“Tutankhamun: excavations in the archives”. An exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the discovery made by British Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team has opened at Oxford University’s Bodleian Library. Here are some unique photographs taken during the excavations.

The tomb of the ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamen in Luxor is one of the most famous discoveries of modern archeology.

The footage, captured by photographer Harry Burton, along with letters, plans, drawings and diaries from the Carter Archive, shed new light on the 10-year history of excavation of the tomb, which was the first known intact royal burial in ancient Egypt.

They also debunk the image of Howard Carter as a lone archaeologist by showing the contributions of many skilled Egyptian workers that are not much talked about.

One photograph shows an Egyptian boy wearing a heavy, jeweled necklace from a box in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The photographer’s idea is to combine ancient and modern Egypt in this frame. Several people later claimed that the boy also helped Carter’s team, but none of the claims have been verified.

This photograph is part of a series at the center of the exhibition. Four Egyptian archaeologists – Ahmed Gerigar, Ghad Hassan, Hussein Abu Awad and Hussein Ahmed Said – Carter mentioned in his diaries and thanked for their help. However, it is not known whether any of them are depicted in this photograph.

Dr. Daniela Rosenov, an Egyptologist who co-curated the exhibition, says Harvard Carter hired more than 50 local workers, including children, to excavate.

Although the workers’ names are not recorded anywhere, Dr. Rosenov says the pictures debunk the colonial stereotype of a one-man discovery.

“Thanks to these photographs, we can see the important contribution of the Egyptians to this discovery, and this is part of the story,” says Daniela Rosenov.

In this spectacular staged photograph, Carter’s team opens the doors of the gilded temple. Carter himself is crouched as his assistant Arthur Callender and an unnamed Egyptian stand over him.

It was this photograph that became the main image of the opening of the tomb all over the world and glorified Howard Carter.

Photographer Harry Burton took a close-up shot of Tutankhamun’s outer mask, on which lay a wreath of dried cornflowers and olive leaves. However, shortly after the mask was removed from the tomb, the fragile flowers crumbled. This wreath has survived only in photographs.

The scientific study of the mummy of Tutankhamen began on November 11, 1925. In this image, British surgeon Douglas Derry makes the first incision on Tutankhamun’s mummified body.

Derry’s Egyptian colleague Dr. Saleh Bey Hamdi stands to his right. Also in the audience are Carter, the French director general of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, Pierre Laco, and an unnamed Egyptian official.

Tutankhamun’s golden mask covering the mummy has become one of the most iconic and widely recognizable items found in the tomb.

In this drawing, Carter depicted a statue of Anubis, the god of the dead. Among the archaeologist’s notes are the size and description of the statue. The son of an illustrator, Carter trained as an artist before taking up archeology, but never received an academic education.

All photos are copyrighted