The Young Pharaoh: Tutankhamun
It is very much true that the most famous tomb at the Valley of the Kings is the tomb of
Tutankhamun; one actually needs an extra ticket to enter this tomb. This tomb is the most
recent discovery, discovered in 1922 by a Howard Carter. It has been said that the
celebrated discovery of the most famous tomb in the Valley of the Kings and the fabulous
treasures it contained far outshines its actual appearance. I was expecting to find one
large and fully decorated tomb but as I made my way through the narrow corridor in his
tomb, I came to realize that the tomb is neither large nor as impressive as the other tombs.
To some extent, the tomb bears all the signs of a rather hasty completion and inglorious
burial. Tutankhamun, casually called King Tut, was the son of Akhenaten by a minor
wife. He ruled for a short period of time, from 1336 to 1327 BC and died at the very
young age of 19, with no great battles or buildings to his name. When Carter was looking
for Tutankhamun’s tomb, he spent five years slaving away in the valley, looking for the
tomb among Tutankhamun’s ancestor. Shortly before his funding was about to end,
Carter went to an unexplored area, which was covered by workers’ huts, close to the
tomb of Ramses VI and found the tomb of Tutankhamun. Although this tomb was robbed
twice in antiquity, a lot was found in the tomb. Unfortunately, when I visited the tomb,
the chambers were empty. I was told that all the discoveries now lie in different
museums, mainly the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, while a few items are at the Luxor
Museum. In the burial chamber lay the carved, red quartzite sarcophagus, the corners of
which are defended by the outstretched wings of protective goddesses. I was soon told
that his mummified body was not in there. It is also in Cairo for further examination.
When the tomb was discovered, four chambers containing furniture, food offerings and
oil vessels, chests of clothes, ornaments, statues, chariots, musical instruments, weapons,
boxes and jars were found; clearly, this says a lot about the dazzling wealth within the
tomb. I wonder what kinds of items must have been found in the tombs of the great
pharaohs if all this was contained in the tomb of a relatively minor pharaoh. Speaking to
one of the guides at the Valley of the Kings, I learnt that Tutankhamun’s burial was not
typical to the other pharaohs. As he was the last of the unpopular Amarna royal line, his
tomb was used as a dumping ground for much of their regalia. Some of it is actually
inscribed with the names of his father, Akhenaten.
I stood in the antechamber and observed the burial chamber as well as the annexe, which
was empty when I was there. The walls of the burial chamber are decorated with figures
of Tutankhamun before the gods, painted against a yellow-gold background. It was
interesting to see that the wall at the foot end of the sarcophagus shows scenes of the
pharaoh’s funeral. On the opposite wall, I was told that the 12 squatting apes from the
Book of Amduat represent the 12 hours of the night. Years ago, on either side of the
burial chamber stood a pair of life-sized guardian images of the King himself. Three
coffins were found inside the sarcophagus. The outermost was of gilded wood, the
second was inlaid with coloured glass and semiprecious stones and the innermost was of
solid gold. It was interesting to learn that the King’s body was adorned with amulets and
jewelry and rested in the gold coffin with an inlaid gold mask over his head. In the south
east corner of the antechamber, a low door opened into the annexe; it is here that the
furniture, pottery and vessels, boat models and chests were found. I learnt that the items
found in this particular chamber were tossed about clearly as a result of the robbers that
had come thousands of years ago. As I looked around the tomb, their importance became
much clearer to me. These tombs were decorated and filled with furniture and many other
items because of the great belief of the immortality of the pharaohs. Standing face to face
with the paintings in Tutankhamun’s burial chamber, I realized that visiting these tombs
is the best way to learn about the lives of the pharaohs and their greatness in the ancient
Egyptian times.
Links
History (Ancient Egypt)
Multimedia
Video of Tomb of Tutankhamun
Pictures
 Tutankhamun1: Painting on the Wall of Tutankhamun’s Burial Chamber
 Tutankhamun2: The Sarcophagus of Tutankhamun
 Tutankhamun3: Painting on the Wall of Tutankhamun’s Burial Chamber