If you think that this book is going to list 100 items from Tutankhamun's tomb, and just talk about those, you are mistaken! I wasn't sure what to really expect going into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The author takes you on a journey, talking about the significance of items that were placed in the tomb, tying it back through the ages of Egyptian history. He also talks about some of the items that were left, and the significance they would have had to the boy king, such as toys from his childhood.

This was more than just items that were found in the tomb, but a thorough discussion on pieces that were used throughout the ages, what their functions were, and how they might be used in the afterlife.

I truly enjoyed this book, and was sad when it ended. The history is amazing, and the author has certainly done his research on putting together a book that is well worth taking the time to read.

This book is a very detailed account and description of the objects found in King Tuts tomb. The book is organized in chapters of 10 items. The descriptions are thorough and give a great insight into Egyptian history and the ways of life.

This is all encompassing. It goes into the history of Egypt, including environmental history. I learned alot about egyptian history, beyond the scope of Tutankhamun. This extensive background, I felt, was important for a deep dive into the young king.

It is a heavy read, and very academic.

Loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley for the copy to review.

A very interesting and thorough look at some of the iconic objects from Tut's tomb, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Tomb's discovery.

I was expecting it to more strictly be on Tutankhamun himself and not so much other information/background or I probably would have rated it higher.

This book was an excellent introduction to pharaonic archaeology, and many aspects of Egyptology, as a specialist in the Southern Levant.

A timeley and interesting look into Ancient Egyptian material culture. I especially loved the beautiful illustrations,, though I felt the author occasionally over-generalized by not taking into account the way in which people's relationships to objects/cultural themes shifted over the course of the (in some instances) several hundred years in which the objects were in use. A less static and more in-depth exploration of the cultural themes would have been nice, but overall this is a wonderful and engaging text.

This is a new take on Ancient Egypt. I love reading about people through objects so this was a great reading experience. I liked how 100 items are separated into 10 groups and explained in a way that the scholar and the newbie can learn something. The sections covered everything from home life to royalty to religion. I liked the break down and how the author explained each part of Egyptian life through the centuries. This is a book I would definitely recommend to a history lover or a curious learner.

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I was fascinated with archaeology as a tween, and 50 years ago on the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb I was given the "Tomb of Tutankhamen" exhibition book which I still have. A lot more is known now than was known then - and the premise of this book was appealing in that it looked at specific objects in the tomb for what they can tell us about ancient Egypt.

Toby Wilkinson is steeped in knowledge of ancient Egypt, so this book was well informed and full of information, but it wears that learning lightly. The selected artifacts are organized into ten groups focused on the aspects of life that they are related to. Why was this item in the king's tomb? What was its significance in society? What is the history of the importance of such items? In this way, with the addition of details about archaeological investigations all over Egypt, a very full picture of the life of Egyptian royalty, but also the lives of the ordinary people, is drawn.

The last chapter, "Legacy," is the most far-reaching, addressing as it does the artifacts that were most famous or influential in the afterlife of the tomb's discovery. Wilkinson discusses the wholesale looting of Egyptian antiquities by Europeans in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the views of Egypt that became current in some circles in the 20th century, especially the fantasies of the New Age mystics. About the theory that the civilization of ancient Egypt was founded by aliens from outer space, he remarks that the idea smacks of colonialism because it posits that Egyptian civilization and culture were too advanced to have been developed by mere Egyptians.

Wilkinson also makes reference to the fact that DNA testing has finally been done on all the remains recovered from the Valley of the Kings. I wish there was a book about it, and not just a JAMA article with links to visuals that you have to have Flash player for, which no longer exists.

Thanks to Netgalley for access to an advance copy of this fascinating book. I only wish that the pictures had been included! it was a little frustrating to read the text and not be able to see the pictures in a book that's being advertised as beautifully illustrated! I'll have to go back to my c 1970 book for another look.

Written just in time for the 100 year anniversary of Howard Carter rediscovering Tutankhamun's tomb, this book provides an interesting look at ancient Egypt through the objects found in the tomb. Despite having been looted (twice in antiquity, and it's also possible Carter himself took items from the burial), the tomb held the majority of the wealth Tut was buried with, and remains one of the most complete and fascinating burials discovered in Egypt. Due to the huge amount of grave goods, and the nature of death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt, Tut's tomb also is crucial in helping archaeologists understand life and society in Egypt at that time. Each chapter focuses on a different topic, in which the author gives an overview of the historical context both in general and specifically during the eighteenth dynasty that Tut was a part of. By using the material culture, the book creates an interesting narrative and links the history to real objects. I enjoyed reading this, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in ancient Egypt.