author
Earl of George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert Carnarvon
1866–1923
Best remembered as the aristocrat who backed Howard Carter’s search for Tutankhamun’s tomb, he helped make one of archaeology’s most famous discoveries possible. His life also stretched far beyond Egypt, with roots in British high society, racing, and life at Highclere Castle.
1 Audiobook
Five Years' Explorations at Thebes A Record of Work Done 1907-1911 by The Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter
by Earl of George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert Carnarvon, Howard Carter
About the author
Born in 1866, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon inherited his title in 1890 and became known as an English aristocrat with a strong interest in travel, collecting, and antiquity. He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and is closely associated with Highclere Castle, the family seat.
Carnarvon is most famous for financing Howard Carter’s work in Egypt. Their long partnership led to the 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, a find that captured worldwide attention and made his name a lasting part of Egyptology.
He died in Cairo in 1923, only months after the tomb’s discovery, which helped fuel the legends that quickly grew around the excavation. Today he is remembered less as a field archaeologist than as the essential patron whose support helped bring one of history’s greatest archaeological finds to light.