King Tutankhamun's Painted Box Analysis

The pharaoh was undoubtedly the most important terrestrial figure in ancient Egypt and played a significant role in the functioning of Egyptian society. Entrusted with governing the realm of Egypt and providing a link between the Egyptian people and the gods, pharaohs were “an essential element in the maintenance of the position of society in the order of creation”. This idea has been substantiated through the various artefacts located in tombs in the Valley of the Kings, particularly that of Tutankhamun. These finds have shed light on the role and lifestyle of the pharaoh in ancient Egypt. Through the discovery and analysis of these items, historians and archaeologists alike have been able to glean considerable amounts of information in

Tutankhamun’s tomb is thus unique as it was not initially intended for use by a Pharaoh. It is of much smaller scale to other Eighteenth Dynasty royal tombs, and contradicts the traditional structural design. The tomb’s location was also not usually associated with royal burials. The burial chamber walls were uniquely the only tomb walls decorated, and the tomb was preserved largely intact in near-original condition.

The Mummy Case of Paankhenamun was composed of a substance known as cartonnage, which was usually made out of linen or papyrus strips bound together with a sticky substance in order to form a flexible shell. After mummification, the wrapped body was placed in the coffin-case through the back, which was then laced up and a footboard was added for support. Only then the case was ready to be painted. Such cartonnage cases as the case of Paankhenamun were normally placed inside one or more layered wooden coffins and were also decorated. The innermost coffin was always in the shape of the mummy and due to its utmost importance, it was the case with the richest decorations. The amazing detail is still a wonder to many historians and anthropologists (Stockstad 120-3).

King Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty during the New Kingdom Period. He unexpectantly died at the young age of 18 and was buried in a relatively small tomb meant for someone else as his royal tomb was not yet completed. In 1922 the world was shocked when King Tut’s tomb was discovered by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. The press coverage sparked a world-wide interest in ancient Egypt and the things left behind by previous pharaohs. There have been many speculations about King Tut’s death but few researchers have been able to agree on a single cause. In 2005, a CT scan was taken of King Tut and showed a left leg fracture which possibly could have become infected leading to death (National Geographic News). In 2010, a DNA Analysis showed Malaria was present in the King’s system. And in 2012, surgeon Dr. Hutan Ashrafian presented a theory to ABC News that he believe that temporal lobe epilepsy caused the fatal fall which also broke Tut’s leg. However, Harvard

Tutankhamun is one of the most famous and instantly recognisable Pharaohs of the modern world even though he lived and reigned over 3,000 years ago. The boy King was born in the 11th year of his father’s reign in 1345 BCE and died in 1327 BCE at the age of just 17 or 18 after only being in power for 8 years. Until archaeologist Howard Carter discovered his almost fully-intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922 CE, the pharaoh was almost unheard of due to the common belief that he was a minor ruler, whose reign was of little consequence. However after this discovery and subsequent discoveries due to excavations, analysis of his mummy and other historical evidence, opinions changed, so much so that today Tutankhamun is recognized as an important

When howard carter discovered king tut’s tomb it was a very important discovery because it allowed archeologists to learn more about people who lived during king tut’s time. In Brad Yurgens article King Tut is Best he wrote that “From an archaeological standpoint, I think that the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb is the most important and valuable discovery I think that this is because of the knowledge gained from all of the artifacts recovered from the site,”(Source 1). This quote shows that Howard Carter’s discovery was very important because it

The discovery of the young King Tutankhamun’s tomb provided some insight on his life as a pharaoh. Tut’s tomb has been the only tomb that has been relatively untouched by tomb raiders, giving egyptologists so much more information than any other tomb in the Valley of Kings (Caselli 12-14). Egyptologist

It all began, On Feb. 171923. A crowd of invited archeologists and Egyptian dignitaries, were gathered in the Valley of the Kings. They were there to view the uncovering of King Tutankhamen’s burial chamber. The outer rooms were filled with treasures, Egyptian art, and furnishings. But everyone was more anticipated to view the actual mummy. While the more leading kings and queens treasures had been looted long ago whereas, King Tut’s tomb had practically been untouched. It had only been robbed twice and luckily the robbers only got past the first chamber. Two months after the

Tutankhamun’s tomb is the only royal tomb in Egypt to have escaped the discovery of looters and was discovered by archeologist Howard Carter. The death of Tutankhamun was a sudden tragedy that til this day has yet to be solved. The cause of the famous teenage king’s death has been a long drawn out mystery with a range of theories as to how he met his end. There are no historical records explaining the cause or circumstances of his death, nor is there no positive evidence to suggest how he died. However, there are several theories and many of which have changed over the years.

According to Zahi Hawasse, Before the discovery of the tomb workers that were living in huts built on Tut’s tomb which is one of the reasons why Tut’s tomb was barely touched by grave robbers. Carter spent a long time looking for the tomb and in 1922 he knew that it was his last time to look for it. (Hawasse 12) When The Team was looking for the tomb they had pointed water cups. You had to dig hole to be able to keep the cups from falling over and spilling. One guy who was digging the holes hit a step. He ran to go tell Carter and not the guy in charge of him so he could get a reward. (Hawasse 17) As recorded by the Smithsonian, Carter was saying in a mud brick house at the time. The house now serves as a museum. (Smithsonian) Stated by National Geographic, there were 5000 artifacts found in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings which is located near Luxor, Egypt. When Carter found king tut he tried to get him out of his sarcophagus, while doing this he was rough with King Tut. Now it is hard to tell when and How he died. This also led to the theory that king Tut was murdered. This is the significance of the finding of Tut’s

His tomb was found in a secret spot in the royal burial ground of kings called the Valley of the Kings. King Tutankhamun’s tomb features his coffin which has three layers. Also, in the tomb other objects of value were found. In the innermost one you can find his golden sarcophagus. His sarcophagus along with the other objects were found untouched. It features him holding a crook and flail which were symbols of a king’s right to rule. The coffin is made out of nearly 240 pounds of gold and inlaid with enamel and semiprecious stones. The materials were used to show the theme of importance of power and authority and also wealth. Using these materials in the tombs and by putting other objects representing wealth provided for the ka. Ka is what is left of your soul once you die. The ka makes its way back to your body and lives out eternal life doing regular activities. Gold is a material used to show wealth in modern times and to the kings in Egypt it was used to indicate power, wealth, and authority. When you see gold you associate it with something of importance or someone of importance. When you see King Tut’s sarcophagus the bright gold is the first identifier. This means that the first thing you were supposed to recognize about him was his great wealth, power, and

November 4, 1922 a huge discovery was made by a band of Egyptian workers were excavating in the hills of Thebes. While digging in the hills of Thebes they soon chipped away a piece of rock which was guarding a famous tomb pathway. As they were digging they immediately alarmed the archaeologist named Howard Carter. As the excavation team kept on digging to uncover what was hidden they seen “priestly seals, including two of great significance”. Which was the sign of the jackel with nine captives, it also shown marks of royalty on the tomb; on the lower part of the tomb it had the sign of Nebkheprure which was a sign for anyone who seen it was coronation name of the pharaoh that was buried, which was King Tutankhamen.

The excavation and discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb was as a result of the efforts of the Archaeologist Howard Carter and his team. Carter’s discovery of the tomb came by finding steps to the burial near the entrance to the tomb Ramses VI. The subsequent excavated of the site by Carter and his team revealed the greatest ever treasure found from an Egyptian tomb and showed the existence of Tutankhamun. Carter’s methodology for the excavation was that of maintaining records for each artefact and that every artefact that was brought out of the tomb was preserved appropriately. The discovery and excavation of the tomb was a long and complex process but with it revealed much about Tutankhamun.

The shrine of Tutankhamun uncovers the burial customs of the New Kingdom Egyptians. The Canopic Shrine positioned on the east wall of the Treasury holds Tutankhamun's embalmed internal organs. A gold chest held four Canopic jars containing the dead pharaoh's internal organs in each jar. Undoubtedly, through the process of mummification, the embalmers must have removed the internal organs and preserved them in the Canopic jars, perhaps to be taken with the pharaoh to the next world. The third and innermost of three coffins of Tutankhamun is made of solid gold and is inset with semiprecious stones and coloured glass. It is covered with carved decorations and inscriptions inside and outside. It bears the names and epitaph of the deceased king and also protective texts. From this we discover the significance of the importance of the decoration of the mummy was, and the power the coffin was believed to hold. Originally, mummification was so expensive that it was a privilege enjoyed only by the Pharaoh and few nobles. Everybody else was given a simple grave burial in one of the vast cemeteries or "necropolises" of the time. But the promise of eternal life was so appealing that it wasn't long before other classes of Egyptians began signing up for mummification, too.

The annex chamber next to the coffin of King Tutankhamun contained numerous jars of dried wine and fragrances. One of the excavations revealed a double box consisting of two cartouches that were traditionally inscribed with the names of the king. Both sides are covered by one lid made up of two pairs of feathers with solar disks. The throne name of Tutankhamun is written four times in code. The scarab beetle in the kings name meaning forms of appearance and the theme of perpetual regeneration is the central theme of the vessel decoration. The container was found to contain perfume oil residues. Another article with scented oil residues was a jar with a lion lid. The jar was made with alabaster and decorated with gold and ivory. The jar could be swiveled sideway by the pin on the left hand pillar. Egyptologists propose that these types of highly decorated jars were often used for storing perfumes made from ingredients imported from distant lands.