Tale of Tutankhamun treasures recreated

Basingstoke Gazette (Chris Gregory)

THE discovery of a famous Egyptian mummy is the focus of a dramatic new exhibition at Highclere Castle.

The new display tells the story of how, in the 1920s, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon and archaeologist Howard Carter found the mummified body of the pharaoh Tutankhamun in a long-lost tomb in Egypt.

The boy pharaoh reigned between 1336BC and 1327BC and was buried with fabulous treasures and supposedly protected with a curse.

The Wonderful Things exhibition – two years in the making and created by the current Earl of Carnarvon and his wife Fiona – traces the steps taken by his ancestor to find the ancient tomb.

It was in November 1922 that Carter and the fifth Earl made their discovery in Luxor after the tomb had remained hidden from the outside world for more than 3,000 years.

The current earl – the eighth – lives at Highclere, like his famous forebear. He told The Gazette: “I’m delighted and very excited about the exhibition. I hope that it’s liked by the people who visit.

“I think we have given people an incredible flavour of ancient Egypt, a little of the art and of the excitement of the find for my great-grandfather and Howard Carter.”

He said the show would help with the upkeep of the Grade I-listed castle.