The Tomb of Tutankhamen

and the Post-Amarna Period

The most famous figure of the Post-Amarna period is Tutankhamen, who was probably
Akhenaton’s son by a minor
wife. Tutankhamen ruled for a decade and died at age 18. (Although
some people speculated foul play, examination of the king’s mummy
in 2005 ruled out murder.) Tutankhamen was a very minor figure in
Egyptian history, however. The public remembers him today solely
because in 1922 Howard Carter, a British archaeologist, discovered
the boy-king’s tomb with its fabulously rich treasure of sculpture,
furniture, and jewelry largely intact.

TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN The principal item that Carter

found in Tutankhamen’s tomb is the enshrined body of the pharaoh
himself. The royal mummy reposed in the innermost of three
coffins, nested one within the other. The innermost coffin was the most luxurious
of the three. Made of beaten gold
(about a quarter ton of it) and inlaid with semiprecious stones such
as lapis lazuli, turquoise, and carnelian, it is a supreme monument to
the sculptor’s and goldsmith’s crafts. The portrait mask,
which covered the king’s face, is also made of gold with inlaid semiprecious
stones. It is a sensitive portrayal of the serene adolescent
king dressed in his official regalia, including the nemes headdress
and false beard. The general effects of the mask and of the tomb
treasures as a whole are of grandeur and richness expressive of
Egyptian power, pride, and affluence.