Tutankhamun - His Tomb and His Treasures

In January 2017, while I was on holidays in Perth, I was able to attend the exhibition of Tutankhamun—His Tomb and His Treasures. The display began touring the world in 2008, and millions of people in a dozen countries have seen it. The exhibitions re-created the moments in 1922 when Howard Carter, an English archaeologist, discovered the boy-king’s tomb, what the crypt looked like inside, and the recovery of the treasures.

How the tomb looked when Howard Carter opened it. Possessions stored for the afterlife.

It was a rare opportunity for me to catch a glimpse of ancient Egypt in person. All of the artifacts on display were reproductions, highly skilled ones and valuable. The real grave items stayed at home in Egypt, and the body of Tutankhamun rests in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. 

The exhibition was innovative and allowed the viewer to walk up near some of the artifacts as many of them weren’t locked behind glass panels. Security officers were unobtrusive and discreet. It was a surreal feeling to be surrounded so closely by tomb objects from timeless Egypt. There were also some short documentary movies to watch.

When Howard Carter dug a hole in the doorway, and inserted a candle to have his first look at Tutankhamun’s tomb, he spoke of there being wonderful things inside. The exhibition was full of gold objects.

One of the catalogs from the exhibition.

A lot of care and devotion went into the preparation of Tutankhamun’s body for his soul's voyage to eternity. His mummy was enclosed within multiple coffins and held within multiple shrine boxes. Layers of linen and layers of magical amulets covered his body. His arms were full of bangles. He wore multiple necklaces. The bandages contained resins and fragrant oils and his mummy eventually became stuck to the wrappings. On the top most layers of linen, wreaths and garlands of flowers were placed by his family before he was sealed inside the sarcophagus.

The top most sarcophagus of Tutankhamun decorated with flowers. 

The Golden Shrine box that housed the Sarcophagus. Decorated with double symbols of male and female needed for the soul's passage to the afterlife. The male symbol is the tower or column of the god Osirius (Djed). The female symbol is the knot of the womb for goddess Isis (Teet).

Raising the golden sacrophagus out of the shrine. The wings of goddess Isis wrap the corners of the box in protection.

Tutankhamun was the boy king from the 18^th Dynasty of the New Kingdom. He was crowned pharaoh at 8 years of age and died at 19, some 3,300 years ago. He is famous for his tomb treasures rather than for his reign. If I remember correctly, his name was deliberately erased from Egypt’s history. His father was the radical pharaoh, Akhenaten. His mother was Nefertiti or an unknown royal wife. Akhenaten was also removed from the record because of the unpopular religious upheaval he created.

Tutankhamun's tomb was broken into twice after his burial by grave robbers and was later re-sealed. Osirius was the ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife. Deceased pharaohs took on his name for the next journey of their soul, like this, Osirius-Tutankhamun.

Statue of the boy-king with the Valley of the Kings in the background.

His Children

Tutankhamun was married to his sister, Ankhesenamun. It’s believed he fathered 2 children who didn’t survive their births. Coffin cases were found for a 5 month old fetus and a still born baby.

Opening of the Mouth

As part of the rituals, the mummy’s mouth was opened to open the senses (breathing, taste, hearing etc) to the afterlife.

Rebirth of the Mummy

The mummy was laid out on a golden couch decorated with lion’s heads for the rebirthing rituals. Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess is the daughter of the sun god Ra. Ra travelled on his solar boat through the underworld, and pharaohs were regarded as the sons of Ra.

Small statues of goddesses and gods. They were anointed with fragrant oils, and wrapped in linen covers.

The Ba Amulet

Tutankhamun had a large piece of jewelry, an amulet placed over the middle of his chest so his Ba, the part of him that lived on after death, his soul, could return to his body at night. Mummification was a process to slow the physical decay of the body, but it was believed the soul could still return to inhabit the body, enliven it, and enjoy the worldly possessions placed in the tomb. 

Winged Ba jewelry placed on Tutankhamun's chest, symbolizing the flight of the spirit and its return to the physical body.

The contents of the tomb being carried to the Nile River for transport to Cairo. 

Thanks for reading, and have a good weekend. 
♥ Ashlyn