TAA i.2.1.77-115 (2nd Season)
Howard Carter left London on 3 October 1923, travelling via Trieste on the Simplon Express and sailing from there aboard the S.S. Helouan. He reached Alexandria on 8 October and Cairo that evening. On 11 October, he met J.E. Quibell at the Cairo Museum to plan the new season’s work on the tomb of Tutankhamun. They discussed measures to prevent last year’s difficulties with press and visitors. The following day (12 October), Carter presented these proposals to Abd El Hamid Pasha Suleman, Minister of Public Works. He suggested that news be distributed simultaneously to The Times and the Egyptian press, ensuring equal access, and that visitors be delayed until after the main work was complete. The Minister approved, as did Residency official Furness, though Carter dismissed later complaints from Scott that this might disappoint tourists.
On 16 October, Carter travelled to Luxor with Callender and Burton, arriving the next morning. After inspecting the tomb, laboratory, and magazine, he found everything in good order. Work began on 22 October, clearing and levelling the area before the laboratory. During late October, Burton photographed the Valley, and on 29 October the laboratory was reopened for sorting materials. Electric wiring began on 1 November.
Hearing of protests lodged by rival journalists, Carter returned to Cairo on 2 November to negotiate with officials including Tottenham, Quibell, and the Minister of Public Works. After days of dispute, he issued an ultimatum and, on 8 November, secured the government’s agreement recognising him as the sole authorised source of news. He briefed Lord Allenby on 8 November and returned to Luxor on 12 November, leaving Merton in charge in Cairo.
By 19 November, work resumed in the Valley, with Mace beginning preservation of the lion-headed couch and Burton photographing the tomb’s chambers—marking the true start of the new season’s campaign.
The events covered by this journal are the packing of the final object from the Antechamber (November 30th 1923), preparation for work in the Burial Chamber (December 1st 1923 onwards), and the moment when all the doors of the sepulchral shrines were opened allowing Carter and his team to view the quartzite sarcophagus of Tutankhamun for the first time (January 3rd 1924).
The journal is housed within its original black ring-binder, stamped "Walker's Loose-Leaf Book, Cover Number 138" on the inside front cover. It contains 148 loose-leaf, graph-lined pages. TAA Archive i.2.1, pages 77 to 115. Some pages have newspaper cuttings glued onto them.
This transcript follows the format of the original document, and any insertions, deletions or duplications are indicated accordingly. Scans of the original journal pages are provided and are positioned to the right of the transcript, these are magnified by positioning the pointer on the image.
