Tutankhamun The Life and Death of Tutankhamun

8/10/2019 Tutankhamun The Life and Death of Tutankhamun

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&The Life

Death

Pharaohaof


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Tutankhamuns mummy wasenclosed in three coffins, asarcophagus, and four shrines.

The treasury ofTutankhamuns tomb

The blue crown

The nemes head cloth

The double crown

Assembling the canopic shrine

Howard Carter and his teamlook into the tomb forthe first time.


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Written byD AVID MURDOCH

Illustrated byC HRIS FORSEY

ANNE YVONNE G ILBERTERIC T HOMAS

DORLING KINDERSLEYLONDON NEW YORK MOSCOW SYDNEY

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF APHARAOHTUTANKHAMUN


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ContentsLONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH,MELBOURNE and DELHIProject Editor Susan Malyan

Art EditorPenny Lamprell

Senior Editor Scarlett OHaraSenior Art Editor Vicky Wharton

Senior Managing Editor Linda MartinSenior Managing Art Editor Julia Harris

DTP Designer Almudena DazPicture Research Catherine Edkins Jacket Designer Mark Haygarth

Production Lisa Moss

Hardback edition first published in Great Britain in 1998This edition published in Great Britain in 2003

by Dorling Kindersley Limited,

80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

Copyright 1998, 2003, Dorling Kindersley Ltd., London

All rights reserved. No part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,

or otherwise, without the priorpermission of the copyright owner.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is availablefrom the British Library.

ISBN 0 7513 3748 X

Reproduced by Colourscan, SingaporePrinted and bound by L.E.G.O., Italy

Additional illustrations by John Lawrence

Quotes from The Tomb of Tutankhamunby Howard CarterCopyright The Griffith Institute,

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

see our completecatalogue atwww.dk.com

6THE DISCOVERY

8T HE CHARACTERS

10T

HE VALLEY OFTHE KINGS

12T HE HIDDEN STEPS

14BREAKING THROUGH

16T HE ANTECHAMBER

18THE BURIAL CHAMBER

20THE TREASURY


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38G ODS AND RELIGION

40T HE PHARAOH

42W HO WASTUTANKHAMUN ?

44M UMMIES AND

EMBALMING

46T HE ARCHAEOLOGISTS

AT WORK

48INDEX

22T HE ANNEXE

24U NWRAPPING THE

MUMMY

26T REASURES OF

THE TOMB

28~

31T HE JOURNEY TOTHE TOMB

32WONDERFUL THINGS

34LIFE AND TIMES OFTUTANKHAMUN

36T HE KINGDOM OF

THE NILE


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W HEN ARCHAEOLOGIST Howard Carter shonehis torch through a hole in the doorof Tutankhamuns tomb, this was theamazing sight that met his eyes.Hundreds of priceless treasures werepiled up inside, waiting to be discovered.

DiscoveryThe

This strange,elongated cow forms one side of aceremonial couch.

EYEWITNESSWe had worked formonths at a stretchand found nothing....

We had almost made up our

minds that we were beaten,and were preparing to leavethe Valley; and then hardlyhad we set hoe to ground inour last despairing effortthan we made a discovery

that far exceeded ourwildest dreams.

Howard Carter and Arthur Mace,from their bookThe Tomb of Tutankhamun,

192333

Photograph insidethe antechamber,taken by HarryBurton, when thetomb was openedin 1922.


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This is one of six beds found in the tomb. Like all the treasures, they were put there for Tutankhamun to use in the afterlife.


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T H E D I S C O V E R Y

T HECHARACTERSMORE THAN 3,000 YEARSseparate the two casts ofcharacters shown onthese pages. In 1327 BC,Tutankhamun, pharaoh ofancient Egypt, was buried in atomb in the Valley of the Kings.Thirty-two centuries later, in AD 1922,his tomb was rediscovered, with allits treasures still intact, by the Britisharchaeologist Howard Carter and histeam. Thanks to them, the forgottenpharaoh, Tutankhamun, became world famous.One person is missing from these pages Harry Burton was a photographer whoworked with Howard Carter and took manyof the black-and-white pictures used in thisbook. He was always behind the camera,which is why he does not appear inany of the photographs !

THE CHIEFMINISTER Tutankhamuns chiefminister, Ay, was themost powerful man inEgypt after the king.When Tutankhamundied, Ay became thenext pharaoh. By thenhe was an old man,and he reigned for

just four years.

PRIESTSThe chief priest ata royal funeral wascalled the Sempriest. He wore aleopard skin. Otherpriests prepared thepharaohs body forthe afterlife andthen installed hismummified bodyin the tomb.

R OYAL COUPLEThis vivid picture of the younking and his queen is carved o golden throne found in the tom Ankhesenamun is anointing hhusband with perfume.

THE YOUNGQUEENTutankhamun wasmarried to his half-sister,Ankhesenamun (see page42). After Tutankhamunsdeath, his successor, Ay,married Ankhesenamun tostrengthen his own claimto the throne.

THE BOY KINGTutankhamun was probably

the son of Akhenaten, thepharaoh whose changes to thereligion of Egypt causedturmoil (see page 43). He wasonly nine when he came tothe throne, so the real powerwas in the hands of his chiefminister, Ay, and of the headof the army, Horemheb.Tutankhamun died when hewas only 18, and was buriedwith magnificent treasures.

R OBBERSEgyptian rulers wereburied with greattreasures, which attractedtomb robbers. All thetombs in the Valley of theKings were robbed evenTutankhamun's tomb wasdisturbed. Often therobbers were the veryworkers who hadbuilt the tomb.

C RAFTSMENLarge numbers ofworkers and craftsmenwere needed to cutTutankhamun's tombout of the rock. Theyhad to carve and thendecorate it. Many ofthem lived in a specialworkers village nearthe Valley of the Kings,called Deir el-Medina.

Ay Chief priest

Ankhesenamun

Tutankhamun

Workers and craftsmen

Tomb robbers


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T H E C H A R A C T E R S

THE ARCHAEOLOGISTAt the age of 17, Howard Cartersdrawing skills got him a job in

Egypt, copying tomb paintings.There his passion for archaeology

began. In 1899 he became InspectorGeneral of Monuments, but his realambition was to lead an archaeologicaldig in the Valley of the Kings. In 1907Carter teamed up with Carnarvon, whoshared his belief that a great discoverycould still be made in the valley.

THE SPONSOR Lord Carnarvon was awealthy British aristocrat.He took up archaeologyas a hobby after hisdoctor advised himto spend winters inEgypt to improve hishealth. Lord Carnarvonsponsored HowardCarter to dig forhim in Egypt.

Carter with CallenderWhen Carter started work inTutankhamuns tomb, he needed helpfrom other experts. He is picturedhere with Arthur Callender (right),who was an engineer and architect.

Mace and LucasArthur Mace (left) was an Americanarchaeologist who helped Carter writethe first volume of his book about thetomb. Alfred Lucas (right) was anexpert in conserving ancient treasures.

Local workersCarter hired hundreds of localworkers to help him discover the siteof Tutankhamuns tomb. They movedthousands of tons of stone debris inthe search for the tomb.

LADY EVELYNCarnarvons daughter, LadyEvelyn Herbert, was hisdevoted companion inall his Egyptian work.

H IGHCLERE CASTLELord Carnarvons collection ofancient Egyptian art was kept inhis grand house in England.

Howard Carter

Lord Carnarvon


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THEVALLEY OF THE KINGSO NE OF THE WORLD S MOST AMAZINGburial grounds lies in a desert valley inEgypt, near the modern city of Luxor.For 500 years, the Valley of the Kings was aroyal cemetery, where the some of the mostfamous pharaohs of ancient Egypt wereburied, surrounded by treasures, intombs cut out of the valley cliffs. Modernarchaeologists began excavating the valleyseriously in 1898, but they did not find a single tombwith its treasures intact. In 1912, Theodore Davis, anAmerican Egyptologist, announced, The Valley ofthe Tombs is now exhausted. But Howard Carter believedthat at least one tomb was still hidden in the valley that ofthe forgotten pharaoh, Tutankhamun.

MAP OF THE VALLEYNearly every pharaoh of the NewKingdom period (15501070 BC) wasburied in the Valley of the Kings.By 1922, archaeologists haduncovered about 60 tombs and burialpits in the valley. They gave eachtomb a number. Many of the tombsare still known by these numbers,because the names of the occupantshave not yet been discovered.

THE VALLEY IN THE WESTThe ancient Egyptians believed that theland of the dead lay in the west, wherethe sun set. For this reason, theircemeteries were usually situated on thewest bank of the Nile. The Valley of theKings was particularly suitable as a royalburial ground, because it had narrowentrances that could easily be guardedagainst tomb robbers.

Map of the Valley of the Kings

2: Ramesses IV

7: Ramesses II

6: Ramesses IX

4: Ramesses XI

9: Ramesses VI

8: Merneptah

57: Horemheb

35: Amenhotep II

38: Tuthmosis I47: Siptah

34: Tuthmosis III

43: Tuthmosis IV

20: Hatshepsu

17: Sety I

15: Sety II

62: TUTANKHAMUN

11: Ramesses III

Tomb 48 Pit 54

N

EYEWITNESS

The Valleyof the Tombs ofthe Kings the

very name is fullof romance.

Howard Carter


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Following the cluesD URING HIS EXCAVATIONS , Davis made twodiscoveries connected with Tutankhamun.This evidence proved to Carter that

Tutankhamun was buried somewherein the valley.

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T H E V A L L E Y O F T H E K I N G S

The pyramids at GizaEgypts early rulers were buried inpyramids. But these huge monumentsinevitably attracted tomb robbers.The builders concealed the entrancesand the route to the burial chamber,but the pyramids were still robbed. Inthe hope of defeating the thieves,later kings were buried in hiddentombs in the Valley of the Kings.

THEODORE DAVISOnly one team of archaeologists waspermitted to work in the valley at a time.From 1902, the permit was held byDavis, a wealthy American who found35 tombs. When he gave up the permitin 1915, the way was clear for Carter.

Inside a valley tombMany of the tombs that had beenuncovered in the valley by the 1920swere magnificent. Their walls weredecorated with beautiful paintings,like these in the tomb of Ramesses VI(above). But every one of the tombshad been robbed. So far no one hadfound a tomb containing the treasuresthat were buried with a pharaoh.

C ARTER STARTS WORKCarter admitted, Ever since my first visitto Egypt in 1890, it had been myambition to dig in the Valley. From191722, his army of workmen clearedthousands of tons of sand and rockchippings from the valley floor in apainstaking search for the entrance toTutankhamuns tomb. But they foundnothing. Had Davis been right all along ?

Location of the valley

Inscribed cupIn 1905, a small faience(pottery) cup inscribedwith Tutankhamunsname was found neartomb 48 by Ayrton,

one of Davis team.Pit 54 artefactsIn 1907, Ayrton foundcollars and objects usedfor embalming near pit54. Tutankhamunsname was on some ofthese things.

Linen bag

Pottery vesselCollar of flowers

EGYPT

Giza

Valley of the KingsThebes(Luxor)

Faiencecup

R i

v er

N i l e

MEDITERRANEANSEA

REDSEA

Edge of the valley

Important royal tombs,with their numbers

Other tombs and burial pits

Key to mapsTutankhamuns tomb

Tutankhamuns faience cupfound here in 1905

Tutankhamuns embalmingmaterials found here in 1907


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The forgotten tomb

TUTANKHAMUN S TOMBmight well have remainedlost for ever. By thesummer of 1922, LordCarnarvon was so disappointed

by their lack of success that he told Carterhe wanted to pull out. Eventually theyagreed to try one last season, excavating asmall area near the tomb of Ramesses VI. On1 November, Carters workmen began clearing theremains of some ancient huts. Only three days latera stone step was discovered. Was this the entranceto a tomb ? Further digging uncovered a stairway, thenthe top of a blocked doorway covered with ancientseals. But these seals gave no hint of who was buriedin the tomb. Containing his excitement, Carter orderedthe staircase to be filled in again and sent a telegram toLord Carnarvon, summoning him to Egypt.

The staircaseLarge amounts of debris were cleared,and the sunken stairway emerged. Atthe twelfth step the top of a sealeddoor appeared. This photograph ofthe entrance was taken by HarryBurton after the tomb was opened.

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THEHIDDEN STEPS

EYEWITNESSHardly had Iarrived at work

the next morning(4th November) thanthe unusual silence...made me realize thatsomething out of theordinary had happened;and I was greeted bythe announcement

that a step cut intothe rock had beendiscovered.

Howard Carter

LOCAL WORKERSThe local workmen hired by Cartershared in the rediscovery of Egyptspast. One of the workmen discoveredthe first stone step and othersguarded the staircase until it wastemporarily filled in again.

Plan of the tomb

TOMB OF RAMESSES VI

Antechamber

TOMB OF TUTANKHAMUN

Entrance

Entrance

Corridor

Corridor

Antechamber

Annexe

Annexe

Burial chamberHall of pillars

Ritual well

Hidden under another tombOnly luck had kept Tutankhamuns tombintact. It was hidden by its surroundings inthe Valley of the Kings, and had quicklybeen forgotten. About 200 years later,Pharaoh Ramesses VI had his own tomb cutout of the rock almost directly above it.Ramesses workmen built their huts rightover the entrance to Tutankamuns tomb.They hid it still further, by burying the siteunder the chippings of stone that theywere digging out of Ramesses tomb.


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EYEWITNESSAt last havemade a wonderfu

discovery in the Valley;a magnificent tomb withseals intact; re-covered

same for your arrival;congratulations.Carters telegram to Lord Carnarvon,

6 November 1922

13

T H E H I D D E N S T E P S

Carnarvon arrives in EgyptCarters telegram brought Carnarvonto Egypt in a hurry. With his daughter,Lady Evelyn Herbert, he arrived inLuxor on 23 November and was metby Carter and an Egyptian official.

THE VITAL CLUEWhen the door was completelyuncovered, Carter was finally ableto read more of the seals and finda name Tutankhamun ! After yearsof searching, he had finally foundthe tomb, but what was inside ?

The sealsT HE ANCIENT EGYPTIANSstamped seals into the wetplaster on tomb doors. Theseals showed whose tomb it wasand which officials had sealed it.

Jackal and nine captivesThis seal was used by theofficials who were in chargeof the Valley of the Kings.They stamped it on the doorof a royal tomb when theyclosed it for the last time.

NebkheprureWhen he was crowned, apharaoh was given a series offive names that made up hisformal title. This seal showsTutankhamuns fourth name,Nebkheprure. Seals like thisone convinced Carter thatthis was Tutankhamuns tomb.

PUZZLING INSCRIPTIONS All the debris was carefully sifted.The names of several pharaohswere found carved on fragmentsof pottery.

U NCOVERINGTHE STAIRCASEOn 24 November, withCarnarvon eagerly watching,Carter, now joined by his

colleague Arthur Callender,dug out the wholestaircase. It was slow,

laborious work, buteventually 16 steps and an

entire doorway were revealed.

BACK -BREAKING WORKThe workmen carried out the stonechippings in wicker baskets.

W ORRYING EVIDENCECarter could now see thatthe door had been repairedin two places. This wasevidence that the tombhad been broken in toin ancient times.

KEEPING RECORDSCarters skills as an artist provedextremely useful he made carefuldrawings of everything they found.


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W HAT LAY BEHIND THE SEALEDdoorway ? On 25 November, Carterand his team dug out the roughstones that blocked the door and

discovered a downward-sloping corridor, filled fromfloor to ceiling with limestone chippings. Theworkmen set to work at once to clear it.Unfortunately, there were signs that someone probably tomb robbers had tunnelled through therubble in ancient times. Worse still, the whole layoutreminded Carter of some of his earlier finds, which hadturned out to be just stores for objects removed from othertombs. Was this Tutankhamuns tomb after all ? After digging for about9 m (30 ft) they came to a second sealed doorway and broke it open...

14


BREAKINGTHROUGH

W ORKERS IN LINECarters workmen formed a line to passout the debris, in just the same way asthe ancient Egyptians worked.

H EAD OFTUTANKHAMUNOne encouraging find wasthis head of Tutankhamun.He is shown as the sungod, Re, emerging from alotus flower. Months later,

the head was discovered,packed to be shipped outof Egypt. Carter said it waswaiting to be registered,but was he trying to keepit for himself ?

LIGHTING THE WAYThere was already an electricitysupply to the Valley of the Kings,so only extra wiring and lampswere needed to light the corridor.

C LEARING THE RUBBLEThe team painstakingly sorted andcleared the rubble by hand, so thatany object they found could be saved.

AMONG THE CHIPPINGSMixed with the chippings, Carter found

jars, vases, clay seals, bronze razors, andpieces of jewellery. These objects wereprobably dropped by the tomb robbersas they made a hasty escape.

STEPS TO THE OUTSIDE No machinery could be used to clear the rubble. Each basket of chippingshad to be carried up the steps by handand its contents dumped outside.

THE CORRIDOR The corridor was about 1.7 m (5 ft 6 in) wide thesame width as the stairs and 2 m (6 ft 6 in) high.Like the stairs, it was completely filled with stonechippings probably the material which had beencut out when it was originally excavated.

Plan of thetomb


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The candle testAlthough they had electrictorches, Carter used a candlewhen he first looked into thetomb. He was carrying outthe old-fashioned test for badair. Inert gases would put thecandle out, though flammablegases might explode !

Visitors to the tombThe news of the discovery soon spreadand a crowd of journalists and touristsarrived in the valley. They waited eachday by the tomb entrance, hoping tosee something exciting.

TUNNELLING THROUGHThe corridor had only been filled withrubble after the first gang of robbers brokein. The second gang, faced with a corridorfull of chippings, tunnelled through justbelow the ceiling. Carter reckoned it wouldhave taken about eight hours of digging.

Two tombs revealedThe entrance to Tutankhamunstomb is behind the low wall in theforeground of this photograph. Cutinto the hill behind is the tomb ofRamesses VI, which was built almoston top of Tutankhamuns tomb.

C AN YOU SEE ANYTHING ? Lord Carnarvon, Lady Evelyn,and Callender waited anxiouslyas Carter looked through the holein the door.

Signs of robberyTHE CORRIDOR SHOWED signsof more than one openingand reclosing of the tomb,Carter noted. He knew thisfrom looking at the filling.

15

EYEWITNESSWhen LordCarnarvon,unable to stand

the suspense any longer,inquired anxiously,Can you see anything?it was all I could doto get out the words,Yes, wonderful things.

Howard Carter

B R E A K I N G T H R O U G H

C ARTERS FIRST GLIMPSECarter stuck a rod through the second sealeddoorway, but felt nothing. There must be a spacebehind the door. He widened the hole, lit a candle,then peered in. An amazing sight met his eyes.

White chippings

Dark flint

The evidenceMost of the filling was whitechippings and dust, but the topleft-hand corner was filled with darkflint. A tunnel had been dug throughthis part and then filled in again.


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C ARTER WIDENED THEhole in the door, so thatboth he and Carnarvoncould see in, and pushed

through an electric torch. Caught in itsbeam of light and distorted by theshadows, was a sight so extraordinary thatat first it was bewildering. Gradually, theymade out three gilded couches in the shapesof strange animals, while to the right were twolife-sized black statues, clothed in gold. Piled upall around were inlaid caskets, alabaster

vases, egg-shaped boxes, and a huge heap of chariotparts. Chipping out an entrance, Carter ledCarnarvon, Lady Evelyn, and Callender down intothe small room, where they wandered around,examining the treasures. There was no sign of acoffin, but Carter noticed that the two blackstatues were guarding a sealed doorway. Herealized that this was just an outer room, orantechamber, and that the kings real burialplace must lie behind the mysterious door.

EYEWITNESSAt first I could seenothing..., butpresently, as my eyes

grew accustomed to thelight, details of the roomwithin emerged slowlyfrom the mist, strange

animals, statues, and gold everywhere the

glint of gold.Howard Carter

Funeral ritesThe evidenceThere wasevidence in thisroom of theceremonies thattook place duringthe kings funeral.Carter found twogilded rattles,

called sistra,which were usedby priestesses.Bouquets of persea and olive leaveshad been left as offerings in front ofthe guardian statues and, amazingly,they were still intact 3,000 years later.

16


T HEANTECHAMBER

W AR CHARIOTHorse-drawn chariots are oftenshown in ancient Egyptianpaintings like this one from theside of a box found in the tomb.It shows Tutankhamun leadingthe Egyptian army against theSyrians. Before 1922, only twocomplete chariots had everbeen found. There were six ofthem in Tutankhamuns tomb.

Plan of thetomb

IN SEARCH OF TREASUREThe robbers rifled through boxes andchests, looking for small objects that theycould sell easily.

W RAPPED UPThe robbers took jewellery,oils, cosmetics, ointments, anlinen. They wrapped their looin cloth bundles to make iteasy to carry away.

R EJECTED RICHES Even though they were covered in gold,large objects like the chariots andcouches were of no interest to therobbers. They were just too big to carry.

Priestess leavingan offering


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T H E A N T E C H A M B E R

Preserving the treasuresCarter and his team hadto clear the antechamberbefore they could explorethe other rooms. Each

object was numbered,described on a record

card, photographed,and then removedfor preservation

treatment in anearby tomb usedas a fieldlaboratory.

THE FUNERALWorkers hurriedly filling the antechamberafter Tutankhamuns funeral in 1327 BCfound the space very cramped. Caskets andboxes had to be piled under and on top ofthe couches. The chariots had to be takenapart to get them into the tomb so theywere stacked in pieces.

THE ROBBERIESOnly a few years after thefuneral, in about 1323 BC, tombrobbers looted the tomb. Theyworked fast, breaking opencontainers and passing objectsout through a hole in the door.The tomb was robbed at leasttwice. The first gang of robbersprobably got away safely, butthe second gang may not havebeen so lucky.

THEDISCOVERYAfter the robberies, the

antechamber stood undisturbedfor more than 3,000 years until

1922, when Carter and his teamcame in. They were amazed by

the quantity of treasures piled upin the room, many of them

flashing with gold. These objectswere all part of the equipment that the

ancient Egyptians believed a pharaohwould need in the afterlife.

A QUICK GET -AWAYOther robbers waited in the corridor to receive the objects as they werepassed out.

G UARDIANS OF THE DEADThe two guardian statues were life-sizedportraits of Tutankhamun. One representedthe king, the other hiska, or spirit.

Couch

Sealed door

Doorway tocorridor

Chariot wheels

Chariot body

A robbers fateRiches or deathRobbers could get rich by selling their loot,but if they were caught, they faced a terriblepunishment. First they were tortured byhaving the soles of their feet beaten withrods. Then they suffered an agonising death

impaled on a sharpened wooden stake.


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18


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f i n w a s

m a d e o f

b e a t e n

g o l d

.

S E C O N D C O F F I N

T h e

s e c o n d c o

f f i n w a s

g i l d

e d

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d w

i t h c o

l o u r e d

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i n l a

y s .

F I R S T C O F F I N

T h e

o u t e r m o s

t c o f

f i n w a s m a d e

f r o m

g i l d

e d c y

p r e s s w o o

d .

S A R C O P H A G U S

T u t a n k

h a m u n

s s a r c o p

h a g u s

w a s c a r v e d

f r o m a

h u g e

b l o c

k

o f q u a r

t z i t e s t o n e .

P U L L E Y S Y S T E M

C a r

t e r

h a d t o u s e a s y s t e m

o f w

i r e s a n

d p u

l l e y s

t o

r a i s e

t h e

l i d o f

t h e s a r -

c o p h a g u s a n

d t h e n

l i f t o u

t

t h e c o

f f i n s ,

b e c a u s e

t h e y

w e r e s o

h e a v y .

H e r e

t h e

s e c o n d c o

f f i n i s b e i n g

s l o w

l y l i f t e d o u

t o f

t h e

o u t e r m o s

t c o

f f i n

.

L i n e n p a l

l F r a m e

G o

d d e s s

I s i s

R e l

i g i o u s

i n s c r i p t i o n s

P l a n o

f t h e

t o m

b

T H E

B U R I A L C H A M B E R


19/48

19

A L E N G T H Y T A S K

C a r

t e r s t e a m w o r

k e d

w i t h t h e i r

u s u a

l c a r e .

T a k i

n g a p a r

t t h e

s h r i n e s ,

o p e n

i n g t h e c o f

f i n s , a n

d r e c o r d

i n g

o v e r

3 0 0 i t e m s f o u n d

i n t h e r o o m

t o o k

t w o - a n

d - a -

h a l f

y e a r s .

D I S M A N T L I N G

T H E S H R I N E S

W i t h a l l t h e s h r i n e d o o r s

o p e n e d , C a r t e r a n d h i s

t e a m c o u l d s e e t h e s a r -

c o p h a g u s i n s i d e .

D i s m a n t l i n g t h e s h r i n e s

w a s d i f f i c u l t b e c a u s e t h e

s p a c e w a s s o t i g h t .

C a r t e r w r o t e ,

W e h a d

t o s q u e e z e i n a n d o u t

l i k e w e a s e l s , a n d w o r k i n

a l l k i n d s o f e m b a r r a s s i n g

p o s i t i o n s . E v e n t u a l l y ,

t h e s h r i n e s h a d t o b e

t a k e n a p a r t i n 5 1 s e c -

t i o n s a n d c a r r i e d o u t .

F I R S T S H R I N E

T h e o u t e r m o s t s h r i n e w a s

m a d e o f c e d a r w o o d , g i l d e d

a n d

i n l a i d w i t h b l u e f a i e n c e

( g l a z e d p o t t e r y ) . I t w a s d e c -

o r a t e d w i t h p r o t e c t i v e s y m -

b o l s , s u c h a s w e d j a t e y e s a n d

d j e d

p i l l a r s ( s e e p a g e 3 9 ) .

T h e s e a l s o n t h e d o o r s o f

t h i s s h r i n e h a d b e e n b r o k e n

b y t h e t o m b r o b b e r s .

W A L L P A I N T I N G S

T h e b u r i a l c h a m b e r w a s t h e

o n l y r o o m i n t h e t o m b w i t h

d e c o r a t e d w a l l s . T h e w a l l

p a i n t i n g s s h o w e d a s e q u e n c e o f

s c e n e s f r o m T u t a n k h a m u n s f u n e r a l a n d h i s

a r r i v a l i n t h e u n d e r w o r l d . H e r e , t h e d e a d

k i n g i s e n t e r i n g t h e u n d e r w o r l d , f o l l o w e d b y

h i s k a

( s p i r i t ) , a n d w e l c o m e d b y t h e g o d O s i r i s .

T O T H E

T R E A S U R Y

O n

t h e e a s

t s i d e o

f t h e

c h a m

b e r l a y a n o p e n

d o o r w a y

l e a d i

n g t o

a s m a l

l e r r o o m , f

u l l

o f t r e a s u r e s . C

a r t e r

n a m e d

t h e r o o m

t h e

t r e a s u r y .

O s i r i s

K a

E Y E W I T N E S S

I h a v e g o t

T u t a n k h a m u n ,

t h a t i s c e r t a i n , a n d

I b e l

i e v e . . . . i n

t a c t .

L e t t e r

f r o m

L o r d

C a r n a r v o n

t o A l a n

G a r

d i n e r ,

1 D e c e m

b e r

1 9 2 2

G

i l d e d

w o o

d

I n l a i

d b l u e

f a i e n c e

T u t a n k

h a m u n


20/48


21/48

EYEWITNESSA singleglance sufficedto tell us that

here, within thislittle chamber, lay

the greatesttreasures ofthe tomb.

Howard Carter

21

Tutankhamuns children ?A plain wooden box found inthe treasury contained twotiny coffins. Each held amummified foetus. ProfessorDerry, who examined thekings mummy in 1925, foundthat these were the bodies oftwo stillborn baby girls. Theywere probably the children ofTutankhamun and his wife,Ankhesenamun.

Servants for the afterlifeThe ancient Egyptians believed thatin the afterlife the dead king might beasked to perform hard tasks, such asworking in the fields. To avoid this,he was buried with shabtifigures

servants who would do the workfor him. Tutankhamun had oneshabtifor each day of the year.

MODEL BOATSThere were 16 models of boats for the king

to use in the afterlife. Some were for sailingacross the heavens, others for river travel.

C ANOPIC SHRINEBefore a body was mummified, certain internal organswere removed and stored in special containers, calledcanopic jars. This huge shrine was built to containthe kings canopic jars. At its four sides stood statuesof the goddesses Isis, Nephthys, Neith, and Selkis.

4The chest was tied with cords totwo sleds, both made of woodcovered in gilded plaster. A darklinen shroud was laid over the chest.

5Finally, a gilded wooden shrine wasplaced over the chest, topped by acornice. The completed shrine wasprotected by statues of four goddesses.

Most of theseboxes hadbeen lootedby the tombrobbers.

The complete shrine was2 m (6 ft 6 in) high and

1.2 m (4 ft) wide.

Many of the boxescontained a docket a listof the original contents.

Linenshroud

Cornice

Gilded sled

T H E T R E A S U R Y

Canopicshrine

Shrine


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W HEN CARTER FIRSTlooked round theantechamber, he spotted asealed door behind one of the

couches. He climbed througha small hole in this doorat ground level, anddiscovered a room beyond the annexe. This was thelast room to be cleared it wasnot until October 1927 thatCarter and his team could beginwork there. Although it was the smallestroom in the tomb, the annexe wascrammed with an extraordinary jumbleof objects, tumbled any way oneupon the other, wrote Carter.Things were stacked up nearly2 m (6 ft) high in places, andthere was no space left on thefloor. Clearing this room wasgoing to be extremely difficult !

In a rope slingH E COULD NOT STAND on the floor,so Carter had to start work byleaning into the annexe from the

antechamber, suspendedin a rope sling.

22


THEANNEXE

IN THE JUMBLEScattered around theroom were items includingan alabaster boat, figuresof a lion and a goat, a fan,a sandal, and even a glove.

The floor was coveredwith baskets,boxes, and jars.

Plan of thetomb

C LEARING THE ANNEXEFirst, Carter and his team had to clearenough space to be able to stand on the

annexe floor. Then, as the items werecarefully removed, one by one,

they used wooden props to stopthe remaining heaps of

objects from collapsing.

Entrance to the annexeCarter believed that the mess in theannexe had been caused by the tombrobbers. They had broken in from theantechamber, through a small hole inthe wall. The officials who repairedthe rest of the tomb, after therobberies, had not blocked up thishole or tidied the annexe.

Everything hadbe photographe numbered, andrecorded beforewas moved.

Rope sling,held up byother membof the team

The robbers hole wasunder this couch.

PASSING THINGS OUTThe floor of the annexe was abou1 m (3 ft) lower than that of theantechamber. This meant that eacobject had to be lifted out by hand


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Death of Lord CarnarvonSADLY , LORD CARNARVON did not

live to see more than the firststages of the work in the tomb.In February 1923, he cut amosquito bite on his face whileshaving. The bite became infectedand Carnarvon collapsed with a

fever. He had never been veryhealthy, and he died of pneumonia on 5 April. Ominously, twoweeks earlier, the writer Marie Corelli had warned that punishment

would descend on anyone who violated Tutankhamuns tomb.

23

FoodThis was the sort of food the ancientEgyptians ate. The dead king wouldneed to eat in the afterlife, so a supplyof food was stored in the annexe. Thisincluded bread, meats, jars of honey,dates, and dried grapes.

FACT fileThe annexe contained a huge varietyof objects. Here are just some of thethings that were found there: 236 shabti figures (see page 21) Bows, arrows, throwing sticks,armour, and shields

Three ordinary beds and a foldingcamp-bed

Boards and pieces for playing anancient Egyptian game, called senet A throne and footstool 116 baskets of food and 30 jars ofwine

Cosmetics and a razor

Wildhoney

Duck

Pomegranate

Nuts

Leeks

A THIEF LEAVES HIS MARKThere was probably only enough spacefor one robber to climb into the annexe.He had searched hurriedly, tipping outboxes, pushing objects aside, or throwingthem out of his way. Carter wrote aboutthe robber, He had done his work justabout as thoroughly as an earthquake.The thief had clambered over a whitebox, and his dirty footprints were stillthere, over 3,000 years later.

Robbers footprint

Carnarvons razor

Carnarvondeath

certificat

VICTIM OF THE CURSE ? Jay Gould was one of the suppovictims of the curse. He was an American businessman who hadan immense fortune from the raGould caught a cold while visittomb and later died of pneumon

STOREROOMThe annexe was only 4.4 m (14 ft3 in) long and 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) wide,but it contained over 2,000 objects.It was intended as a storeroom foroils, ointments, food, and wine.Haste and lack of space meant it wasalso used to store objects like thebeds and chairs, which should havegone in the antechamber or treasury.

Grapes

Pots and boxes had beentossed aside in the confusion.

THE KING S BEDS Four beds were found in the annexe.They each had a wooden frame and awoven mattress made of linen or string.

W OODEN STOOLThis wooden stool was painted

white and had a curvedseat designed to hold acushion in place.

W OODEN PROPS Big items were held in position withwooden props while other objectswere removed.

The curseIn no time, newspapers invented the story ofthe pharaohs curse, which would bring deathto anyone entering the tomb. A few peoplewho had visited the site or were connectedwith the excavation team did die shortlyafterwards. But most did not ! Carterhimself died in 1939, at the age of 65.

T H E A N N E X E


24/4824


O N 11 NOVEMBER 1925, THREEyears after the discovery of thetomb, experts began a post mortemon a 3,000-year-old corpse. DouglasDerry, professor of anatomy from theEgyptian University, had to workcarefully, because Tutankhamunsmummy was very fragile. Thewrappings had decayed and themummy was glued so firmly to thecoffin that it took four days to getit out. The gold death mask wasstuck to the head and had to beremoved using hot knives. Only then wasthe face of the boy-king revealed at last.

The bodyIn this photograph, taken by HarryBurton, Tutankhamuns unwrappedbody is lying on a tray of sand, in theposition it had been placed in thecoffin. The body was in poorcondition compared to other royalmummies. The skin was badlypreserved it was brittle and grey.

D ERRYAT WORKDerry could notsave the wrappings,and he had to take the bodyapart to get it out of the coffinand then reassemble it.Unwrapping the head neededextra care he used a fine,soft brush for the last stages.

D ISAPPOINTMENTCarter anxiously watched theprocedure, disappointed at the

state of the mummy.

KEEPING RECORDS Burton photographedeach stage of the delicatework and Carter madedetailed drawings.

THE FIRST CUT Derry cut through the outer shroud to peel back thewrappings. He foundmany pieces of jewellery under thebandages.

The head hadbeen shaved.

An embalmerscut ran from navel to hip.

The legs hadthinned andshrunk.

U NWRAPPINGTHE MUMMY


25/4825

U N W R A P P I N G T H E M U M M Y

THE EVIDENCEAlthough the body was badlydamaged, the team was still able tolearn a lot from the post mortem. Itshowed that Tutankhamun had beena slim young man, 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)tall. His bones and wisdom teethindicated that he was about 18 yearsold when he died. Derry was unableto suggest the cause of death, buta second post mortem, held in 1968,uncovered some dramatic newevidence (see page 43).

JewelleryMore than 150 pieces of jewellerywere found on the mummy, placedaccording to instructions in the Bookof the Dead(see page 18). This pectoral(chest) ornament is decorated with asacred scarab beetle.

MUMMY S FACEThe mummys face hadcracked, darkened skin andthe nose had been flattenedby the bandages.

R EAL LIFE?The death mask showed theking as a handsome youngman. He may have lookedlike this in real life.

The second coffinThis coffin, also made of gildedwood, was more elaborate than thefirst. It was inlaid with red andturquoise glass, and blue pottery.

The third coffinWhen the third coffin was finallyrevealed, the team were amazed todiscover that it weighed 110 kg(296 lb), and was made of solid gold.

The crookand flailsymbolizeddivine rule.

Nemes headcloth (seepage 41)

Above the facestood the cobraand vulture goddesses of Lower andUpper Egypt.

The first coffinThe outermost coffin was 2.2 m (7 ft4 in) long. It was made of woodcovered with plaster and gold leaf, anddecorated with a rishi(feather) pattern.

Full lengthThis type of coffin is called mummiformbecause it is mummy-shaped. For theancient Egyptians, the coffin was a housefor the dead persons spirit.

Crook and flail False beard

Vulture andcobra

W HEN THEY SAW Tutankhamuns first golden coffin,Carters team gasped with astonishment. There werein fact three coffins, placed one inside the other.

A resin-based ointment had been poured over themummy and coffins as part of the mummificationprocess, and had stuck them firmly together.

The coffins


26/48

T HE FOUR ROOMS of Tutankhamuns tombwere crammed with hundreds of objects.These treasures had been carried to the tomb onthe day of the kings funeral and were storedthere for him to use in the afterlife.

Treasuresof theTombThe goddess Isis spreads

her wings toprotect thedead pharaoh.

EYEWITNESSLet the reader imagine how

the objects appeared to us aswe looked down upon them

from our spy-hole in theblocked doorway, casting the

beam of light from our torch the first light that had pierced the darknessof the chamber for three thousand years from one group of objects to another, in a vain attempt to interpret the treasure that

lay before us...We had never dreamed ofanything like this, a roomful a whole

museumful, it seemed of objects, somefamiliar, but some the like of which

we had never seen, piled oneupon another in seemingly

endless profusion.Howard Carter


27/48

The inside of one of the doors to the thirdshrine. The winged figure is the goddess Isis.


28/48

Crossing the NileW HEN THEY REACHED THE BANKS OF THE NILE , the wholeprocession climbed into barges to cross the river. There werestrict rules about who should travel in which barge.

T R E A S U R E S O F T H E T O M B

Model boatModels of the kings funeral bargewere found in the tomb. The bargewas based on the boat that the sungod used for his journey across thesky. It was originally painted green tosymbolize sprouting corn and rebirth.

IN THE WORKSHOPSpecial craftsmen werepermanently employedmaking things for thepharaohs tomb.

ToolsPREPARING THE BODYWhile the tomb was hastily being prepared,Tutankhamuns body was taken away to bemummified. The embalmers removed certaininternal organs, dried the body, and thenwrapped it in many layers of bandages.

MAKING THE SHRINESSome of the objects found in the tombwere things that Tutankhamun had usedin his everyday life. But certain items,

such as the coffins, shrines,and a death mask, had tobe specially madeby craftsmen.

AT THE PALACEOn the day of the funeral, everyonewho was to take part in the processionto the tomb met at the royal palace.Mourners began their public grieving,while servants assembled all thegoods to be placed in the tomb.

FUNERAL BARGE

To cross the Nile,the pharaohsmummy was laid onthe deck of a barge,beneath a canopy.

Mummy

Mourner

T HEBESThe royal palace wasin the capital city,Thebes, on the easternbank of the Nile.

Mummy

Second bargeThe mummy, Ay, andtwo women relativeswent in the second boat.

First bargeIn the first barge werethe mourners, wailingand tearing their hair.

Following bargesMost people clamberedinto the remaining boatsand followed behind.

EGYPTIAN CARPENTERSproduced beautifullycarved statues andfurniture. They hadonly simple tools,such as chiselsand adzes.

AdzeAn adze was a metalblade tied to a woodenhandle. It was used likea modern plane tosmooth wood.

Chisel

Adze


29/48

29

EVERY EGYPTIAN WANTED TO HAVE A PROPER funeral, because they believed it was essentialfor the well-being of the soul in the afterlife.A pharaohs funeral was a particularly magnificent affair.Normally, it took many years to prepare the kingstomb had to be built and decorated, and all the beautiful

objects that would go in it had to be made. But Tutankhamun diedyoung and without warning. His tomb was not ready. The court wasthrown into a frenzy of activity, because religious rules stated thatthe funeral must take place exactly 70 days after the kings death.

THE PROCESSIONOn the west bank of the Nile,everyone got out of the boatsand the procession re-formedto make the slow journeyacross the desert to the tomb.In the heat and dust, the deadkings mummy, on its sled, wasdragged along to the cries ofwailing mourners.

ANKHESENAMUNThe kings widow and another female relative walked beside thecoffin. They represented the goddesses Isis and Nephthys andwere called kites (see page 38).

T HE COFFINThe mummy inside itsthree coffins was placedon a bier (coffinplatform) in the shape of a boat. It was coveredby a canopy representingthe night sky. The wholething was dragged alongon a wooden sled.

PULLING THE SLEDTwelve officials from the palacethe sled along. They were dresswhite, the traditional colour for mourning. The last two men weand Usermont, the viziers (highofficials) of Upper and Lower E

C ANOPIC SHRINE A second sled carried thecanopic shrine. It containedthe kings internal organs,which had been removed fromhis body during embalming.

MU DANCER Wearing kilts and tall, featheredhats,mu dancers performedritual dances. Their steps andmovements followed strict rules.

Canopy over mummy

Boat-shaped bier

Route of the procession

Thebes

R i v e r N i l e

Valley of theKings

Female relative

River Nile

THE JOURNEYTO THE TOMB


30/48

30

In that short time, everything else had to be madeready. While the embalmers set to work, a finishedtomb had to be found (probably the one intended for Ay),coffins made, shrines constructed, and hundredsof objects collected. On the day of the funeral, a hugecrowd of people gathered at the palace to take part in

the funeral procession. They included Tutankhamunssuccessor, Ay, who was to lead the funeral rituals, priests,members of the nobility, dancers, official mourners, andservants carrying the goods to go in the tomb. This longprocession made its way from the palace to the Nile,across the river, then through the desert on the west bank,taking the dead pharaoh to his final resting place in theValley of the Kings. There, the last rituals, including theopening of the mouth ceremony, prepared the dead kingfor the afterlife. Then the tomb was finally sealed.

T UTANKHAMUN S SUCESSOR The funeral rituals were traditionallyled by thesem priest, who wore aleopard-skin. At Tutankhamuns funeral, this role was taken by hissuccessor, Ay.

T OO BIG TO CARRY Large objects, such as thethree animal couches found in the antechamber,were probably carriedin pieces.

W EEPING WOMENWomen mourners wept, wailed,threw dust over themselves, andtheir arms wildly. It was importhave a lot of mourners, so somewomen would have been profemourners, hired for the occasio

G OLDEN THRONE In the afterlife, the kingwould need symbols of hisauthority, so his goldenthrone accompanied himto the tomb.

ANUBISThis statue of the god Awould watch over the totreasury, which containkings canopic shrine.

T REASURES Among the riches to be storedin the tomb were boxes of jewels and a golden-hornedcow head representing the goddess Hathor.

The courtiers ofthe royal

household go inprocession withthe Osiris KingTutankhamun tothe West. They

cry: O King!Come in peace !

O God ! Protectorof the Land !

Inscription from the wallof Tutankhamuns

burial chamber

G UARDIAN STATUETwo statues of the kingwere made to guard theentrance to the tombsburial chamber.


31/48

The opening of the mouthT HIS IMPORTANT CEREMONY took place at the entrance tothe tomb. In this wall painting of the ceremony, thedead mans son is touching the mummys mouth, ears,and eyes with a special instrument that resembled an

adze. This was believed to

restore the mummys senses,so that the dead person wouldbe able to see, hear, and movearound in the afterlife.

31

T H E J O U R N E Y T O T H E T O M B

AT THE TOMB ENTRANCE

The mummy was stood upright, facingthe tomb, for the opening of the mouthceremony. This was usually performed bythe dead mans son, but Tutankhamunhad no children. The paintings on thewall of the burial chamber show that athis funeral this role was taken by Ay, hissuccessor as king. After the ceremony,the mummy was carried into the tomb.

SAYING GOODBYE

Ankhesenamun, the kingswidow, made her formal goodbye outside the tomb.

Vase forsacredliquid

Adze

Cup

IN THE BURIAL

CHAMBER The mummy, encased in itsthree coffins, was placed inthe stone sarcophagus in theburial chamber. Four goldenshrines were built around it,and all the treasures wereplaced in the tomb. Thepriests were the last to leaveeach room, sweeping thefloor behind them. Finally,the tomb was sealed.

LECTOR PRIEST During the ceremony, the lector priestrecited spells and praises for the king,then carried out more rituals,including breaking two red vases.

A NEW HUSBAND Losing her young husband was only thestart of Ankhesenamuns problems. Soonafterwards, Ay married her to reinforce

his claim to the throne, but thismay have been against her wishes.

Ay

Mummy in its coffins

Stone sarcophagus

Thesem priestburns incenseand scattersholy water.

The dead mansson touches themummys mouthwith the adze.

Grievingrelatives

Anubis holdthe mummyupright.

Priests kitItems needed for the opening ofthe mouth ceremony included: thesymbolic adze, jars of ritual liquidsto rub over the mummys face, andcups to pour offerings to the gods.


32/4832

T R E A S U R E S O F T H E T O M B

FOR AN EGYPTIAN PHARAOH , DEATH

was just an unfortunate crossing pointbetween two lives. Beyond death,Tutankhamuns life and his position aspharaoh would continue, so his tomb wasfilled with the sorts of items a pharaohwould need in his afterlife. Thesewonderful things, as Howard Carterdescribed them, included thrones, jewellery,

and other symbols of his wealth, as well as practicalitems, such as furniture, clothes, and food. Many ofthe items were decorated with images of the kingperforming important acts, because the Egyptians believed

that whatever they showed him doing wouldbecome real in the afterlife.

PAINTED BOXThe sides and lid of thisbox are covered withintricate paintings of theking hunting and at war. Likemost of the boxes in the tomb,its contents had beenplundered by the robbers.

LITTLE GOLDEN SHRINEThis tiny wooden shrine is covered inembossed sheets of gold, that show QueenAnkhesenamun lovingly helping the king as she would in the afterlife. The robbers hadstolen a statuette from inside the shrine.

STATUETTE OFTUTANKHAMUNIn Egyptian mythology, Horus,the son of Osiris, fought and finallykilled the evil god Seth, his fathersslayer. This gilded statuette showsTutankhamun as Horus about tospear Seth, who had taken theform of a hippopotamus.

ANUBISGuarding the treasurywas this black statue ofAnubis, the god ofmummification and theguardian of the dead.He is sitting on agilded shrine, whichcontained items usedfor mummification.

The shrine is only50 cm (1 ft 7 in) high and

26 cm (10 in) wide.

Tutankhamun iswearing the redcrown of Lower Egypt(see page 41).

Rafts, like the one heis standing on, weremade of reeds andused on the Nile.

Sled withcarryingpoles

The earsand collar are coveredin gold.

Gildedshrine

WONDERFULTHINGS


33/48

One of the most unusual treasuresis a lock of hair from Tutankhamunsgrandmother, Queen Tiye.

The gold in the death mask isworth about 64,000 (US $105,500)at todays gold prices.

Wrapping up the treasures from theantechamber alone, took 1.6 km

(1 mile) of cotton wadding. People thought that clearing thetomb would take months. In fact, therewere so many treasures that it tookCarters team 10 years.

FACT file

33

W O N D E R F U L T H I N G S

ITEMS OF JEWELLERYThe king wore jewellery in life, so naturallyhe was supplied with plenty of it to wear inthe afterlife. There were more than 200pieces of jewellery in Tutankhamuns tomb,even after the robbers had stolen a largenumber of the most valuable items.

THE DEATH MASKProbably the most famous item fromthe tomb is Tutankhamuns deathmask, which was found covering theface of his mummy. It is made fromtwo sheets of gold, joined together byhammering, and inlaid with colouredglass, carnelian, and lapis lazuli.The mask weighs about 10 kg (22 lb)and probably shows an idealizedimage of Tutankhamuns face.

THE THRONEThis magnificent goldenthrone was found in theantechamber, hidden underone of the animal couches.The back panel showsthe king and queenbeneath the rays ofthe Aten the sundisc worshippedby Tutankamunsfather,Akhenaten.

PROTECTIVE SPELLOn the back of the mask is a s

which asks various goto protect eac facial featur

The legs are shaped likeof those of a lion, andtopped with lionsheads to turn away evil.

Winged scarab beetle

Wedjat eye

MODEL BOATSacred boats carried the godson their journeys, and thedead pharaoh would needboats too. He would use themfor activities such as followingthe voyage of the sun andhunting in the Nile marshes.

The throne is covered in gold and silver, inlaidwith coloured glass andsemi-precious stones.

These two pieces ofjewellery are pectoral(chest) ornaments.

Aten


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BY TUTANKHAMUN S TIME ,the kingdom of Egypt hadalready existed for 1,600 years.It was a stable and prosperous

country, whose power and influencestretched far into Africa and Asia.All Egypts wealth came fromfarming the rich land wateredby the River Nile.

Life&Timesof Tutankhamun

Finely craftedthrone, found inTutankhamuns tomb

Scribes carefullyrecorded theamount of grain harvested.


35/48

A wall painting from the tomb of Mennah,scribe to pharaoh Tuthmoses IV, showsfarmers at harvest time.

Threshed corn was tossedinto the air with wooden fans to separate the grain from the chaff.

Corn was trampledby oxen to thresh


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A N C I E N T E G Y P T

W A S A C O U N T R Y C L I N G I N G

t o t h e b a n k s o f a r i v e r . N

i n e - t e n t h s o f t h e c o u n t r y

w a s u n i n h a b i t a b l e d e s e r t

t h e E g y p t i a n s c a l l e d

i t D

e s h r

e t , t

h e r e d

l a n d . B u t t h e f i n a l t e n t h , a l o n g t h e

b a n k s o f t h e r i v e r N i l e , w a s

K e m e t , t h e b l a c k l a n d ,

n a m e d a f t e r t h e r i c h , d a r k s o i l w h e r e t h e f a r m e r s

g r e w t h e i r c r o p s . M o s t p e o p l e l i v e d i n t h i s

r e g i o n a n d a l l t h e c i t i e s w e r e b u i l t

h e r e . E g y p t w a s a r i c h a n d

p o w e r f u l c o u n t r y , r u

l e d

b y g o d - k i n g s c a l l e d

p h a r a o h s . T

h e i r s t r o n g

g o v e r n m e n t b r o u g h t p e a c e

a n d s t a b i l i t y

t h e E g y p t i a n

c i v i l i z a t i o n l a s t e d f o r m o r e

t h a n 3 , 0 0 0 y e a r s , a n d t h e

w a y o f l i f e h a r d l y c h a n g e d

i n a l l t h a t t i m e .

36

L I F E A N D T I M E S O F T U T A N K H A M U N

T H E

K I N G D O M

O F T H E N I L E

T H E R I V E R N I L E

E a c h s u m m e r , t

h e N i l e f l o o d e d

t h e l a n d a l o n g i t s b a n k s . I t l e f t

b e h i n d a l a y e r o f r i c h s i l t ,

w h i c h f e r t i l i z e d t h e s o i l .

F a r m e r s u s e d a n e t w o r k o f

c a n a l s , d y k e s , a n d r e s e r v o i r s t o

t r a p t h e f l o o d w a t e r a n d c h a n -

n e l i t o n t o t h e l a n d t o g r o w

c r o p s . T

h e N i l e w a s a l s o a

h i g h w

a y , l

i n k i n g E g y p t s c i t i e s

b y c h e a p

b o a t

t r a n s p o r t .

T H E T W O L A N D S

E g y p

t w a s

t r a d i t i o n a

l l y d i v i d e

d i n t o t w o

p a r t s , c a l l e d t h e T w o L a n d s . L o w e r

E g y p

t w a s

t h e

d e l t a r e g i o n

t h e w e t ,

m a r s h y a r e a a r o u n d

t h e m a n y

b r a n c h e s

o f t h e

N i l e w

h e r e

i t j o i n s t

h e s e a .

U p p e r

E g y p

t s t r e t c h e d s o u t

h i n a n a r r o w v a

l l e y

a l o n g

t h e

b a n k s o

f t h e N i l e . I t w a s s u r -

r o u n

d e d b y d e s e r t o n

b o t h s i d e s , a

n d

w a s m u c

h d r i e r t

h a n

t h e

d e l t a r e g i o n .

F A R M I N G

T h e

E g y p

t i a n s p r o d u c e d

f a r

m o r e

f o o d

t h a n

t h e y n e e d e d ,

a n d w e r e a b

l e t o s e

l l t h e

e x c e s s a

b r o a

d . T h e i r m a i n

c r o p s w e r e w

h e a t a n

d b a r l e y .

T h e y a l s o g r e w o n

i o n s , b

e a n s ,

l e n t i l s , m a n y o t

h e r v e g e t a b

l e s ,

S e p a r a

t i n g t h e g r a

i n

f r o m

t h e c

h a f f

a t h a

r -

v e s t

t i m e

R E D S E A

F A I Y U M

O A S I S

G i z a

M e m p h

i s

S a q q a r a

L O W

E R

E G Y P T

H e r a c

l e o p o l

i s

U P P E R

B e n i

H a s a n

S I N A I

P E N I N S U L A

E v e n

t o d a

y , o n

l y a

t h i n s t r

i p o f

l a n d a l o n

g

t h e N

i l e c a n

b e f a

r m e d .

M E D I T E R R

A N

E A N S E

A

C A N

A A N

R i v e r N i l e

D E S E

R


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37

T H E K I N G D O M O F T H E N I L E

A

W E A L T H Y

C O U N T R Y

A s w e l l a s i t s f e r t i l e f a r m

l a n d , E g y p t w a s b l e s s e d

w i t h r i c h m i n e r a l

d e p o s i t s . T h e s e

i n c l u d e d

t i n , c o p -

p e r , g o l d , a n d

s e m i - p r e c i o u s

s t o n e s s u c h a s

a m e t h y s t s , t u r q u o i s e s ,

a n d p e r i d o t s . T h e

p h a r a o h s u s e d t h i s

w e a l t h t o p a y f o r t h e

p y r a m

i d s ,

t e m p l e s ,

a n d p a l a c e s t h a t

t h e y b u i l t .

T H E R U L E R

A c c o r d i n g t o E g y p t i a n l e g e n d ,

U p p e r a n

d L o w e r

E g y p

t h a d

b e e n u n i t e d i n a b o u t 3 1 0 0 B C

b y K i n g M e n e s . H e b e c a m e

t h e f i r s t E g y p t i a n p h a r a o h

a n d t h e

f o u n

d e r o

f t h e c i

t y

o f M e m p h i s . F r o m e a r l y

t i m e s , t

h e p h a r a o h w a s n o t

j u s t t h e h e a d o f g o v e r n m e n t ,

b u t t h e l i n k b e t w e e n t h e

p e o p l e o f E g y p t a n d t h e

g o d s . T

h e p h a r a o h h i m s e l f

w a s t h o u g h t t o b e a g o d .

A b y d o s

D e n

d e r a

T h e b e s

C o p t o s

E d f u

A s w a n

A b u

S i m b e l

B u

h e n

K e r m a

G O L D

G A L O R E !

E g y p t s w e a l t

h w a s

o b v i o u s f r o m t h e m a n y

g o l d o b j e c t s f o u n d i n

T u t a n k h a m u n s t o m b .

H A T H O R C O W

T h i s g o l d - c o v e r e d

s t a t u e s h o w s

H a t h o r , t h e c o w -

h e a d e d g o d d e s s o f

t h e W e s t .

S h e w a s o f t e n

c a l l e d t h e g o l d e n o n e .

V A L L E Y O F T H E K I N G S S E

C O N D C A T A R A C T

F I R S T C A T A R A C T

T H I R D C A T A R A C T

N U B I A

D E S

E R T

R i v e r N i l e

H o w d o w e k n o w ?

T H E R E A R E M A N Y S O U R C E S o f i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t a n c i e n t

E g y p t . T h e s e i n c l u d e w r i t t e n r e c o r d s , w a l l p a i n t i n g s ,

o b j e c t s f o u n d i n t o m b s , m o n u m e n t s s u c h a s p y r a m i d s

a n d t e m p l e s , a n d t h e w r i t i n g s o f a n c i e n t t r a v e l l e r s a n d

h i s t o r i a n s , s u c h a s H e r o d o t u s ( s e e p a g e 4 5 ) .

1 W a l l p a i n t i n g s g i v e a w e a l t h o f d e t a i l

a b o u t p e o p l e s c l o t h e s a n d a p p e a r a n c e ,

t h e

t o o l s a n

d w e a p o n s

t h e y u s e d , a n d

t h e

d a i l y w o r

k o f

f a r m e r s , o f

f i c i a l s , a n

d

c r a f t s m e n , l

i k e t h i s c a r p e n t e r .

2 W r i t t e n r e c o r d s w e r e r e c o r d e d

i n a s y s -

t e m o f p i c t u r e s y m

b o l s , c a

l l e d h i e r o -

g l y p h s

. T h e y p r o v i d e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e

E g y p t i a n s r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s a n d a b o u t t h e

l i v e s a n

d r e

i g n s o f

i n d i v i

d u a l p h a r a o

h s .

3 M a n y a n c i e n t E g y p t i a n o b j e c t s h a v e b e e n

d i s c o v e r e d i n t o m b s a n d a t o t h e r a r c h a e o -

l o g i c a l s i t e s . T

u t a n k h a m u n s t o m b

w a s

i m p o r t a n t

b e c a u s e

i t c o n t a i n e

d e v e r y d a y

i t e m s a s w e l

l a s r e m a r

k a b l e

t r e a s u r e s .

K e y t o

m a p

T E M P L E

F O R T R E S S

C A T A R A C T

( A L A R G E

C I T Y

P Y R A M I D

T O M B


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39/4839

G O D S A N D R E L I G I O N

LIFE AFTER DEATHA painting from the tomb ofSennedjem in Western Thebesshows what the Egyptians expectedin the afterlife a happier versionof their earthly life. The dead manand his wife are ploughing andreaping in the field of reeds, arealm of the afterlife situated atthe northern edge of the sky.

Osiris bedEgyptian tombssometimes contained anOsiris bed. This was awooden frame in theshape of the god,filled with Nile soil,and planted withcorn seeds. Theseeds wouldgerminate in thetomb, symbolizingthe rebirth of Osirisand that of thedead person.

THE GODS HOMESKarnak, Luxor, and the other great templeswere built as homes for the gods. The sacredstatue of the god was kept in the innermostsanctuary of the temple. Each day, thepharaoh or the high priest carried outreligious ceremonies and offered the statuefood and drink. On festival days, the statuewas paraded outside the temple, so thatordinary people could consult the god.

This Osiris bed was found in the treasury of Tutankhamuns tomb, still filledwith dried-out germinated corn.

Becoming an OsirisThe magical rebirth ofOsiris gave theEgyptians hope thatthey too couldbecome an Osirisand live for ever inthe afterlife. Toachieve this, a deadperson had to imitateOsiris in every way.Tutankhamunsmummy was preparedwith the arms crossedand holding the crookand flail, to make himlook like Osiris.

H ORUS If the dead man had told thetruth and led a good life, Horus,the falcon-headed god of kingship, presented him to Osiris.

O SIRISOsiris welcomed the dead man,who would now become anOsiris himself and live for ever in the kingdom of the dead.

ISIS AND NEPHTHYSOsiris was attended byhis wife, Isis, and her sister, Nephthys, whowatched the judgement.

Symbols of the gods

Osiris Tutankhamun

WedjateyeThe wedjateyerepresented the eye ofHorus. He had lost the eye in afight with evil, but it was magicallyrestored. The eye was used to

protect mummies and ward off evil.

DjedpillarThe symbol of the godOsiris was the djedpillar.It represented survival,stability, and thepossibility of rebirth inthe afterlife. The worddjedmeans stability.

Girdle of IsisThe protective power ofthe goddess Isis was calledup by the tyet symbol,which is also known as theGirdle of Isis. The tyetwasprobably an image of aknot of cloth.

T HE EGYPTIANS BELIEVED thatcertain symbols were able toprotect against evil or bring goodluck. Some of these symbols werelinked to specific gods, and could

summon the gods special powers.


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LEADING THE ARMYPharaohs were trained aswarriors and traditionallyled Egypts armies in battle.On a box from his tomb,Tutankhamun is showndefeating the Syrians andNubians, but there isno evidence that heever fought inreal life.

40


T HEPHARAOHLIKE ALL THE PHARAOHS OF ANCIENTEgypt, Tutankhamun was worshipped as aliving god. The pharaoh had immensepower and wealth, and great responsibilities.He made offerings to gain the gods favour forEgypt, he performed ceremonies to ensure thatthe land would be fertile, and he had a duty tobuild monuments which would please the gods.He made all the laws, and was also commander-in-chief of the army. Above all, the pharaoh had to maintainmaat(harmony and order) and hold the regions of Upperand Lower Egypt together. One of his many titles

was the Lord of the Two Lands.

H EAD OF GOVERNMENTThe pharaoh made all the laws, set the levelof taxes, and decided on Egypts foreignpolicy. In theory, he personally supervized allthe affairs of state, but in practice he had ahost of officials to carry out his instructions.

M INISTERS IN ATTENDANCETutankhamun would have been attended byservants and supported by his officials,especially Ay, the chief minister.

Scribes carefullyrecorded all the kingspronouncements.

H OLDING COURTTutankhamun would have held court seatedbeneath a canopy on his golden throne (seepage 33) and holding the crook and flail.

R IDING ALONEThe pharaoh is often sho

fighting from a chariothe head of the army

Ay

Fanbearer

When a Pharaoh was crowned, he wasgiven a series of five names that madeup his formal title. These areTutankhamuns names and titles:

The Horus name:Ka-nakht tut-mesut(Strong bull, best of all created beings)

The He of the Two Ladies name: Nefer-hepu segereh-tawy sehetep-netjeru nebu(Perfect law-maker, who calms the TwoLands and makes the gods content)

The golden falcon name:Wetjes-khau sehetep netjeru(He who displays the regalia, andmakes the gods content)

The prenomen: Nebkheprure(The lordly appearance of the god Re)

The nomen: Tutankhamun(The living image of the god Amun)

FACT file


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Pharaohs regaliaSTATUES , PAINTINGS , AND CARVINGSshow that the pharaoh wore specialclothing and carried regalia(symbols of royalty) to show hisstatus as a divine king.

41

T H E P H A R A O H

The QueenA pharaoh often had several wives, butonly one of them was Queen. Likemany other pharaohs, Tutankhamunmarried his sister. Pharaohs may havedone this to strengthen their claim tothe throne, or to imitate the gods, whowere often married to their sisters.

R ELIGIOUS DUTIESThe pharaoh was Egypts religiousleader and had many duties, such asmaking offerings to the gods in theirtemples. He also used his divine powersin ceremonies to bring the annual Nilefloods and water the land for crops.

Decorated sandalsThe pharaoh had a duty to defeatEgypts enemies. Many paintingsshow him victorious in battle.Tutankhamuns sandals have picturesof Syrian and Nubian captives on thesoles. As he walked, these enemieswould be crushed underfoot.

Wadjit,cobra goddess

of Lower Egypt

Nekhbet, vulture goddess of Upper

Egypt

The gods had beards,so the pharaoh worea false one.

The double crownThis combined the red crownof Lower Egypt and the whitecrown of Upper Egypt.

The blue crownThe blue crown waslinked to the sun godand was worn by NewKingdom pharaohs.

The nemesclothThe pharaohsdistinctive stripedheaddress was calledthe nemescloth.

The crook and flailThe shepherds crook and corn-beatingflail were emblems of the god Osirisand important parts of the regalia.

Nine bowssymbolize Egyptsenemies

Twoboundcaptive

Ministers and officialsIn addition to a chief minister, apharaoh appointed two officials called

viziers to rule Upper and LowerEgypt. Other officials supervized thetreasury, the granaries, and theconstruction of temples and palaces.

BUILDING A TOMBA pharaoh began to prepare his tomb early in his

reign, because it took years to build. Tutankhamundied young, and his tomb was unfinished. He was

hurriedly buried in someone elses tomb.

O PENING THE DYKESThis ceremony took placeafter the Nile flood hadsubsided. Traditionally, thepharaoh cut the firstirrigation channel.

Crook

Flail


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W HO WASTUTANKHAMUN ?WHAT DO WE REALLYknow about this Tutankhamun ?wrote Carter. Remarkablylittle.... The one outstandingfeature of his life was that hedied and was buried. We know solittle about Tutankamuns life thatexperts are not even certain whohe was. This is partly because theEgyptians themselves tried to wipe out allrecords of Tutankhamun because he wasrelated to Akhenaten, the pharaoh whofell out of favour. Discovering the facts aboutthe real Tutankhamun, 3,000 years later, is liketrying to make sense of a jigsaw puzzle withmany pieces missing.

H E IS CROWNED...Tutankhamun was probably broughtup in Akhenatens royal court atEl-Armana. He became pharaoh,aged just nine, in 1336 BC, andwas crowned at Memphis.

MARRIES...Tutankhamun married his half-sister,Ankhesenamun. They had no childrenwho survived, though two foetusesfound in the tomb may have beentheir stillborn daughters.

R ULES EGYPT...Because Tutankhamun was just a boy,he was very dependent on his ministers.Most important decisions were takenby Ay, the elderly chief minister, andHoremheb, the head of the army.

FAMILY TREEExperts still disagree about whoTutankhamun was. Some think hewas Akhenatens son, others think

he was Akhenatens brother. And noone knows who Smenkhkarewas. This seems to be the mostlikely version of the family tree.

Tutankhamun13361327 BC

Ankhesenamun

Akhenaten13521336 BC

Smenkhkare ?13381336 BC

Amenhotep III13901352 BC

Nefertiti Kiya

Tiye

Five otherdaughters

m

m m

m

KEYm = married13901352 = dates of pharaohs reign


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W H O W A S T U T A N K H A M U N ?

Ruins at El-AmarnaAkhenaten built a new capital city,

called Akhetaten, at the site nowknown as El-Amarna. The city oncehad palaces, a temple to the Aten,and houses for the nobles, but it wasabandoned soon after Akhenatensdeath. These ruins are all that is left.

Bust of Nefertiti by asculptor named Djehutemo

R ESTORES RELIGION...The young king reintroduced theworship of Amun and the othergods. As a sign of this, he changedhis name from its earlier version,Tutankhaten, to Tutankhamun.

AkhenatenT UTANKHAMUN S FATHER , AKHENATEN ,introduced a new religion, the worship ofthe sun disc, or Aten. He banned the othergods and closed their temples. Thesechanges were unpopular ordinary people

could no longer worship the traditionalgods, and the priests lost their power.

Worshipping the AtenAccording to Akhenaten, the Aten was

the only god. The Aten created andcared for mankind and could be reachedonly by the pharaoh. In this carving(left), Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and some oftheir six daughters are receiving light raysfrom the Aten. Each ray ends in the ankhsymbol, which means life.

NefertitiAkhenatens queen was thebeautiful Nefertiti. Shewas very powerful, butafter the thirteenth year ofthe kings reign she is nolonger mentioned. Wasshe dead or disgraced ?Or, as some evidencesuggests, did she take anew name and become themysterious Smenkhkare ?

AND DIESTutankhamun died suddenly in1327 BC, the ninth year of hisreign. He was succeeded by Ay,who may have thought this was hislast chance to seize the throne.

Fragmentof bone

Tutankhamuns brainwas removed duringmummification.

The heretic pharaohAfter his death, Akhenaten was considered aheretic (someone whose religious views areunacceptable), and officials tried to destroy allmention of his name and those of his successors Smenkhkare, Tutankhamun, and Ay.

X-ray of Tutankhamuns skullThis X-ray, taken in 1968, shows a piece of boneinside the skull. This could have been caused by afall, a blow to the head, or the mummificationprocess. Recent evidence suggests a blow was themost likely. So Tutankhamun was probably murdered.

Was he murdered ?T WO POST MORTEMS have been carried outon Tutankhamuns corpse. Neither couldprove the cause of death, but damage tothe skull suggested that he either had anaccident or was hit on the head. Someexperts believe that Ay had Tutankhamunmurdered so that he could be pharaoh.


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THE EGYPTIANS BELIEVED THAT TO LIVE FOR

ever in the afterlife, they had to preservethe body. They thought that everyone hadseveral s

Tutankhamun The Life and Death of Tutankhamun

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