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- Howard Carter
-
-
- (DECEMBER 31, 1923)
-
- Work in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor proceeded with
- painstaking slowness incomprehensible to the layman who would
- prefer to tear the secrets of the ages from Tut-ankh-Amen's
- breast in a day. Howard Carter and his staff have removed large
- quantities of highly decorated treasures, many of which are on
- exhibition in Cairo. Aided by 10,000 candle-power lights in the
- tomb, telephones and all the paraphernalia of civilization and
- modern archaeological science, they are patiently removing and
- restoring the canopies and accessories surrounding the
- sarcophagus of the Pharaoh. But the casket itself will probably
- not be opened this year, nor will two other chambers crammed
- with rare objects. It is quite probable that the tomb may be
- found to contain the mummies of two Egyptian kings, for the
- outer door has two cartouches. Khu-n-aten, Tut's father-in-law,
- may have held the throne jointly and have been buried with him.
- The chief problem of the investigators is to keep the material
- reasonably intact. The golden screen is in momentary danger of
- crumbling to dust. It has to be reinforced with waxed linen,
- which puts a dingy gloom on the brilliance of four millenniums
- ago.
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-