The Shadow King : The Bizarre Afterlife of King Tut's Mummy

More than 3,000 years ago, King Tutankhamun’s desiccated body was lovingly wrapped and sent into the future as an immortal god. After resting undisturbed for more than three millennia, King Tut’s mummy was suddenly awakened in 1922. Archaeologist Howard Carter had discovered the boy-king’s tomb, and the soon-to-be famous mummy’s story—even more dramatic than King Tut’s life—began. The mummy’s “afterlife” is a modern story, not an ancient one. Award-winning science writer Jo Marchant traces the mummy’s story from its first brutal autopsy in 1925 to the most recent arguments over its DNA. From the glamorous treasure hunts of the 1920s to today’s high-tech scans in volatile modern Egypt, Marchant introduces us to the brilliant and sometimes flawed people who have devoted their lives to revealing the mummy’s secrets, unravels the truth behind the hyped-up TV documentaries, and explains what science can and can’t tell us about King Tutankhamun. Draws On Myriad Disciplines To Address Mysteries Surrounding The Mummy Of Tutankhamun, Providing Coverage Of The First Autopsy Of The Mummy In 1925, Recent Arguments Over Its Dna, And The Stories Behind Archaeological Documentaries. Prologue: An Archaeological Adventure -- Tunnel Of Legends -- Clues By Candlelight -- Opera Of A Vanished Civilization -- Death On Swift Wings -- A Brutal Postmortem -- Palm Wine, Spices And Myrrh -- Letters From Liverpool -- Secrets From Blood And Bone -- X-raying The Pharaohs -- Living Image Of The Lord -- Evil Pyramids And Murderous Mold -- Sliced, Diced, Brought Back To Life -- The Third Door -- Fingerprints, Forensics And A Family Tree -- Dna Down The Rabbit Hole -- Spare Ribs And Hand Kebabs -- Revolution -- Audience With The King -- Afterword: A Brief Window. Jo Marchant. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Prologue: an archaeological adventure Tunnel of legends Clues by candlelight Opera of a vanished civilization Death on swift wings A brutal post-mortem Palm wine, spices and myrrh Letters from Liverpool Secrets from blood and bone X-raying the pharaohs Living image of the lord Evil pyramids and murderous mould Sliced, diced, brought back to life The third door Fingerprints, forensics and a family tree DNA down the rabbit hole Spare ribs and hand kebabs Revolution Audience with the king Afterword. Jo Marchant, former editor for Nature, unravels the mysteries of Tutankhamun's mummy-a story of history, archaeology, crime, business, politics and science Unraveling the mysteries of Tutankhamun's mummy--a story of history, archaeology, crime, business, politics, and science