Egyptian Relics Dug Up--in England

The Earl of Carnarvon, grandson of one of the men who opened the Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, discovered a hoard of Egyptian antiquities at the family castle, the Times of London reported today.

More than 300 objects, including a carved and painted face of Tutankhamen’s grandfather, Amenophis III, were found in a hidden cupboard and in unused rooms at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, southern England, the paper said.

The items were found when a retired family butler mentioned them following an inventory of the building, according to the paper. All the objects found were from archeological digs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings before the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb.

In 1922, archeologist Howard Carter found the tomb of Tutankhamen, who died in 1323 BC. The present earl’s grandfather subsidized Carter’s expedition.

Harry James, keeper of Egyptian antiquities at the British Museum, said: “Material from the tomb of Amenophis III is particularly important in this country. The fact that many of these objects can be matched with Howard Carter’s notes and published works makes them doubly valuable.”