Five Years' Explorations at Thebes A Record of Work Done 1907-1911 by The Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter — Inside the Classic

A Collaborative Record of Excavation

The preface and introduction establish the work as a joint effort. Carnarvon credits Carter with “unremitting watchfulness and care in systematically recording, drawing, and photographing everything as it came to light.” The list of contributors—including Griffith, Legrain, Möller, Newberry, and Spiegelberg—indicates that the report draws on specialized expertise for different artifact types. Readers should note that the narrative is not a single authorial voice but a compilation of field notes and scholarly analyses. The table of contents reveals a logical progression from tomb architecture (Chapter I) to inscriptions (II), statuettes (III), and broader excavations (IV–XII), each chapter likely reflecting the contributor’s focus.

Reconstructing an Ancient Game

One of the most vivid passages describes a game board found during excavations, with a detailed reconstruction of play. The authors present a simulated match between “Hounds” and “Jackals,” complete with dice throws and movement rules. For example, the text records: “1st H. Cast 3 = hole 8” and tracks progress toward a goal. This section demonstrates the excavators’ willingness to infer ancient practices from material evidence. The game’s rules are presented as a plausible hypothesis, not a definitive conclusion. Readers can observe how the authors blend archaeological data with imaginative reconstruction, a method that recurs throughout the volume.

Jewelry and Material Culture

The description of a necklace found in situ offers insight into preservation challenges. The authors note that beads were “strung in the ancient colour order, viz. red, blue, yellow, and green,” using cornelian, lapis lazuli, gold, and matrix of emerald. They explain that the gold beads’ wax cores have “amalgamated, and the holes are completely choked,” preventing restringing. This level of detail—including the admission that “to re-bore them would endanger their being split”—reflects the excavators’ careful handling of fragile artifacts. A second, smaller necklace includes amulets such as “the eye, hand, rope-knot, crouching lions, crocodiles, flies,” though the authors concede that “the position of these amulets… can only be a matter of conjecture.”

Photographic and Illustrative Evidence

The volume is heavily illustrated, with references to plates and figures throughout. The frontispiece shows an “Electrum Statuette of a Youth” from the XVIIIth Dynasty, and the text frequently directs readers to illustrations, such as “Pl. LI. 2” for the obsidian and gold necklace. The etext includes a note that clicking on symbols or images may enlarge them. This visual component is integral to the report; the authors rely on plates to convey details that text alone cannot capture. Readers should consult the illustrations alongside the narrative to fully appreciate the artifacts’ condition and craftsmanship. The list of plates at the end provides a comprehensive index of visual materials.

This report rewards readers who engage with its collaborative structure and detailed observations. The game reconstruction, jewelry descriptions, and reliance on plates exemplify the authors’ method: combining meticulous recording with cautious inference. As a primary source, it offers a window into early 20th-century archaeological practice in Egypt, before the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Approach each chapter as a specialist’s contribution, and note how the editors balance technical precision with accessible narrative.

I have spent many evenings in this company, turning the pages of Carnarvon and Carter's careful work. They measured and sketched, revealing small treasures from the Theban dust. There's a fortitude there, a patience with ancient things. That same quiet determination lives in The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 2: Assyria The History, Geography, And Antiquities Of Chaldaea, Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Parthia, And — Reading Notes; it too worries its fingers along the edges of vanished empires.