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

by Toby Wilkinson

On 26 November 1922 Howard Carter first peered into the newly opened tomb of an ancient Egyptian boy-king. When asked if he could see anything, he replied: ‘Yes, yes, wonderful things.’

In Tutankhamun’s Trumpet, acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson takes a unique approach to a well-worn subject. Instead of concentrating on the oft-told story of the discovery, or speculating on the (brief) life and (fractious) times of the boy-king, Wilkinson takes the objects buried with the king as the source material for a wide-ranging, detailed portrait of ancient Egypt – its geography, history, culture and legacy. One hundred artefacts from the tomb, arranged in ten thematic groups, are allowed to speak again – not only for themselves, but as witnesses of the civilization that created them. Never before have the treasures of Tutankhamun been analyzed and presented for what they can tell us about ancient Egyptian culture, its extraordinary development, its remarkable flourishing, and its lasting impact. Like Tutankhamun himself, the music which surrounded him has vanished. All that remains are echoes of the past, survivors of an age long gone, the stuff of interpretation and reinterpretation. But through the objects buried with him, his world, and the civilization of ancient Egypt of which he remains the ultimate symbol, can be brought back to life.

Filled with surprising insights, unusual details, vivid descriptions and, above all, remarkable objects, Tutankhamun’s Trumpet will appeal to all lovers of history, archaeology, art and culture, as well as all those fascinated by the Egypt of the pharaohs.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Ancient History, Egyptology, Africa, Audiobook

496 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2022

About the author

Dr Toby Wilkinson joined the International Strategy Office in July 2011, working with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Jennifer Barnes) to support the schools, faculties and departments in their international engagements, and to develop the University's international strategy, particularly with regard to research collaborations and relationships with the EU, US, India and China. Prior to this, Dr Wilkinson was the Development Director at Clare College as well as Chairman of Cambridge Colleges Development Group.

As an acknowledged expert on ancient Egyptian civilisation and one of the leading Egyptologists of his generation, Toby Wilkinson has lectured around the world. He has excavated at the Egyptian sites of Buto and Memphis. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Egyptian History and has broadcast on radio and television in the UK and abroad, including BBC’s Horizon and Channel 4’s Private Lives of the Pharaohs, and was the consultant for the BBC’s award-winning documentary on the building of the Great Pyramid.

Upon graduating from the University of Cambridge he received the University’s Thomas Mulvey Prize and was elected to the prestigious Lady Wallis Budge Junior Research Fellowship in Egyptology. He is a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham.

Reviews

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toby Wilkinson is one of my favorite Egyptian historians, and this book will stand as one of my favorites. Using the magnificent finds in Tutankhamun's tomb, Wilkinson not only describes the wonderful finds but also uses them to conduct a deep study of various aspects of Egyptian life.

Broken into ten sections covering ideas like Legality or Bounty, Wilkinson uses the archeological finds and then explains the development of Egyptian society to explain why that object exists. This provides an in depth look at Ancient Egyptian society and it's history, beliefs, economy, legality, and rulership. Filled with fascinating tidbits of valuable information and numerous illustrations and a beautiful color listing of all the amazing finds.

This is a book for anyone who loves Egyptian history. Superbly written, utterly fascinating, and filled to the brim with amazing knowledge and gorgeous photos. Highly recommended.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book detailing the history of Egypt through the use of objects found in his Burial Chamber. Ten items across ten chapters and a very detailed and interesting explanation of their relevance through the years and periods of Ancient Egyptian history, some even in use today in Egypt, such as some of the games children played and the making of bread.

It is a book choc full of interesting stories and people, what I gleamed from it was the more times changed the more things stayed the same and something that was in use 1000 years before the 18th dynasty was still relevant then.

A very readable book, and I enjoyed the style and I am looking forward to reading more about Ancient Egypt and I do own other works by the author and I look forward to reading them soon. As to be expected the plates in the book are absolutely beautiful, some beautiful works of art, it is sad to think how much has been lost over time due to looting and private collections.

Highly recommended

[Naomi's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new take on Ancient Egypt. I love reading about people through objects so this was a great reading experience. I liked how 100 items are separated into 10 groups and explained in a way that the scholar and the newbie can learn something. The sections covered everything from home life to royalty to religion. I liked the break down and how the author explained each part of Egyptian life through the centuries. This is a book I would definitely recommend to a history lover or a curious learner.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think that this book is going to list 100 items from Tutankhamun's tomb, and just talk about those, you are mistaken! I wasn't sure what to really expect going into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The author takes you on a journey, talking about the significance of items that were placed in the tomb, tying it back through the ages of Egyptian history. He also talks about some of the items that were left, and the significance they would have had to the boy king, such as toys from his childhood.

This was more than just items that were found in the tomb, but a thorough discussion on pieces that were used throughout the ages, what their functions were, and how they might be used in the afterlife.

I truly enjoyed this book, and was sad when it ended. The history is amazing, and the author has certainly done his research on putting together a book that is well worth taking the time to read.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly fascinating and a good overview of some of the things that were in his tomb. It also sorts out fiction vs fact about the discovery of the tomb aswell. The people who were purposely edited out are now back in the narrative.

[Faith]

The ARC that I won in a Goodreads giveaway had no illustrations. My sole reason for requesting the book was to see the objects. Maybe someday I will borrow a copy of the book from the library.

[milo in the woods]

this is a soft dnf @ 26%. the audiobook was removed from the library and i don’t own a physical copy of this. i might come back to it one day but i also might not.

[Leah Delcamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a look at ancient Egyptian society based on the artifacts found in King Tut’s tomb. As someone who has been fascinated by ancient Egypt since I was a child, I really enjoyed this!

[Wafflepirates · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

Written just in time for the 100 year anniversary of Howard Carter rediscovering Tutankhamun's tomb, this book provides an interesting look at ancient Egypt through the objects found in the tomb. Despite having been looted (twice in antiquity, and it's also possible Carter himself took items from the burial), the tomb held the majority of the wealth Tut was buried with, and remains one of the most complete and fascinating burials discovered in Egypt. Due to the huge amount of grave goods, and the nature of death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt, Tut's tomb also is crucial in helping archaeologists understand life and society in Egypt at that time. Each chapter focuses on a different topic, in which the author gives an overview of the historical context both in general and specifically during the eighteenth dynasty that Tut was a part of. By using the material culture, the book creates an interesting narrative and links the history to real objects. I enjoyed reading this, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in ancient Egypt.

[Rick Rapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiilkinson's book is an exhaustive study and explanation of 100 (of the more than 5,000) objects found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Organized into ten categories, the book includes historical contexts along with descriptions of the pieces including size, materials, origins, etc. It was quite an undertaking and he does a masterful job of presenting the information. It is a scholarly yet approachable work, but the sheer volume of information is still daunting. In the last chapter, he includes his own feelings on the pillaging done by the European powers in the 19th century, and I am in complete agreement with him. It is a travesty that so much was stolen from the Egyptians and so little credit was given to the natives who helped the foreign archeologists locate and remove items. It is amazingly lucky that Tut's tomb wasn't found twenty years earlier, or little of the contents would remain in Egypt. This book is a must read for any Egyptophile.

[Rachel Loh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a bit skeptical at first because of a white man writing it but very well balanced and unbiased. Fascinating and easy to read, definitely made me even more interested in Ancient Egypt and its histories. The only gripe I had while reading was the amount of ‘indeed’s in the book.

[Gary Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American edition releases in November for the 100th anniversary of the opening of the tomb. I obtained and thoroughly enjoyed a British version, see https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 'history of such-and-such in X number of objects' formula is perhaps getting a little tired, but in this case it is justified. These objects are breathtakingly beautiful even on the page. In fact, it is a shame that the book only has photos of a fraction of them. Toby Wilkinson's claim that the artistry and craftmanship of some of these objects has never been surpassed does not seem hyperbolic.

The book tells the story of Ancient Egypt, but not in strictly chronological order and not just through the 100 objects. It is structured thematically, with chapters on geography, monarchy, domesticity, piety and so on. It's surprising how much we know in some areas - testament to a vast amount of scholarship - but there are so many gaps too. The titular trumpet epitomises how much we know and how much we don't: we can identify the deities inscribed on it, we know what notes it makes (intriguingly, only three, and only one of these was probably used in practice) but of course we have no idea what the music sounded like.

It's staggering to think how sophisticated the Ancient Egyptians were in some ways - their bureaucracy, their mythology, their exquisite craftsmanship - and how long pharaonic civilisation lasted (about 3,000 years) - and then contemplate the fact that they continued to use copper alloys until well into the Bronze Age, or that they did not develop a concept of objective history, or that they were content to simply layer one contradictory myth on another, without ever trying to resolve them into a coherent whole.

The book is good on the legacy of ancient Egypt, with an intriguing chapter on its influence on the modern world. While Europeans had always been fascinated by pharaonic civilisation from the Romans onwards, and Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt kickstarted the systematic study (and exploitation) of the country’s antiquities, the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 unleashed a mania for all things Egyptian, fuelled by a media frenzy. The book is neatly framed by the story of the discovery, which was made not by Carter himself but by an Egyptian boy Hussein Abdel Rassul, who was photographed wearing one of the pectorals from the tomb - rather poignantly, given that Tutankhamun was still practically a boy when he died. Wilkinson also traces the interesting story of modern Egypt's relationship with its distant past, which has ranged from pride to neglect. The book awakened a desire to visit Egypt and see the Egyptian Museum in Cairo - I will certainly revisit the Egyptian section of the British Museum before too long.

[Susan Paxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only interesting reading full of information about Egyptian life and history, as well as the "boy king," but also one of very few books that takes into account the fact that Tutankhamun's tomb, so often declared to having been found "intact," was in fact extensively looted; Wilkinson does an able job suggesting what was taken.

[Michaela Sommerfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the most interesting reads of the year. There were some parts I found less interesting but that was more to do with my own general interests I found it all fascinating and will definitely read more of tobys books!

[Cate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very unique read! I thought he would list the items but he went very far in depth about the importance of every object and how they found themselves in the burial chamber. The narrator was especially amazing to listen to.

[KAdelaide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, very interesting book.

[Jph12 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting read focusing more on the daily life during the remarkably long-lasting ancient Egyptian civilization than the great events of the time. Not surprisingly, the focus is on the Pharaohs and upper class. That is, after all, who could afford to take a bunch of goodies with them when they died (or at least try to). But is does try to branch out into the lives of the ordinary folk when it can. This book definitely could have used more pictures in the body instead of the Appendix. Show, don't tell, picture worth a thousand words, and all that.

Unfortunately, the book turns from explaining Ancient Egypt to discussing things like Egyptology and colonialism in the final chapter. So a full 10% of the objects have very little to do with explaining Ancient Egypt. He seems to be surprised that the expedition leader gets the glory, rather than the people who did the bulk of the work. It would just be tiresome if he didn't do the same thing he complains about in the very same chapter. He talks about Bonaparte's adventures in the Nile Valley and Nelson's victory over Napoleon. Using Toby Wilkinson's logic, Napoleon went on a little jaunt up the Nile all by himself and was later defeated by Nelson in single combat. After all, if anyone else was involved surely they would be listed. He lists all of the different specialists who were part of Carter's expedition, but only by role, not by name. And according to Toby Wilkinson's bio, "[h]e has excavated at the Egyptian sites of Buto and Memphis." Did he? Or was he just there directing things while others did the work, like Carter?

[charles p. chafee]

Excellent review of many aspects of ancient Egyptian life culture and history of egyptoloogy

The book takes ten aspects of ancient Egyptian life and culture as exhibited by 100 artefacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun with ten pictured for each section while others are described in the text. Two other highlights are a detailed index and extensive bibliography for further reading on the various aspects covered well integrated with footnotes in the text which can be checked individually or for the entire bok or each chapter. Enjoy and learn🤔

[Sammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Hamid · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and thematic journey through vast swathes of Ancient Egyptian history and Egyptology anchored in the some of the most interesting items from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Wilkinson explores various social themes from daily banalities (food, drink, health) to momentous life themes (death, relationships, war). Every page is replete with evident excitement and contagious, fascinated joy.

I suspect Wilkinson allows himself to be lured a little too much with reading totemic significance into an object, merely because it exists, which removes capricious agency from ancient historical figures. There are tantalising glimpses of 'next-best' expediencies (eg in the reuse of canopic jar heads from previous burials), for example. What other shortcuts could have been made?

I feel the book also suffers a little for the sometimes near-static treatment of Ancient Egyptian culture all the way describing events that take place over the course of several thousand years. I feel that this suffers less than many other popular works on Ancient Egypt - Wilkinson does allow for religious amorphousness and the ascendance and descendance of various gods. He also gives a little time to the (demotic) language eventually fizzling out in the fifth century AD. But through the book, the culture feels somewhat unitary.

I'd rarely say this about a book but it would have benefited to a great degree from illustration. In my edition, the images of the items were mostly at the end of the book (rather than inline) and most of the fascinating discussions are winding asides that use the objects as kick-off points and refer to various sculptures, architecture, weaponry etc. So I found myself reading this somewhat heavily side-by-side with Wikipedia, which greatly enriched the text. I don't fault Wilkinson for this but bear in mind when reading it, it's worth googling along the way.

[June Ling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read by Toby Wilkinson. So far he has not disappointed in enthralling me with his fluid, easy to read, easy to follow, emotive and segmentation of writing style.

Initially I had thought this would be a book concerning Tutankhamun’s treasures, since it was published in the 100th year of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, but I was wrong and honestly it was way better than I expected. Toby takes you on a journey of really insightful and intimate look into the lives of everyday Egyptians as well as the pharaohs and deities in correspondence to the items found in the tomb. Each chapter is divided into 10 treasures of similar sentiment, highlighting the usage, purposes and intricacies. From deeply personal objects such as board games, his grandmother’s lock of hair as an affectionate memento, to regalia such as the crook and flail and the ever famous golden death mask, the 10 chapters encompasses every worldly aspect of the famous pharaoh.

The author as always somehow manages to make me feel like I’m peering into the lives of a neighbour, and I have the privilege of witnessing and understanding the life of the ancient Egyptians. He really manages to stir all sorts of emotion out; sense of awe, pity, disgust, sadness… this book really made me think a lot about how life must have been, how the Egyptians must’ve felt, how difficult life was. The author has always managed to make me feel a strong sense of empathy towards the subject matter, and to me that’s what makes an excellent narrative. Thankful I came across his writings, and that I got my hands on this book.

10/10 fantastic read. You learn some new things, and reaffirm some existing bits of convictions in this book. Absolutely wonderful!

[Peter Pereira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can tell if I really enjoyed a book when I get to the end and I want more. This is one of those cases. Because the illustrations were inserted at the end of the book, when my Kindle said I still had 4 hours of reading to go I was disappointed when it came to an end!
The title of this book is not what I would have gone with, because this create expectations to what this book is about, when it is so much more.

The author has taken the history of ancient Egypt and told it through some of the many items found in Tutankhamun's tomb. This book is the history of the common ancient Egyptian brought to life in a volume that doesn't concern itself with chronological historical events. Instead, it takes the figures we see on the walls and makes them as three dimensional as the incredible items found in the tomb.

This novel approach takes us on a literary adventure where the journey itself is the destination. I have read many (many) books on ancient Egypt, and I am fortunate to have gone to Egypt on two occasions, if you have even a passing interest in the subject, I highly recommend this book. It didn't get five stars because I would have inserted the photos of the items directly into the text when they are being referenced. Being a photographer I guess I would say that LOL.

Mr. Wilkinson has some other great books you should check out. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt and A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of Egyptology, immediately come to mind. This one, could be my favorite. I just wish it had many more pages. But then again, Tutankhamun's trumpet only had three notes for a voice and it still looks amazing.

[Megan Iranpour · Rating 5 out of 5]

I impulsively snagged this book at the library when I went to pick up a book on hold and promised myself I would not get any more books. And there it was, this beautiful log jam to my reading list, beckoning. Yoink! I will confess, this book is very niche. Thankfully it is exactly my kind of niche. When I taught humanities, the students loved Egyptian art and culture, and I loved teaching it to them. There was no end to the works we could observe. For anyone uninterested in Egyptian pharaonic culture, reading this would be akin to being mummified alive. For fans, it is a treat. The premise of the book is to select a few of the 5000+ items from King Tut’s tomb alone in order to illustrate all of Egyptian culture in the following categories: geography, history, supremacy, bounty, monarchy, domesticity, humanity, piety, mortality, and legacy. Certain items indicated a historic tradition or a cult reference or even indicated the reach of the kingdom. I found it super fascinating. It has pictures for those of you who, like Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, can’t understand why someone would read a book without them. In this case, I could have used even more because they are so cool to behold. Recommended to those that are interested to learn more and to better understand why this was maybe the greatest discovery of Egyptian artifacts in history.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. It definitely seeks to highlight the objects in King Tutankhamun's tomb that perhaps the general public would not be so familiar with unless they had gone to see an exhibition. The flashy objects we all know are there, including the king's mummy itself, but also there are objects that one would pass over because they are just boring or considered "every day" objects like vases or measuring sticks.

My only issue with the book is that it feels like it repeats itself often. It will go into the history behind why the objects were placed in the tomb and what significance they had for the civilisation but there are only so many ways to say something. This I don't think is a fault with the author but rather perhaps there are too many objects which necessarily overlap with each other.

Overall, I highly encourage those who are interested in Egyptology or King Tut in specific to read this.

[Sami Danielsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting but not what I was expecting when I picked it up. There were a lot of cool facts but the chapters were really long and by the end of them I would have trouble focusing. I also thought this book was going to focus more on King Tut than it did. It was more about ancient Egyptian society as a whole based on what the artifacts in King Tut's tomb tell us. I think if you're into Ancient Egypt and the archeology of it, this is a good book for you, but if you're looking for something light or casual this probably is not what you want. My ARC copy also lacked pictures which made me a little sad.

[Jack McCreless]

Really interesting book. Didn't know much about the history of Egypt when I started, but knew a lot when I was done. I had read several books on this plan -- i.e. WWI in 10o Objects, The Civil War in 50 Objects -- and I thought this would be similar. However it was quite different. The other books were lavishly illustrated, but this one was mainly text -- lots of text. It did have a section of nice color photos and there were some line drawings as well, but it was primarily text -- 400+ pages of it. Nevertheless I finished the whole thing and enjoyed it. It was well-organized and well-written.

[Michael Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the concept (exploring Egyptian culture through 100 objects found in Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb) is a great idea, the book itself is merely adequate. While the chapters are laid out in themes and objects chosen to reflect those themes, the narrative seemed a bit jumbled and chaotic. And I wish more time was spent on the actual art pieces themselves — many times pages were spent on an aspect of culture and then 2 sentences followed introducing the funerary item. That being said, I was introduced to many objects that I did not know existed and that was a source of delight.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interpreting history through artifacts constitutes a key process for archaeologists. By examining 100 objects from Tut's tomb, Wilkinson fleshes out a detailed interpretation of Egyptian society over millennia. Going far beyond just the items and their immediate provenance, he shows how they evolved as important pieces of the long civilization. As a humorous side note, though, of course it isn't mentioned in this book, David Macaulay's Motel of the Mysteries comes to mind as a fanciful satire of the process used by Wilkinson.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilkinson doesn't use the objects from Tutankhamun's tomb as a lens to look at the history of the boy-king so much as a jumping off place to then talk about ALL of the history of ancient Egypt. It covers a LOT of material, from the early hunter-gather migrations before the pyramids, to the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty, as well as all those European looters in more recent centuries.

All of it is fascinating, but I was expecting something more focused on the reign of Tutankhamun.