Dorchester's Tutankhamun Exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of his tomb's discovery

The Pharaoh was found by Howard Carter in 1922

Author: Frankie GoldingPublished 4th Nov 2022

Dorchester residents are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Tutankhamun's tomb being found today.

The town became the unlikely hotspot for Egyptology after its Tutankhamun Exhibition was crowned the most visited exhibition on the Pharaoh outside of Egypt.

The Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester was the first exhibition outside Egypt to feature an exact anatomical recreation of Tutankhamun's mummy. The mummy took over two years of research and experimentation to recreate, following x-rays and measurements of Tutankhamun's mummy.

The Exhibition's organisers are hoping that people will come on down to learn more about the famous Pharaoh and celebrate his discovery.

School children in particular have been invited to come and immerse themselves in the 18th century Egyptian world the museum have recreated.

The Exhibition Director Michael Ridley told us some things you may not know about the Pharaoh: "When he came to the throne, he was only 9 years old.

"He died at the age of 18 or 19, nobody expected him to die so he was hurriedly buried with a lot of gold and some from other tombs.

"Egypt was very much in turmoil during his rule so although his rule was short, he made an impact by changing where he ruled from and the religion he used.

"Before he was discovered in 1922, all that people knew about him was just a few inscriptions, but Howard Carter has spent many years in the valley of the kings.

"Finally - and literally - he struck gold and found the tomb."

Take a look at the exhibition:





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