The Contents of the Tomb and What They Suggest About Life in Ancient Egypt at the Time of Tutankamun

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

The work I chose to analyze was from a wall fragment from the tomb of Ameneemhet and wife Hemet called Mummy Case of Paankhenamun, found in the Art Institute of Chicago. The case of the Mummy Paankhenamun is one of the most exquisite pieces of art produced by the Egyptian people during the time before Christ. This coffin belonged to a man named Paankhenamun, which translates to “He Lives for Amun” (Hornblower & Spawforth 74). Paankhenamun was the doorkeeper of the temple of the god Amun, a position he inherited from his father.

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

This photo essay demonstrates the value the ancient Egyptians placed in material goods and earthly possessions, even insisting on being buried with them to take to the afterlife. Many of the items Tutankhamen was buried with were things that might have been important to him in his life, and thus buried to be taken with him to the afterlife, however other items, such as the funerary barge and the ornate canopic jars, suggest that these elaborate items are connected to their belief of passage into the afterlife. If this is true, it emphasizes the point that treasures have emotional ties, the ancient Egyptians would have had an emotional connection to whether or not their pharaoh made a safe passage into the

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

King Tutankhamun was a pharaoh killed by his chief advisor. Evidence shows that King Tut’s front rib-cage is missing and it’s likely Aye took it so the king would not fare well in the afterlife. This would happen because it was believed the body needed to be preserved in the afterlife. King Tut was murdered by Aye which put several events in

Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty who lived in a period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom or the New Empire Period. He began his reign when he was only 9! He reigned for about 10 years and soon died. Most scientists have concluded that the most likely cause of his death was from a broken leg but there are several valid reasons that makes the answer never for certain. His death mask was an important artefact in history. It was bright, shiny yellow and blue. It was heavy (nearly 11 kilograms) and made of actual gold as well as lapis lazuli. It was made by two sheets of gold hammered together. It covered the head of the deceased pharaoh’s mummy. This was done too ensure that the spirit of the dead person would recognise their body. This artefact was found in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, a royal burial ground located on the west bank of the ancient city of Thebes. Tutankhamun was believed to be buried in 1324 BC. The mask was found by a British Egyptologist called Howard Carter in 1925 in tomb KV62. This was one of the biggest finds of the century. Howard Carter was actually running out of money for

The unique culture of ancient Egypt has attracted a great deal of attention in recent times due in no small part to the discovery of written documentation found entombed within the pyramids. Piecing together the elements of Egyptian myth, like reuniting the parts of Osiris’ scattered body, has proven an ambitious undertaking for scholars, historians and theologians alike. The Egyptian Book of the Dead is the best and most comprehensive volume of funerary texts available for present study. It is known to include and expound upon essential knowledge found in the Pyramid Texts, the “oldest epigraphic source of knowledge of the religion of dynastic Egypt”

King Tutankhamen is among the most famous of Egypt’s kings. His story is well known, despite the fact he came to power while young and died within a decade.

King Tuts tomb was buried 26 feet underground. His tomb was small and unfinished because he died at such an early age. He had many things crammed in the tomb with paintings that were obviously done so fast, the splatter was not cleaned up. Some of the belongings in his tomb belong to others, but their names had been replaced with his (factsanddetails, 2012). The mask that crowned his face had a likeness to the young king. His body was placed in three nested coffins that showed a relationship with the god of the dead, Osiris. The coffin that surrounded the mummy was made of 240 pounds of gold with expensive gems and glass on the outside. King Tut is holding a crook and flail which symbolized a relationship with Osiris and being a part of royal regalia. Stokstad and Cothren stated, “A nemes headcloth with projecting cobra and vulture covers his head, and a blue braided beard is attached to his chin. Nekhbet and Wadjet, vulture and cobra goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, spread their wings across his body. The king's features as reproduced on the coffin and masks are those of a very young man, and the unusually full lips, thin-bridged nose, and pierced earlobes suggest the continuing vitality of some Amarna stylizations.”

This approach to the opening of the chamber demonstrates Carter’s caution that he took into the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the transportation of the contents that was inside it. Carter opened the burial chamber and when he did he was confronted by the golden walls and two large statues “So enormous was this structure (17 feet by 11 feet, and 9 feet high, we found out afterwards) that it filled within a little the entire area of the chamber” gives an accurate description of these statues and an accurate account of the amount of artefacts that were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

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 reason why Egyptians took too much care of their dead is the belief that they put a faith in after life as an important step to living well in the afterlife. Therefore the decoration, material of construction and the technique became vital for them. Already by the end of the Ptolemaic Period burials were no longer being equipped with many types of object which had been made for the tomb for over one and a half thousand years such as canopic jars. Objects of daily use were not common in the Late and Ptolemaic Period of Egypt, but became a popular for burial again under Roman rule .Much research has been applied on the development of single types of the objects placed in Roman tombs such as the mummy portraits, because, they were influenced by Roman art as a result of roman interaction.

In ancient Egyptian civilisation, Egyptians believed in death, life and the afterlife many Egyptians believed in King Tutankhamun’s tomb was found in 1922 by Howard cater. Tuts tomb was found in the east valley of kings and has many symbolic features on his mask, one including spells chased in his mask. King Tutankhamun had hair as lapis lazuli, so the king is shown at his best from the afterlife (Dr. Elizabeth, khan academy 2018). Tutankhamun had jewels, precious artefacts and gold his tomb, but was indeed not his. Since Tutankhamun died at the age 19 there was not enough time to make all the new artefacts and put it in his tomb for when died.

The discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun has answered many questions and solved many mysteries about the life of people in Ancient Egypt. However, the life and death of the boy king is still a mystery itself. For example, one continual argument and mystery is how King Tut died. Although there are many opposing theories, King Tutankhamen died because he was already weak from genetic diseases, then broke his leg, which got infected and caused King Tut to die.