Part 5 ( of 5)
Book Blog: Bibliography
Carnarvon, Carter and Tutankhamun Revisited
The four previous Book Blog postings cover the
main story about the Sakkarah Incident and Howard Carter’s fall
from grace in 1905. A bibliography - from which the primary and other sources are to
be found - is a long one and will be
included in the final draft of the
End Notes to the chapter / chapters of " Carnarvon, Carter and Tutankhamun Revisited" that relate to the years 1900-1905.
Writers on Howard Carter: James, Winstone, Tyldesley, Reeves
There are annotated
versions of the Sakkarah tale to chew over
from Carter’s excellent biographers Harry James
and Victor Winstone. The academic
Joyce Tyldesley offers
an interesting angle in one her
many books on Egypt saying that Carter would
not budge on an apology for as long as the authorities failed to prosecute the drunken Frenchmen for their part in the
affray. An important
book “
Howard Carter Before Tutankhamun” by C Nicholas Reeves offers
transcriptions from the official enquiry report, Commission, and
other correspondence from the participants and bystanders involved. [ To be covered in the
book’s ' End Notes’.]
Weak history from biographer Charles Breasted
in " Pioneer of the Past"
James Henry Breasted
Besides the above narratives
there are tainted tales amounting to weak history in a
description by Charles Breasted in the
book “Pioneer
of the Past” ( published after Carter was dead ).
This is the biography by Charles of his father, James Henry Breasted, a distinguished American archeologist, fund raiser, and friend of the American millionaire Rockefeller. James Breasted was a friend of Flinders Petrie
and worked in Egypt with the Carter team
in the days after the discovery of
Tutankhamun. His son’s biography stands out too as being the single source for the questionable
tale of Carter going to Highclere in the summer of
1922 for a much mentioned meeting
with Lord Carnarvon about the Earl’s ultimatum that because nothing much had
been found in the Valley of the Kings he
would only fund one more year’s digging season in Egypt.
Lord George Carnarvon
Lord Carnarvon’s declining health was the real reason for discussing any last season’s work.
Breasted tale of Carter’s destitution discredited
Howard Carter: Myths of destitution
Harry James
discredits ( or at least puts into
context ) another regularly told story
from Charles Breasted ( written 8 years after his father 's death) that Carter was forced by his reduced circumstances into
living under the roof of a native – a former guard – whom Carter had
dismissed, including being fed and given lodgings and money by his old
disreputable employee.
The impression given is
that these handouts to Carter were inappropriate- because of the man’s errant past, besides the low class and cast issues, moreover that such
charity was on tap for a long period. Rightly Harry James points out that the help – if it
was given at all - was probably only for
a very short period, even a matter of a
few days. Carter was stunned at the
difficulties of readjusting after his return to civilian life but he was always capable of earning a living and finding and paying for his own basic but
comfortable accommodation.
Carter’s descent into poverty exaggerated
Breasted ( and others who have repeated the story ) have exaggerated Carter’s descent into poverty and any level of destitution after he resigned from the Antiquities Service . Carter may have struggled as his assured earnings, i.e. his salary had ended but he did slip into the world of private enterprise, with some past experience as a dealer and knew the darker side of transacting in the buying and selling of ancient artefacts. Carter handled the scene in Cairo with more skill and success than asserted by Breasted or others give him credit.
Arthur Weigall's Caricature
Arthur Weigall
A notorious caricature of Carter portrayed as a down and out
by Arthur Weigall, a colleague ( pictured above) with whom Carter had ups and downs and meant as a silly
joke has been taken as a piece of historical fact by bad historians and bad
writers.
Taking Sides
It is a damning indictment
that some individuals were
accelerated to posts after Carter’s removal including the scholarly
Oxford educated, James Quibell
and the ruthless Arthur Weigall, although the latter was a man described by Flinders
Petrie as “ the most capable
student we have ever had” Weigell was
tested to his limit in the
field by Petrie and found lacking in physical
strength, with Weigell leaving Petrie’s
team for
an easier berth with a German
archeologist, Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing.
Despite their University
backgrounds neither of these
two ambitious Carter ‘rivals’ Quibell nor Weigall matched Carter as a
draftsman, in digging experience
or in practical knowledge or
stature so far as Gaston Maspara
or Flinders Petrie were concerned, both rivals were more accomplished authors
or scholars; two cannott boast of always having clean hands in their
dealings with Carter. On
Carter’s return from leave and exile
to Tanta, Weigall
( with whom Carter was staying at the time of the Sakkarah incident
) succeeded to Carter’s post as Chief Inspector. Weigall wasted no time in favouring his own
protégé, Edward Ayrston; on succeeding
Carter as Chief Inspector Weigall also made heavy criticisms about his predecessor’s
work when in charge of the area.
Howard Carter’s
Digging Rights : The Myths
Since Carter left his employment of his own accord he was
not embargoed from working
in the field ( another myth by
some writers is to say that Carter lost
his license to dig ). Carter did not
need a digging license, moreover he was free to take up with
any patron looking for an expert advisor, artist or excavator. Hence
Carter’s agreement with Lord George Carnarvon, and before this a short period
working with Theodore Davis.
Theodore Davis ( left ) and Edward Ayrston ( right)
Carter Was No Martyr
In October 1905, it seems Carter deliberately chose private life, but this was not
a martyrdom, in any case
Carter, ever dogged by inferiority was incapable of feeling such a superior state. It is more probable that
despite the odds against Carter, he
urgently needed and sought a
sabbatical to avoid a nervous breakdown. One of
his lady friends in Cairo – who often dined out in Carter’s
company- as well as other ladies- expressed relief that at last he was going to enjoy
some quiet peace of mind far from
the madding crowd. Whilst some people gave Carter a wide berth, others stood by
him, not with hands outs but commissions.
Carter’s Temper : His
Own Worst Fool
Carter’s temper was
blistering, he was a vulnerable
young man who showed hot rage and fury whenever he was cornered. He was often in arguments quite unable to see the consequences of his own actions, or take in that his snarling, belligerent attitude often made a bad
situation worse rather than better. And he was so predictable Carter could be easily set up by others,
fooled and duped, he was his own worst
fool as he could be primed and provoked
to hit out like clockwork and not
compromise for anyone. It was this same dogged determination not to concede
that led to the notorious bust up with the Antiquities Service and lock out at Tutankhamun’s Tomb in 1924.
Those who helped and hindered Carter's plight in 1905-7
Carter’s
Brooding, Obstinacy and Autism.
Underlying all the
rage and apparent conceit Carter always brooded. This was from his congenital inability
to fully understand things in the world at large – it was
also a deep rooted trait from a
part of his personality that was
disabled and had never
developed. The state of feeling sorry for himself was not formed either, but a strain
of self preservation probably
first surfaced as a defense response
to the tirade of
torment he experienced in an
abusive childhood at being told by his father
that he was worthless. When his
early art and tracing
work was condemned by
the hyper critical eye of
his straight laced, humorless father Samuel John Carter, Howard’s
confidence was mentally destroyed. He struck back by sulking and displaying an uncontrolled state
of obstinacy. As he reached
adulthood Howard Carter could not
handle well any form of
personal chastisement or
criticism, his reaction and response was
to return to his childish state of
obstinacy, this became entrenched as
part of the autism condition that
Carter displayed throughout his
life.
[ This is a rough draft
of part of a proposed chapter in " Carnarvon, Carter and Tutankhamun
Revisited : The Hidden Truths and Doomed Relationships”
By William Cross, FSA Scot. ]
Any queries about this book blog, please contact the Author, William Cross, by e-mail
williecross@aol.com
williecross@virginmedia.com
