A century on from one of the greatest ever archaeological discoveries, an epic tale of bribery, corruption, secret codes and seduction is brought to life in colourised photographs
thetimes.co.uk/article/tutank…
thetimes.co.uk/article/tutank…
On November 30, 1922, The Times broke the news: the British archaeologist Howard Carter and his financial backer Lord Carnarvon had discovered an intact royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings
Arthur Merton, this newspaper’s Cairo correspondent, described Tutankhamun’s tomb as “the most sensational Egyptological discovery of the century”
It was also a monumental scoop: the story of 3,300-year-old buried treasure captured public imagination across the world, and every newspaper was hungry to report on the fabulous contents of the tomb
Merton had been tipped off.
On January 9, 1923, Carnarvon signed a contract with The Times: in exchange for £5k and 75% of the syndication profits, the paper would have exclusive rights to distribute all news and pictures from the tomb, as its secrets were gradually revealed
On January 9, 1923, Carnarvon signed a contract with The Times: in exchange for £5k and 75% of the syndication profits, the paper would have exclusive rights to distribute all news and pictures from the tomb, as its secrets were gradually revealed
This ignited a media firestorm. Rival British newspapers were livid that The Times had cornered the story of the century.
Many Egyptians were infuriated at having to learn of events in Egypt second-hand from a British newspaper
Many Egyptians were infuriated at having to learn of events in Egypt second-hand from a British newspaper
Each newspaper sent out a star reporter to try to ruin The Times’s scoop by reporting the news first, “a spoiler” in newspaper parlance.
The Times in turn assembled a crack reporting team to see off the opposition and ensure that its “exclusive” remained just that
The Times in turn assembled a crack reporting team to see off the opposition and ensure that its “exclusive” remained just that
And so the stage was set for one of the greatest Fleet Street battles in history: a story of bribery and corruption, chequebook journalism, secret codes and seduction, drunkenness, British imperialism, Egyptian nationalism, French scheming and bitterly feuding hacks
The journalists’ battle over Tutankhamun’s tomb was ludicrous and short-lived, but it had lasting consequences: it sparked the mythical curse of the pharaohs, ensured these priceless artefacts remained Egyptian, and set a precedent for the modern media feeding frenzy
As is written on one of the golden shrines that surrounded Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus: “I have seen yesterday; I know tomorrow.”
Read the incredible full story here👇 thetimes.co.uk/article/tutank…
Read the incredible full story here👇 thetimes.co.uk/article/tutank…
Amidst the global interest in the discovery of a royal tomb in Egypt, The Times got exclusive access to report from inside.
On today's #StoriesOfOurTimes podcast @DAaronovitch delves into the archive to find out how pod.fo/e/153133
On today's #StoriesOfOurTimes podcast @DAaronovitch delves into the archive to find out how pod.fo/e/153133
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