slew of radical and unpopular theological reforms instituted by his father and return Egypt to the traditional pantheon of gods.  A meticulous examination of the evidence preserved both within his tomb and outside it allows Tyldesley to investigate Tutankhamen’s family history and to explore the origins of the pervasive legends surrounding Tutankhamen’s tomb.  These legends include Tutankhamen’s “curse”—an enduring myth that reaffirms the appeal of ancient magic in our modern world

A remarkably vivid portrait of this fascinating and often misunderstood ruler, Tutankhamen sheds new light on the young king and the astonishing archeological discovery that earned him an eternal place in popular imagination.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Archaeology, Egyptology, Ancient History, Biography

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2012

About the author

Joyce Tyldesley is a British archaeologist and Egyptologist, academic, writer and broadcaster.

Tyldesley was born in Bolton, Lancashire and attended Bolton School. In 1981, she earned a first-class honours degree in archaeology from Liverpool University, and a doctorate in Prehistoric Archaeology from Oxford in 1986. She is a Teaching Fellow at Manchester University where she is tutor and course organiser of the three-year distance learning (internet based) Certificate in Egyptology programme run from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology.

She is an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology at Liverpool University, an ex-trustee of the Egypt Exploration Society, Chairperson of Bolton Archaeology and Egyptology Society, and a trustee of Chowbent Chapel.

In 2004 she established, with Steven Snape of Rutherford Press Limited, a publishing firm dedicated to publishing serious but accessible books on ancient Egypt while raising money for Egyptology field work. Donations from RPL have been made to Manchester Museum and the Egypt Exploration Society: currently all profits are donated to the ongoing fieldwork at Zawiyet umm el-Rakham.

She is married with two children to Egyptologist Steven Snape and lives in Lancashire.

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joyce Tyldesley is up front about her assumptions and about the many other interpretations of the evidence, which is helpful in a proper understanding of what little we know about Tutankhamen. Someone said to me to be wary of books about King Arthur which speak about the 'real' Arthur; likewise, Tyldesley has some advice to offer about ignoring anything which calls the king "Tut" (which is quite true; I've read Patterson's book, for one, and don't recommend it).

She explores popular myths about Tutankhamen that I rather liked: the idea that he genuinely loved Ankhesenamen, due to the intimate and tender portrayals of the two together, which Tyldesley points out are more likely a kind of propaganda; the idea of whose son he was; the idea of a curse (which always sounded ridiculous to me, but theories like that are so fun/ny to read about), the murder theory... I might mourn the practicality, but it's more likely to be true, and she quite sensibly applies Occam's razor where necessary.

She does not claim great (and impossible) insights into Tutankhamen as a man, but she does discuss the achievements of his realm and the importance of his life. It's very readable, and interesting stuff too.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Joyce Tyldesley's most recent book, Tutankhamun's Curse (alternatively titled, Tutankhamen: The Search for an Egyptian King ), she looks in depth at the most infamous Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamun. There is so much rubbish written about Tutankhamun that he, probably more than any other pharaoh, deserves a book to cut through the endless, wild speculation. Tyldesley, an author and Egyptologist whose writing can safely be described as accessible and rational, is amply qualified for the job.

Tutankhamun's Curse is divided in two sections. Life and Death, the larger of the two sections, focuses on the history of Tutankhamun and the discovery and excavation of his tomb. Life after Death,focuses on how Tutankhamun has been viewed by popular culture after his tomb's rediscovery.

Of the two, I found 'Life and Death' probably the most fulfilling. It doesn't provide, nor claim to provide the "Truth" about Tutankhamun – but it would be wrong to expect such a thing, and even worse to claim to tell the truth. Most of Tutankhamun's life and death is, and will remain, a mystery. In lieu of the truth, Tyldesley examines the available evidence to then offer her own reconstruction of Tutankhamun's life, couching it in terms to make it clear to readers that this is by no means the "correct" or "definitive" version of events.

Probably my favourite chapter was 'Family', in which Tyldesley goes through the options for Tutankhamun's parents, the KV55 mummy, and the possibility of Tutankhamun having children. Rather intriguingly, she challenges the neat family tree produced from the 2010 DNA testing. Most notably, she challenges is the identification of the KV55 mummy as Akhenaten, and argues instead that it is still possible for the mummy to be Smenkhkara's.

The second section, 'Life After Death' is good, but I did find it disappointing that it was so short – two chapters and an epilogue – and limited to the curse, conspiracy theories and exhibitions. I suppose I was expecting something in more detail, such as like Dominic Montserrat's Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt , and exploring the various representations of Tutankhamun across popular culture. It's still fascinating stuff, but just a little bit disappointing there wasn't more.

It may just be the former culture studies student in me talking, but I felt as though Tyldesley's concluding paragraph was really when I went, "Yes. Let's talk about that." only for the book to finish.

Despite this, Tutankhamun's Curse is well worth the read. My criticisms of it mainly comes down personal taste, rather the quality of the book. Tutankhamun die-hards might not find anything new, but personally, I would happily recommend it to anyone looking for books on Ancient Egypt.

4.5 stars.

[Mel Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as a reference book for my own WIP, and found it to be a well-organised and accessibly written summary of the Tutankhamen tomb excavation and the Egyptology industry at the time, as well as a summary of what's now known of the boy-King himself, and an exploration of the cultural afterlife of Tutankhamen, including the 'mummy's curse'.

I read it with some pleasure, as I have such fond childhood memories of paging through the catalogue for the British Museum's 'Treasures of Tutankhamun' exhibition, which my parents visited in 1972. (Two years ago I wrote a 'Meanjin' essay about exhibition catalogues as an affective reading experience and a publishing genre.)

Just today, some maniac on Facebook was pretty, pretty sure that Kiya was not Tutankhamen's mum, and she was shouting down anyone who disagreed with her. For me it only underlined the foolishness of believing we can ever know anything definitive in history and archaeology. Knowledge is always evolving as more material and archival evidence is uncovered, and analytic techniques improve.

This book, written in 2012 (before the hoo-ha about the partition wall in Tutankhamen's tomb, which some believe conceals the long-lost mummy of Nefertiti), struck me as both up-to-date and even-handed. Tyldesley marshals and summarises the evidence for various different theories, then offers her own interpretation without claiming it's THE facts.

For some reason, I especially liked that Tyldesley pushes back against the popular theory (frequently encountered in the 'Daily Mail' and 'National Geographic') that Tutankhamen was munted-looking and inbred, with a club foot, and walked with a cane.

He may very well have been; but then we're reliant on such a fragile and circumstantial set of evidence; as Tyldesley points out, the mummification process itself can create the appearance of a club foot, and the mummy was initially unwrapped and autopsied with none of the meticulous care that researchers would use today. I mean, he was dismembered in order to get him out of his bandages. And his dick fell off and was found years later, buried in the sand tray in which his body was placed for examination.

Anyway, a fascinating book and one I can see myself consulting as a reference. Not that I have any academic training in the field (for all I know, Tyldesley might be considered a populist hack), but to a lay reader, I feel it might, like the ancients it describes, stand the test of time.

[Iset · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of three parts, with obviously great appeal as a popular history. In the first part, Tyldesley focuses on the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Carter’s find is often used as a framing device for a general audience, since it is by now so inextricably linked to the ancient king himself. In the second part, Tyldesley gets to what I as a historian would call the meat of the book. For anyone with more of an interest in the Amarna royals themselves than in their 20th century discovery, here is the heart of the text. Tyldesley addresses the key debates in what is still her most up to date consideration of the subject (given that her book about Nefertiti has not received a new edition yet). The final part of the book was one that I personally was least interested in, but at the same time felt a great deal of empathy for. Tyldesley discusses and debunks the nonsense superstitions and fairytales surrounding Tutankhamun and ancient Egypt more generally, clearly explaining their origins and fabrication. This is most welcome. I cannot tell you how many absurd questions I’ve had to put up with over the years.

7 out of 10

[Lobna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent 2 years in the Egyptian museum sketching most of Tutankhamen's treasure so reading about his story by reading this book was very refreshing , it's written in a very simple way the book is about history, hidden secrets and contradictions.and the most important part the treasure as Tutankhamen is the treasure, a king with no importance in his time but of a great importance in ours.
The magic of the pharaohs their charm and mysterious lives still puzzle everyone who cares about Egyptology or lives in Egypt.
it gave me a craving to visit the museum.

[Marion Granigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the best Tutankhamen overview I have read. I remember going to the British Museum for the tour back in 1972. We waited in line for over eight hours, and I was mesmerized by the artifacts. This is a very down-to-earth telling of the story of the excavation and its aftermath, and a fascinating speculation about the king's life and family. Dr. Tyldesley's writing style imparts a lot of information to the layman without making your brain hurt!

[Petra Willemse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fascinated by this book. I did read the e-book edition which was a little bit unfortunate because it is difficult to flip back and forth between the who's who in the appendices and the actual text. Trust me - you will need the who's who! Tyldesley does a thorough job of separating fact, fiction and myth surrounding King Tutankhamen. Highly recommend to closet Egypt-ophiles.

[Humberto Pineda Acevedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si eres aficionado al Antiguo Egipto, este libro seguramente te encantará, en donde Tildesley desmiente mucho de los mitos sobre Tutankamón, haciendo un ensayo que condensa y desarrolla mucha información que podría ser clave para seguir comprendiendo los rituales egipcios de entierro.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was excellent. It's one of the best I have read on this subject. I know this was an older book, but It's her first book that has become available on audio and I really hope that her other books become available as I am always interested in books about Ancient Egypt. The author also clearly does a lot of research and she seems to really know her stuff. You can tell these books are also a passion project for her. You can feel the love of the subject in her words. I really reccomend this book if you want to push away all the myths and see what is real. It was really good.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a non-archaeologist/Egyptologist, I found this to be a pretty easy read. Well structured, no sugar-coating or decorating with bells and whistles, just straight facts about the dig and the ability to admit "we're not sure" about certain elements of ancient Egypt so their word shouldn't be taken as gospel. Very thankful for the extra glossary and bibliography at the back that helps avoid confusion between some names. I'd recommend it for people with a general interest in the topic

[Alicia Hrachovec · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book well after it was published, which is a danger with any history book. It’s especially fraught with an archaeology book, or one with a lot of reports on archaeology findings. All these years later a lot of the information has been reported through other avenues or is out of date at this point. I’d be interested in picking up a revisited/revised copy though because her writing style was compelling.

[John Cochrane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written book that employs an effective narrative style that keeps the reader engaged. The material presented is detailed, yet easy to follow. The lone exception was the description of Tutankhamen’s possible family tree, this could have used a diagram to illustrate what was a very plausible option based on the evidence presented.
A really good read with lots of information that I wasn’t familiar with.
If you are interested in Tutankhamen this is definitely worth a read.

[Abigail Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and accessible. I read it in a few days during a vacation and enjoyed learning about the discovery of the tomb and the various theories about Tutankhamen’s life and family connections, though many of the details of people and their tombs were difficult to keep straight (especially as there seems to be little certainty about much of anything in Egyptology). There were certainly areas where I’d have liked more depth of exploration and analysis, but it was a breezy, engaging read.

[Lord Bathcanoe of Snark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book for the fans of that silly TV show Ancient Aliens. This is a story of how human beings, not little green men, built the Egyptian civilization.
Most people are fascinated by the tale of Tutankhamen. This book takes you beyond the curse and the myths, and discovers the human being central to this absorbing story.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often we are bombarded with the seductive part of archaeology; the myth and supernatural. The stories that make all the legendary figures of history so interesting. Getting a behind the scenes look at what was going on in the early 20th century was a refreshing change.

[Stephen Balch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a good book, had just finished reading Cleopatra, was hoping for something more like that, not what I was looking for but still a very informative and interesting account of Tutankhamen and the discovery of his tomb.

[Christopher Obert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book very much. I only wish that it had more photos.

[Isaac Basaure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro muy claro, con definiciones precisas sobre la historia del faraón más famoso de la historia: Tutankamón.

[Doug Adamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a well-written and thorough account by a knowledgeable person who has a very readable style of presentation. Enjoyed it immensely.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

read it for a class essay, was pretty good

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bardzo przyjemna. Książka historyczna powinna tak wyglądać. Pozdrawiam.

[DAJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are really three distinct subjects when it comes to Tutankhamun: the man himself, his tomb with all its contents, and the dramatic story of the discovery, which has become legend. While there are books that focus on the tomb (of which the most detailed is The Complete Tutankhamun by Nicholas Reeves) and others that focus on the discovery process (these books usually double as biographies of Howard Carter, such as those by T. G. H. James and H.V.F. Winstone), this may be the only book that tries to balance all three subjects. Doing so makes a certain amount of sense. Writing a biography of the man really isn't feasible, given how little we actually know about him, and any attempt to do more than sketch his life will quickly end up simply making stuff up. Thus, we can really only see him through the lens of the tomb, which largely defines his impact on the world.

The first chapter, "Loss", describes how the tomb was created, robbed, restored, buried, and forgotten in ancient times, and "Discovery" narrates the history of the excavation of the valley up to the tomb's discovery in November 1922. "Recovery" describes the nearly decade-long effort to conserve and clear out the tomb's contents. Though not as detailed as the biographies, this chapter's subdivision into each digging season provides a clear outline of the process, showing when each of the major events in the clearance process took place.

The following chapters discuss the burial goods (though not in the comprehensive fashion found in Reeves) and the mummy, followed by a lengthy analysis of the conflicting evidence about Tutankhamun's family tree. What I most appreciate in these chapters is that they explain what Egyptologists have learned from the tomb—its actual significance to our understanding of history. The tomb so shapes our understanding of Tutankhamun that hardly anyone is aware of what Egyptologists assumed about him before its discovery. Some thought he might have been an elderly courtier marrying into the royal family after its male line died out—a wild contrast with the "boy-king" we think of today! More significant still, as Tyldesley makes clear, is what the tomb goods added to our understanding of Egyptian material culture.

Then Tyldesley provides a biographical sketch of Tutankhamun, based on all the evidence that has gone before. She properly emphasizes that it is only a tentative reconstruction, based on what she regards as the most likely explanation of the sometimes confusing evidence, and she refrains from saying anything about unknowable subjects like his personality. The last chapters discuss some of the ways the tomb, its discovery, and its owner have been perceived by the public, ranging from the plausible claim that Carter illicitly kept some of the tomb's artifacts for himself to the perennial silliness about the "curse of Tutankhamun".

Tyldesley's well-rounded approach makes this one of the best books about Tutankhamun.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joyce Tyldesley, además de doctora en Arqueología por la Universidad de Oxford y profesora de Egiptología de la Universidad de Manchester, es divulgadora científica. Desde 2004, los beneficios que obtiene de los libros de su editorial se destinan a financiar expediciones arqueológicas en Egipto. No es el caso de La maldición de Tutankamón, pero su bagaje cultural, su rigurosidad y la falta de ánimo de lucro aseguran a los profanos en Egiptología, como yo, que lo que están leyendo no es una pila de basura inventada con el único objetivo de vender libros. Además, con cierta ironía, con mucho sentido del humor y con más ánimo divulgativo convierte el jeroglífico Egipto antiguo (perdón por el adjetivo tan obvio) en una materia comprensible para el gran público en el que, de nuevo, estoy incluida.

La maldición de Tutankamón no es solo una narración de todos los hechos que acompañaron al descubrimiento de la tumba del joven faraón por Lord Carnarvon y Howard Carter en los años 20 y 30 del siglo pasado. Es también un desmentido minucioso de todas las supuestas maldiciones que albergaba la tumba. Un intento de enmarcar en un contexto histórico, social y literario la popularidad que adquirió Tutankamón: la Primera Guerra Mundial, los millones de jóvenes muertos, el deseo de comunicarse con los seres queridos desaparecidos. Otro intento de disculpar los “delitos” de la arqueología a principios de siglo enmarcándolos de nuevo dentro de su contexto. Finalmente, un conato valiente, aunque tal vez fallido por falta de pruebas científicas, de contar la historia de Tutankamón, empezando por sus abuelos y sus padres, pasando por su reinado y terminando por su peculiar entierro y por sus sustitutos. Una hipótesis.

Tyldesley ha ganado una adepta. No solo por todo lo que he mencionado anteriormente sino porque, al conseguir que entendiera sin problemas el siguiente párrafo, ha aumentado su mérito divulgador por mil:

Mucho más especulativa es la evolución subsiguiente hacia el final del reinado de Ajenatón, cuando Neferneferuatón Nefertiti desaparece, al uso de un prenomen y nomen del rey que permite a Neferneferuatón Nefertiti convertirse en la cogorbernante de Ajenatón, Anjjeperura Neferneferuatón (o en femenino, Anjetjeperura Neferneferuatón). Tras la muerte de Ajenatón, Anjjeperura Neferneferuatón gobierna sola entonces como Anjjeperura Semenjkara, promoviendo a su hija mayor Meritatón (ya casada con Semenejkara) al papel necesario de reina consorte. Cuando murió, fue sucedida por Tutankamón.

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tutankhamen: The Search for an Egyptian King is a non-fiction book written by British archaeologist, Egyptologist and academic, Joyce A. Tyldesley. This book gives an accurate representation and sheds new light on the Egyptian ruler, somewhat shrouded in mystery. The facts presented in this book are well organised and many sources are used to back up the information.

The book goes on to explain the many aspects of Tutankhamen’s life; death, loss, discovery, recovery, inventory, autopsy, family, restoration, life after death, the curse and so on. Each topic is explored with extreme detail and little is left to question. There is no summary of information, so in some readers may find parts difficult to digest. However, one would presume that someone who bought this book would have some interest or fascination in Ancient Egypt, so would therefore be paying close attention.

The book is clearly well researched and provoked thoughts within the reader’s mind. Throughout the book, especially in the family section, Joyce explores all possible theories and provides a good amount of insight into each so that one can pick and think about the theory that they find best. However, she can be rather dismissive of some of the theories that do not fit her point of view. At some points she tries to make it sound like other Egyptologists do not know what they are talking about, which is not the case. Included in the book, are also many different perspectives. This helps to give a clearer image of the topic.

Throughout the book, many quotes are used, specifically when referencing information. Diary entries, letters and notes are all used in the book to give a picture and reference to information. In the discovery section, many, many diary entries are used, specifically those of Howard Carter, to give an image of what people were truly seeing at this time.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in archaeology, egyptology. However, I would not recommend it to anyone under the age of 14, as it does contain some difficult language and complex themes.

Overall, this book is very well written and researched. The amount of information in the book was astounding and provides new insight on the mystery of the life of the 18th dynasty king, Tutankhamen.

[Bethanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professional reading for exhibit at work. Fascinating work by Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley. I like the way she organized the material. Early on she informs readers why Tutankhamun matters, then presents the journey leading to the discovery and excavation of the tomb, as well as what she can piece together of biographical material on the real young man behind the golden mask. She also deals with the question of the so-called Pharoah's curse (surprise, surprise - even when dealing with common sense facts, the Daily Fail...uh...Mail, still exaggerated and used sensationalism in order to sell papers), as well as examining a number of possibilities over Tutankhamun's parentage, laying out the case for and against the various players. Tyldesley also deals with the question of Nefertiti and the succession after Akhenaten but before Tutankhamun. She then take the information that she has carefully laid out in various arguments, and summarizes the life and death/aftermath of Tutankhamun without footnotes/endnotes, as she is quoting her own material at that point. As a historian friend would point out, there has been some sloppy research in the past, and the word of this or that scholar (without a first person source) has been taken as gospel truth, when there might be other avenues to explore. Of course, in this case the challenge is a king who has been dead for 3000 years, someone who might have been considered a great king if he hadn't died prematurely, for the restoration of the traditional religious practices after his father's heresy. Two kings later, Horemheb, removed as many traces of the Armana kings of the 18th dynasty as possible, so that very little information was left until the discovery of the tomb in 1922. Logical organization, credible scholarship, and thank heavens, accessible language so that laymen might enjoy the journey as well.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book and the fact that the author presents what can and cannot be surmised from the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb, I was, based on the jacket cover, expecting a little more.
From the jacket: "In Tutankhamen, acclaimed Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley unshrouds the enigmatic king. She explores his life and legacy as never before, and offers a compelling new window onto the world in which he lived."
While Tyldesley does provide some excellent information about what can be surmised from the archaeological evidence, it is, in fact, very little. Of the world in which Tutankhamen lived, she sheds no new light, although she does put to bed some rather audacious claims made by other authors. Her own theory of who the king was and what transpired during his dynasty is not incompatible with the sparse evidence; however, I don't agree that she provides a "compelling new window into the world in which he lived."
Tutankhamen is a book I'd recommend to those who've read popular and fascinating accounts of the king. Tyldesley's book provides an excellent account of what can be known about him and his world without unfettered speculation and sensationalism.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first part of this book, about the history of finding and preserving the tomb and the grave goods. I also enjoyed the author's explanations of Tutankhamen's likely family ties and his personal history. I like that she made everything very clear as far as what we know and what we don't know, as well as what assumptions she made in reaching her conclusions. The only part I didn't love were the last two chapters. I thought there were too many excerpts of other books/writings in those chapters, and not a whole lot of actual substance. The book could have just ended right before the chapter on Tutankhamen's curse and I would have been happy. I also thought that the very last sentence was a little condescending and insulting to the reader... and it also seemed out of character with the rest of the book. Overall, very good, I'm definitely going to read some of her other books now.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

4½ stars.
This was brilliant! I love the author's writing style - reading this taught me so much and yet it was never dry or the slightest bit boring, just the opposite in fact.
I always knew that the story of Carter etc knocking down a wall, shining a candle into the darkness and saying they had found 'wondrous things' was a myth, and Tyldesley certainly puts the record straight.
The book is in two parts - a fairly straightforward telling of the Tutankhamen story taking up about three quarters of the book, and then a persuasive debunk of the whole 'curse' theory in the last quarter.
She's upfront in her belief that there is no curse, and puts a persuasive argument forward to support this.
Recommended.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the book was well researched and definitely provoked scholarly discussion...but that was part of the problem. The author was extremely dismissive of points that didn't fit her theory of the events at play...moreover since she didn't agree with the generally accepted as per King Tutankhamun's parentage, she instead picked her own theory and tried to claim she waffled on it, however it was set as her default. One of the leading experts on King Tutankhamun today agrees with what I've always heard, that his father was Akenaten and his mother was Kiya, who died giving birth to him. The way the book was written she made it seem like most eminant egyptologists have no idea. Which isn't the case.

[Danielle Dandreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised that this book was easy to follow for a person who has no background in Egyptology. The book was informative and interesting. I found the chapter about possible lineage confusing, but I think it was hard to keep all of the names straight. I also found the chapter about all of the novels concerning mummies unnecessary. Overall, the book was a good, quick read. It is a topic I knew very little about at the beginning of the book. It sounds like there is still a lot of learn about the topic. I look forward to learning more.