Let me paint a picture.

It's November 1922.

An Egyptologist Howard Carter is peering through a small hole in an ancient doorway.

He's the first person to look into the tomb of Tutankham for nearly three and a half thousand years.

Unlike the other grander tombs discovered here in the Valley of the kings, this one has been found with its seal intact,

not thoroughly plundered by the tomb robbers of antiquity.

Looking over Carter's shoulder is the wealthy Lord Carnarvan, the man who's funded this epic and methodical search.

Here are Carter's words. As my eyes grew

accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange

animals, statues, and gold everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment, an eternity it must have seemed to the other standing by,

I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Karnarvan, unable to stand the suspense

any longer, inquired anxiously, can you see anything?

It was all I could do to get out the words. Yes, wonderful things.

Over the following months and years that followed, the small chambers crammed with treasures,

and of course the mummy of Tootan Khamun himself, were painstakingly removed.

They remained perhaps the most famous ancient treasures,

particularly the coffins, sarcophagus, and death mask of the boy king.

It's hard to imagine a greater hall of treasures

ever being uncovered in modern times.

Until now.

Tim, we don't do emergency podcast lightly.

No, we don't. Certainly not.

...