The spectacular excavations at Bawiti， Egypt， in the summer of 1999 captured headlines all across the United States and rekindled America s fascination with Ancient Egypt. In that spirit comes this timely volume on the young monarch whose mummified remains and fantastic treasure provided the other amazing find of the twentieth century . . .When his tomb was discovered in 1922， even the most experienced archaeologists joined the international community in marveling at the incredible wealth-and seemingly bizarre rituals-of Ancient Egypt. The king s golden coffin alone is today valued at more than $6 million.What kind of society could produce such spectacular treasures only to bury them forever? Lost in a frenzy of speculation-anthropological， scientific， and commercial-was Tuankhamen himself.3500 years ago， the mightiest empire on earth crowned a seven-year-old boy as its king， then worshiped him as a god.Nine years later， he was dead.Despite the young monarch s almost universal recognition in death， Egyptologists know very little about his life.Traditional histories， founded on incomplete investigation and academic dogma， shed almost no light on the details of a life as complicated and as fascinating as it was short.In TUTANKHAMEN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF THE BOY-KING， Christine El Mahdy finally delivers a coherent portrait of King Tut s life and its historical significance. Based on stunning tomb records， lost since their discovery， this revolutionary biography begins to answer one of the Twentieth Century s most compelling archaeological mysteries: who was Tutankhamen?