>The Evening Standard has published an article describing the upcoming exhibit of the treasures of Tutankhamun. The article contains a brief description of the exhibit and several beautiful pictures of some of the artifacts that will be shown.

What follows is an excerpt of the article:

THE KING

Tutankhamun was king of Egypt, ascending the throne around 1333 BC, when he was about nine. As a child, he did not rule directly and had two advisers: a military general named Horemheb and a male relative named Aye. The young Pharaoh married Ankhesenpaaten, who may have been his sister, and they had two daughters, who were both stillborn and whose mummies were discovered in his tomb. Tutankhamun reigned for only nine years and died before his 20th birthday after suffering a mysterious head injury. Experts cannot agree on whether he was murdered or simply had an accident, despite carrying out exhaustive forensic tests. The Pharaoh’s body was mummified by priests and embalmers in a process which typically took 70 days. During the process all his organs were removed and put in small coffins of their own, each intricately decorated, and his body was wrapped in fine Egyptian linen.

THE TOMB

The tomb of Tutankhamun was dug in the traditional burial place of Egyptian royals, the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile across from modern Luxor (Thebes).

It was discovered, nearly intact, in 1922 by the British archaeologist Howard Carter, having not been touched for more than 3,000 years. Even when, at the end of the 19th century, the valley was examined by archaeologists his tomb was overlooked because some workers’ huts had been built over the entrance. Carter, who stumbled upon it as much by luck as judgement, found scores of artifacts, including Tutankhamun’s gold crown (diadem), the golden mask which covered his mummified face, amulets, jewels, a knife and sheath and the king’s games box.

It took Carter and the Egyptian authorities a decade to catalogue the 120 priceless objects removed from the tomb. Although Tutankhamun was of little historical interest, the find caused a sensation and made him one of the most famous pharaohs of all. In 1972, an exhibition of some of the treasures was held at the British Museum.

THE CURSE

Following the discovery of Tutankhamun, there were rumours of a deadly curse surrounding those who had helped open the coffin. Lord Carnarvon, the wealthy amateur archaeologist and dilettante who funded the expedition, died less then a year after the opening of the tomb. He was found dead on 5 April 1923 in a room at the Winter Palace Hotel in Luxor, giving credence to the “Mummy’s Curse”. It is thought he had contracted blood poisoning from an infected mosquito bite which developed into pneumonia. His room at the hotel has not been made available to guests since.

Up to six other people involved in the dig died over the next decade, including two of Lord Carnarvon’s relatives and Howard Carter’s secretary. Carter himself died, aged 64, from natural causes 17 years after the tomb was opened.

Read the article and view the pictures by clicking here.

The discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 was very significant because until its discovery, little was known about Tutankhamun. The tomb contained ancient furniture and many beautiful objects. The most famous of these objects was the golden death mask which covered his face. Tutankhamun was the 12th ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty and the son of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (also known as Akhenaten). Because King Tut died at a young age (according to estimates, he was 18 when he died), he is also known as the Boy King.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Archaeology, Egypt, King Tut, Tutankhamun