The discovery of Tutankhamun in color pictures, 1922

Burial mask of tutankhamun

In the early twentieth century, Howard Carter, a British Egyptologist, had excavated for many years in the Valley of the Kings - a royal burial ground located on the west coast of the ancient city of Thebes. When Carter arrived in Egypt in 1891, he was convinced that there was at least one undiscovered tomb - known as Tutankhamen or King Tut, circa 1400 BC. And died when he was still a teenager. A wealthy Britain, supported by Lord Cornervon, Carter searched for five years without success. In early 1922, Lord Cornervon wanted to stop the search, but Carter convinced him to hold on to another year.

Finally, when Carter came to the first twelve steps of the entrance, the wait was over, leading to Tutankhamun's tomb. He quickly recovered the steps and sent wire to Carnarvon in England to open the tomb together. Carnarvon immediately left for Egypt, and on November 26, 1922, he made a hole in the entrance to the Antichaber to watch.

Howard Carter, Arthur Callender, and an Egyptian activist open the innermost temple doors and take a first look at Tutankhamun's sarcophagus.

Carter recalled: "At first I could see nothing, the warm air emanating from the chamber flickering the candle flame, but presently, as soon as my eyes were accustomed to the light, the details of the room from within the mist, Strange animals, idols, and shining gold shining gold ”.

When Carter and Lord Cornarvone entered the tomb's inner chambers on 26 November, they were thrilled to find it truly intact, with its treasures untouched after more than 3,000 years. The men begin a search for the four rooms of the tomb, and on February 16, 1923, under the watchful eyes of several important officials, Carter opened the door to the last chamber.

Inside a coffin was placed with three coffins nesting inside each other. The final coffin, made of solid gold, has a mummified body of King Tut. Amidst the wealth found in the tomb — golden temples, ornaments, statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing — the perfectly preserved mummy was the most valuable, as it was first discovered.

A ceremonial cow-shaped ceremonial bed surrounded by provisions and other objects in the tomb's antechamber.

In the satire of Tutankhaman there were not one but three coffins to hold the body of the king. The outer two coffins were engraved in wood and covered in gold, with several semi-finished stones, such as lapis lazuli and turquoise. The inner coffin, however, was made of solid gold. When Howard Carter first came to this coffin, it was not the shiny golden image we see in the Egyptian Museum today. In his excavation notes, Carter stated, "It was covered with a thick black pitch-like layer extending from the hands to the ankles. It was clearly anointed liquid that was used during the burial ceremony and in large quantities (some two buckets) The full amount was poured over the coffin. "

Ant in a gilded lion bed, cloth chest and other objects. Statues are guarded on the burial room wall.

In ancient times the tomb was looted at least twice, but based on evidence taken of items taken (including pear oil and perfume) and tomb renovations after the intrusion, it is clear that these robberies took place over several months in the early months. Burial.

Eventually, the location of the tomb was lost as it came from later graves to be buried by stone chips, either dumped there or washed away by the flood. In the years that followed, some huts for the workers were built at the entrance to the tomb, apparently without anyone knowing what lay beneath. When the valley of the Kings burial sites was systematically disintegrated at the end of the 20th Dynasty, Tutankhamun's tomb was ignored, as it probably lost its knowledge, and its name was probably forgotten.

An assortment of model boats in tomb treasures.

A total of 5,398 items were found in the tomb, including a solid gold coffin, face mask, throne, archery bow, trumpets, a lotus piece, food, wine, sandals, and fresh linen underwear. It took Howard Carter 10 years to list the items. Recent analysis suggests that a dagger recovered from the tomb contained an iron blade made from a meteorite; The study of artefacts at the time, including other artifacts from Tutankhamun's tomb at that time, could provide valuable insights into metal technologies around the Mediterranean.

For many years, rumors of a "curse of the pharaohs" (perhaps fueled by newspapers seeking sales at the time of discovery) persisted, with some insisting on the early death of those who entered the tomb. One study showed that of the 58 people who were present when opening the tomb and sarcophagus, only eight died within a dozen years. All others were still living, including Howard Carter, who died of lymphoma in 1939 at the age of 64. The last living person, American archaeologist J.O. Kinnaman died in 1961, a full 39 years after the incident.

A gold lion bed and studded clothes, among other items, in Antichaber.

Antikhor has several boxes and chests under a lion's bed, and an ebony and ivory chair that Tutankhamun used as a child.

The Celestial Guy Mahét-Verrett and a light bust of the chest sit in the tomb treasures.

Chest inside the treasury.

Verbally carved elabaster vases at Antecburg.

In a "laboratory" set up in the mausoleum of Sethos II, patrons Arthur Maes and Alfred Lucas cleaned one of the sentinel statues from Anticaber.

Howard Carter, Arthur Callender and an Egyptian worker wrap one of the sentinel statues for transportation.

Arthur Mess and Alfred Lucas work on a golden chariot of Tutankhamun outside the "laboratory" in the mausoleum of Sethos II.

The statue of Anubis in a temple with the pillars of the pallabear in the tomb treasury.

Carter, Calend, and the two activists remove the partition wall between the anteaters and the burial chamber.

Inside the outermost temple in the burial chamber, a huge linen sail with gold skylight, reminiscent of the night sky, covered the smaller temples within.

Carter, the calendar and two Egyptian workers carefully destroyed a Golden Temple within the burial chamber.

Carter examines Tutankhamun's satire.

Carter and a worker examine the solid gold spacing sarcophagus.

Lord Cornervon, the financier of the excavation, reads in the verandah of Carter's house near the Valley of the Kings.