The Story of Tutankhamun: An Intimate Life of The Boy Who Became King by Garry J. Shaw
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Web ID: 15697195King Tut
This is a biography written to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb. The tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. The discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb fascinated the world then and it still does. King Tutankhamen became famous by chance. After Tutankhamen died, his dynasty disappeared and a new royal line took over. The ancient Egyptians attempted to erase Tutankhamen’s legacy and name. His tomb disappeared under the desert sands of time. He was forgotten. Until the day Howard Carter unearthed a small chamber in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb was crammed with golden artifacts. Despite King Tutankhamen’s short reign, he has become one of Egypt’s most famous pharaohs. This is because of all the golden treasures that were found in his tomb. His tomb was not plundered like most ancient tombs. It had remained mostly intact. King Tutankhamen remains one of Egypt’s biggest tourist attraction still to this day. Tutankhamen’s tomb is a time capsule from 1300 BC. The illustrations and photographs that are included are bright and beautiful. It details the majestic elegance of ancient Egypt. This book takes you through the life and times of King Tutankhamen. He ascended the throne and became Pharaoh at the age nine. He reigned until his death at the young age of nineteen. I have always been fascinated with Egyptian history. In 1976 as a child, I remember King Tut’s exhibit traveling the United States for the first time. In 2006 I was able to finally see King Tut’s exhibit. If you love Egyptian history this is a book you must read. This is a well written book that held my interest from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
brilliant and so interesting
This was an amazing history book that I learnt so much from. I got so engrossed while reading this book as it was so very interesting and flowed seamlessly. I actually had to finish reading it in one day as I just couldn't put it down. I was up very late to finish it. It was well worth it, though. It was so well written and kept my interest throughout. It really was fascinating reading as I didn't know all that much about Tutankhamun. It was so interesting learning about the flood that came through the valley of King. I also became involved in all the excitement surrounded in looking for his tomb. I really couldn't believe how long it took to remove all the artefacts I was shocked. I definitely recommend reading this book, especially if you love Egyptian history and archaeology. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Only the highest of praise goes out to the author and publishers for bringing us this fascinating history in such a wonderful, none heavy and readable way. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this fantastic author.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Good Book
The Story of Tutankhamun: An Intimate Life of the Boy who Became King by Garry J. Shaw is a great nonfiction and biography that gives all the history and thrill of a fantastic and fascinating life. I have read many books on several of the Egyptian dynasties as well as archeological events surrounding these great historical figures, so I had a baseline knowledge base and interest when I began this book, however it is still a fascinating, interesting, informative, and entertaining read no matter what level of knowledge the reader already possesses. The pages flew by and it kept my interest throughout. Well-researched and educational yet entertaining…an excellent combination. 5/5 stars
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A great Introduction
A hundred years ago, the discovery of ‘King Tut’s Tomb’ set the world on fire. All things Egyptian became the rage, impacting architecture, fashion, design, and even the movies. Just over 200 pages long, with forty illustrations, The Story of King Tutankhamun was an enjoyable introduction. The story begins with Tutankhamun’s parents, Akhenaten and Nefertiti. They had changed Egypt completely, building a new capital and religious center and commanding worship of the sun disk god, sidelining other traditional gods. After their deaths, a daughter briefly ruled before Tutankhamun became pharaoh at age 10. There was a backlash against his father’s rule; the capital was returned to its previous city and the old gods rose to prominence again. Akhenaten and Nefertiti were literally erased from history, their images defaced. The pharaoh was the chief priest. He led the religious ceremonies for the country. Born Tutankhaten, he even changed his name to Tutankhamun to show he was the son of Amun, the creator god who created all the other gods, not Aten the sun disk who his father worshipped as the source of all life. I can’t help but wonder how Tutankhamun felt. Did he have a lack of real power? Was he an inexperienced youth who couldn’t stand up to the demands of those who had been dispossessed and were now eager to regain what they had lost? Or, did he truly believe that the abandoned gods had forsaken Egypt and left it weaker? What we do know is that his face was now the face of the Amun. The child king married a half-sister. The lack of viable pregnancies left them without an heir. Not until Ramses was a pharaonic line reestablished. After his death, Tutankhamun was sidelined as his parents were, buried in a borrowed tomb, with a repurposed gold mask, his images defaced. The story of how Howard Carter, funded by Lord Carnarvon, searched for Tut’s tomb, and discovered it, and the treasures therein, is legendary. Shaw addresses the legendary curse and the appropriation of Egyptian artifacts. The biography traces the legacy of Tut into contemporary times, such as the exhibit of reproductions of Tutankhamen’s tomb treasures and the “Immersive King Tut” exhibit that came to Detroit. Early in his reign, the palace weavers had spent over a year carefully creating a tapestry-woven linen tunic for the young king. They wove a falcon at the neck, its outstretched wing stretching over the shoulders, lotus flowers at the side, and a blue lower section, embellished with rosettes of white, blue, and red. from The Story of King Tutankhamun by Garry J. Shaw Shaw includes imagined scenes from the pharaohs life, and describes in detail his education and other activities. I loved the description of the woven clothing he wore, the descriptions of the ceremonies and processions, the banquets and hunting trips, learning how his tomb was robbed and hastily restored. The book is a nice introduction to this most well known pharaoh, and is appropriate for YA readers as well as adults. I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Terrific information!
The Story of Tutankhamun An Intimate Life of the Boy who Became King by Garry J. Shaw This is an amazing and very informative book bringing the young king alive again for a short time so we can visually picture his life and death as if we were there. It's been 100 years since the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and this book tells us his life before death, why he was buried there, how it was hidden, and the many things we have learned in the last 100 years. Some things we may have had wrong at times then new discoveries helped explain things further. New medical devices have helped greatly too! No, he was not murdered! But he was chronically ill. He was also born with a club foot causing him to use a cane all his life. He and the Aye, the man who took over after Tut died, had their names and faces obliterated by the ruler after Aye. So King Tutankhamun was never to be known or see again. He was erased from history. But after Carter found his tomb, King Tut is the most famous king from Egypt! Even little kids know about him! Boy did that backfire on that ruler! This book is exceptionally laid out and middle grade kids will enjoy and learn from this book but adults will love it too! It's presented wonderfully! I love this history period of Egypt and this book is well researched and very informative! Loved it! I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this awesome book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com