I CAN SEE WONDERFUL THINGS
“I CAN SEE WONDERFUL THINGS “ exclaimed Mr. Howard Carter in front of the royal tomb of Tutankhamun. A sudden and unexpected glimpse of a majestic and stately sarcophagus discovered thanks to the determined and stubborn willpower of Mr. Carter and Lord Carnarvon. An extraordinary and unique event of its kind, two very special and unconventional men.
We have been talking about them for decades, our history books still describe these wonderful things and the students all over the world usually spend several lessons discussing this theme. And we sometimes learn more historical details about Egyptian Age rather than Modern Age…Even the most important museums in the world are devoted to this particular cult.
A REVOLUTIONARY DISCOVERY
For example, the famous Director of TORINO’s Egyptian Museum in Italy has recently finished his latest book “Tutankhamun, the Archaeological Discovery that changed the world “ in order to go all over the steps of this heroic adventure. “Heroic” is the correct adjective to well underline the strong passion and enthusiasm of the two adventurers that overcame the general skepticism .
In fact, the first steps of this daring story had not been encouraging but so hard given that this geographical area (along the Nile Valley a great millennial civilization had flourished and its empire reached as far as Nubia and Mesopotamia today called Iraq) was immense. Moreover the previous excavation had not had good results and everyone believed impossible to make further discoveries in a land already sifted.
NEVER GIVE IN !
In 1915 Mr. Carter began to explore the Western part of the Valley of Kings, then the Central one. In 1917 he investigated an area that extended between the tombs of Ramesse II, Merneptah and Ramesse VI, a triangle never searched in a systematic and complete way until reaching the level of the rock. In fact it was necessary to investigate beyond the sedimentary deposits created after floods and torrential rains.
And finally, after years of hard work, intense devotion and enormous sacrifices, our heroes found the steps of a ladder leading to an intact and never opened door. And right through this door Carter saw these “wonderful things “: the treasures of the Pharaoh!
For this reason we can easily state that the fundamental moral learning of this incredible and breathtaking story is the famous brave motto NEVER GIVE IN! ,later shared by Sir Winston CHURCHILL in 1941 :” Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING TENACIOUS
So the surprising discovery that revolutionized Archaeology was achieved only thanks to the most precious ingredients that make it possible to create the best products: strong tenacity, admirable patience and true passion.
Without these vital elements you can’t go anywhere, you are nothing.
LORD CARNARVON
Lord Carnarvon inherited the passion for this mystic land from his father, the 4th Earl,who was very interested in Archeology and wrote a book about it. He was president of the Antiquities society. There was a huge curiosity in the past from all of the family.
The 5th Earl liked travelling and was fascinated by Egypt because he considered it as the ideal and supreme place where he could realize his aspirations, dreams and the purpose of his astonishing life. In simple words, he was fond of this Land of Light as it was so magic and meant so much to him, it represented a real “light”which leaded him to the turning point of his adventurous existence.
Each of us has a special place that makes possible the realization of ours greatest desires, a sort of getaway or estate route to true happiness. And it’s not difficult to imagine why this amazing, funny and phenomenally clever man chose this mystic and mysterious territory …
IN THE MYSTIC LAND OF EGYPT by Albert William Ketèlbey
Well, in 1931 the brilliant and talented English composer ALBERT WILLIAM KETELBEY created the magnificent and impressive piece of light classical music for orchestra and optional voices known as “In the Mystic Land of Egypt “, after the successful model of “In a Persian Market” of 1920. Both work begin with march and powerful music followed by a romantic and enchanting melody, and include singing. This fascinating piece well describes all the magic and attractive qualities of this Valley that Lord Carnarvon probably admired. Mr. Ketèlbey arranged this work for a male choir to play the group of soldiers, for a tenor/high baritone to sing the poignant melody, all accompanied by an exotic and colourful orchestra including mandolins, marimba, banjos and saxophones. Finally we shouldn’t forget the particular and brilliant motif (a descenting chromatic scale repeated throughout the piece). The unifying element has been called “an attractive musical device, though hardly Egyptian”.
In the work’s synopsis the composer himself draws a detailed explanation of a typical Egyptian landscape in which the musical scene takes place: “A detatchment of native soldiers approach and pass through the village, then a song from a boat on the Nile is heard softly across the water; a short passage depicting an Arab playing his pipe, leads to a repetition of the song-melody. The soldiers return and some of them sing the song in harmony. A few bars of the melody bring the piece to a quiet conclusion.”
THE SAME HISTORICAL PERIOD OF DOWNTON ABBEY
The historical period of this revolutionary discovery,you know, coincides with Downton Abbey ‘s one. If you remember the first seasons of the series ( from 1912 to 1922) you know perfectly well the great changes and social obstacles of those years and you surely understand how hard and heroic was Lord Carnarvon ‘s project.
In fact it was a decade of tragedies and poverty: the Titanic’s disaster, the terrible WW1, the fatal Spanish Flu. In short, a moment of social and economic crisis terribly marked by a total lack of hope. All these strong emotions are experienced firsthand and told us through the eyes of Downton Abbey ‘s characters…
Luckily, Lord Carnarvon achieved the amazing result he was looking for . On the contrary, Mr. Edward Smith the Titanic’s captain had a bad journey full of mistakes…😭😭😭
SERENDIPITY
And finally we should remember the importance of serendipity in our lives, the fortunate occurrance of events by chance. Probably the same serendipity that makes possible the meeting and stellar collaboration between Lady Carnarvon ‘s Family and Lord Julian Fellowes …In fact they have two incredible elements in common: Egypt ( Lord Fellowes was born in this mystic land) and DOWNTON Abbey ( the best of the best!).
So ,heartfelt thanks to serendipity!
p.s. Lady Carnarvon ‘s latest book could be a perfect Christmas Gift
