A Century of Tutankhamun

His name is famous around the world thanks to the discovery of his intact burial in November 1922. But why did Tutankhamun's tomb inspire such fervour in the 1920s and how did his treasures later become a staple of museum tours, pop culture and politics?

Professor Christina Riggs will provide a glimpse behind the gold and challenge some of the myths and assumptions about the excavation of the tomb. She will also ask what Tutankhamun's legacy has to offer us today. 

Christina Riggs, writer and historian, is Professor of the History of Visual Culture at Durham University in England. Her books include Treasured: How Tutankhamun Shaped a Century (2021), Ancient Egyptian Magic: A Hands-On Guide (2020), and Photographing Tutankhamun (2019), the first study ever undertaken of the photographic archive from the 1920s excavation. 

Header image: First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy views a statuette from the Tutankhamun Exhibit at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., with Egyptian archaeologist, Dr. Ahmed Fakhry (left). 3 November 1961, photograph: Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston AR6877-D