Project

It is certainly no exaggeration to say that the pharaoh Tutankhamun is among the best-known pharaohs by non-experts in Egyptology. It may even be said that he is the best known of them all. However, this is not because of his exceptional or far-reaching governmental acts on the history of Egypt of his time, worthy of mention, passed on from generation to generation.

In fact, having ascended to the throne as a child (perhaps when he was 8 years old), and have died before he reached the age of 20, the young child who ruled Egypt in the 14^th century BC for about 10 years (1333-1323 BC) is best known for the exceptional discovery of his tomb (KV 62) in the Valley of the Kings, with the seals intact, about 3000 years after his death, by Howard Carter (1874-1939) and his financier George Edward, the 5^th Count of Carnarvon, commonly known as Lord Carnarvon [1].

The amazing discovery that occurred in the morning of that Saturday, the 4^th of November of 1922 (a stone staircase with 15 steps), the official opening of the tomb in the presence of Lord Carnarvon and his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert, on the 29^th of November, and the ten years of excavation of the four small rooms that followed, which brought into light thousands of artefacts (more than 5000), most of them in exhibition in various rooms in the 1^st floor of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (Reeves, 2000, 160-6), were unveiled in the international press in an unusual and unprecedented way. As a result, the name of the virtually incognito 12^th pharaoh of the New Kingdom, and the 7^th to be buried in the Valley, and the name of the main players in this “wonderful discovery in the Valley” [2] became well known for millions of readers around the world.

Ironically, then, as a consequence of the massive press coverage, one of the least known pharaohs of the New Kingdom and Howard Carter, an archaeologist with no proven credibility, both, literally overnight, moved from the obscurity of the newspapers’ pages to became acknowledged synonyms of “pharaoh” and “archaeologist”. The stories broadcasted by the newspapers captured the attention and imagination of the most diverse public and shaped indelibly their perception of ancient Egyptian history, the glorification of the pharaonate, and the prestige of scientific Archaeology.

What was the echo of the discovery and consequent opening of the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Portuguese press? How are described the extraordinary artefacts found in the various chambers of the tomb? What themes or features were highlighted in the news and in the Portuguese newspapers’ and magazines’ commentaries in the 20s and 30s of the 20^th century? What type of reports are presented about the life, the family, and the death of the young pharaoh? How are the excavation activities by Howard Carter, his death and the death of Lord Carnarvon portraited? What are the photographs and illustrations disclosed by the national publications to the Portuguese reader?

We started an in-depth research led by a strong intellectual curiosity to give a sustained answer to these questions and guided mainly by the perspective of the Reception studies of ancient Egypt.

Our project doesn’t concern, thus, the artistic or literary themes usually associated to the Reception Studies but rather concerns a very specific type of sources, of enormous importance and meaning on the contemporary world of the beginning of the 20^th century: the written press.

Our research in the Portuguese press has as its chronologic marks the years of 1922 and 1939. The first date, the moment terminus ante quem, is, obviously, the moment of the discovery, and the start of the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb (specifically from 4^th of November onwards) and the subsequent dissemination of information. The second date, terminus ad quem, marks, simultaneously, the year of the death of Howard Carter, and the discovery of other unspoiled tombs – in Tanis, in the eastern Delta – by the archaeologist Pierre Montet.

It is worth mentioning that during this investigation we came across some other data and information from different fields. We, thus, felt the need to the develop a parallel/complementary research, emphasising the interdisciplinarity that helps to expand the Project’s range and its field of application. As examples, we have, in the field of the History of Communication Studies, the investigation about the news agencies in Portugal/Portuguese; the investigation about Humberto Pinto de Lima (1902-1984) and the first translation to Portuguese of the Great Hymn to Aton; the research about the unknown Portuguese writer Fernando Val do Rio de Carvalho Henriques (1897-1962) and his pioneer work titled A Profecia ou O Mistério da Morte de Tut-Ank-Amon (1924); the analysis of the work A Rainha Taia by Maurice de Waleffe (1874-1946) published by Diário de Notícias; and the analysis of texts that Abel Salazar (1889-1946) wrote about, or inspired by, the ancient Egypt civilization.

To accompany the development of the Project in its many facets, we suggest the consultation of our publications and participations in scientific events. In the tab “The Corpus” we make available our gathered material and a brief analysis of it.

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[1] His full name is George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert. He was born on the 26^th of June 1866 and died approximately 6 months after the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamun, on the 5^th of April 1923, consequence of an infection caused by a mosquito bite.

[2] This expression is retrieved from the telegram that Howard Carter send Lord Carnarvon telling him about the discovery: “At last we have made a wonderful discovery in the valley, a magnificent tomb with seals intact, recovered and waiting for your arrival. Congratulations.” (Reeves 2000,160; Hawass 2006, 107).