IT IS one of those strange quirks of history that Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb exactly 100 years after Jean-François Champollion cracked ancient Egypt’s hieroglyphics. Champollion’s breakthrough in 1822 unlocked the civilisation’s rich written archive, while Carter’s discovery in 1922 offered an unadulterated view of pharaonic opulence.
It is unlikely 2022 will be remembered as a pivotal year in Egyptology, but that doesn’t mean the field is stuck in a rut. As we report on in our feature “How technology is revolutionising our understanding of ancient Egypt”, archaeologists now have the tools of modern science at their fingertips. Their discoveries may seem relatively humdrum at first glance, but they could prove transformative for our understanding of ancient Egypt.
Advertisement
A look back at the breakthroughs of 1822 and 1922 shows us why. One of the most famous ancient Egyptian texts we could read once we understood hieroglyphics was the Book of the Dead (see our article “Hieroglyphs: Unlocking ancient Egypt review: Two hundred years on”) and Tutankhamun’s treasures showed us a grand pharaonic tomb in vivid detail. Throw in Egypt’s mummies and the world’s most iconic tombs – the pyramids – and it is easy to assume the ancient Egyptians were fixated on death.
Today’s archaeologists tend to focus on the day-to-day of ancient Egyptians’ lives. Doing so provides a more down-to-earth perspective, making them seem more like us. We can now gain insights into the way skilled artists worked millennia ago, for instance, and even reconstruct the sights and smells of the landscapes they occupied, bringing us closer than ever to experiencing ancient Egypt.
This isn’t to say archaeologists have turned their backs on the pharaohs. Some are convinced that an untouched royal tomb even grander than Tutankhamun’s still awaits discovery. If the tomb of Queen Nefertiti is ever found, researchers will surely have another year as important as 1822 and 1922 to celebrate. Until then, by putting the lives of ordinary ancient Egyptians in the spotlight, Egyptology has made sure it remains relevant to a 21st-century audience.
