TREASURES OF TUTANKHAMUbV

TREASURES
OF
TUTANKHAMUN

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
AND
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART
SEATTLE ART MUSEUM
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
 The photograph shows a
at the right
and petals
tiny wreath of fresh leaves
that had been placed around the
royal symbols on Tutankhamun's
outermost coffin

The drawings on the first and last

pages represent cartouches contain-

ing hieroglyphic signs that render
Tutankhamun's personal name with
his usual epithet, "Tutankhamun,
ruler of On of Upper Egypt [a name
for Thebes]," and his throne name,
"Nebkheperura"

This exhibition has been made possible by generous gifts from Exxon Corporation
and the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust, matched by grants from the

National Endowment for the Humanities

The color photographs, made especially for this exhibition, were taken in Cairo

by Lee Boltin. with Ken Kay.

Most of the black and white pictures were made in the course of Howard Carter's

excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb by the expedition photographer, Harry Burton.

Prints were made from Burton's original glass negatives in the MetropoHtan
Museum's Photograph Studio, with the help of Wilham F. Pons, Walter Yee,
and Kenneth Campbell.

The black and white photographs of catalogue nos. 4, 16. 17. 19. and 24 were
supplied by Helen Murray and Fiona Strachan of the Griffith Institute in Oxford;
these are copyright by the Griffith Institute, Ashmolean Museum. Some photographs
for catalogue nos. 3, 6, 7. 43, and 55 were made from Ektachromes by Lee Boltin.

Editors: Katharine Stoddert Gilbert, with Joan K. Holt and Sara Hudson
Design Irwin Glusker. with Christian von Rosenvinge
:

Map and plan: Cal Sacks

Drawings for the catalogue entries: Patricia Johnson

Copyright © 1976 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 76-49920
International Standard Book Number 0-87099-156-6
^^^^
FOREWORD

Treasures of Tutankhamun is the most important and beautiful exhibition of ancient

Egyptian art ever to come to the United States. It differs in several key respects from
the other presentations of selections from the remarkable contents of Tutankhamun's

tomb held in this country in 1961-1963 and Japan in 1965, or in the landmark
exhibition in Paris in 1967, organized by Mme. Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt,
whose efforts paved the way for all subsequent Tutankhamim exhibitions, at the
British Museum in 1972, and in the Soviet Union in 1974. The difference lies not only

in the greater number of works of art — fifty-five in honor of the fifty-fifth anniversary
of the discovery of the tomb by Howard Carter in November 1922 — but in the basic

theme of their overall presentation. Since almost fourteen hundred glass negatives
made by the Metropolitan Museum's photographer Harry Burton throughout the

course of the six-year excavation are at the Metropolitan, it was agreed by the
participating institutions that these irreplaceable photographs and the actual objects

would be brought together into a unique and complementary unity in the exhibition
and the accompanying publications. An attempt has thus been made to suggest not only

the excitement of the astonishing discovery of the tomb but, equally important,

the painstaking and expert work entailed in the removal of the thousands of objects
from the four jam-packed chambers of the relatively small tomb.
The works of art in this exhibition were chosen, accordingly, not only for their
variety of subject matter, material, and sheer aesthetic beauty, but to give an
accurate image of the contents of the four rooms of the tomb: the Antechamber, the
Burial Chamber, the Treasury, and the Annex. In each of the six American museums,
the fifty-five pieces are planned to be presented in approximately the same order,
following as much as possible the manner in which they were originally excavated, as
recorded in the Burton photographs and in Carter's list of objects.

The exhibition Treasures of Tutankhamun grew out of several years of

discussions between a number of American museums and the Egyptian Organization

of Antiquities. The final impetus for this long-hoped-for dream came during the

visit to Egypt in June 1974 of President Richard M. Nixon, when President Mohamed
Anwar el-Sadat expressed the hope that a splendid gathering of the masterpieces

of Tutankhamun could one day come to the United States as a firm indication of the
good will between the two nations. An accord toward this end was drafted and signed
by Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy.
The precise details of the show and the schedule within the United States were

then arranged between the professionals in the American museums and the

Organization of Antiquities, under the guidance of the U.S. Department of State,

represented by Peter Solmssen, Advisor on the Arts. At this time it was mutually
decided that the Metropolitan Museum would act as the organizer of the exhibition.

Subsequently it was agreed that income from the sale of printed materials and
reproductions would be used, after expenses, for a project of fundamental importance
to the cause of international culture. Everyone agreed that no project would be more
fitting than the renovation of the Cairo Museum, a task to be undertaken over a
number of years by the Organization of Antiquities with The Metropolitan Museum of
Art as consultant. Preliminary plans at present include the installation of a fire-

control system in the Cairo Museum and the reinstallation of the Tutankhamun
treasures in expanded quarters, using the same chronological and archaeological
theme and equipment as the United States exhibition.
In the complex series of undertakings connected with this exhibition, hosts

of individuals and their ideas have been brought together in the most perfect
coordination possible. All who have contributed toward the existence of the exhibition
deserve the utmost praise and thanks: Drs. Yussef es-Sebai and Gamal el-Outeifi,

the Ministers of Culture and Information of Egypt under whose tenure the
exhibition came to fruition: Dr. Mohamed Gamal ed-Din Mokhtar, President of the
Organization of Antiquities, the guiding light of the exhibition; his chief assistant
Dr. Ahmed Kadry and Council members Kamal el-Malakh and Dr. Rashid el-Nadouri,
who guaranteed the smooth achievement of the show; Dr. Abdel Qader Selim,
Director General of the Cairo Museum and his able curatorial staff, Dr. Dia Abu-Ghazi,
Ibrahim el-Nawawy and his assistants Mme. Ghazabiyah Yahya and Helene Nakla
Michel. Mohammed Ahmed Mohsen. Dr. Ali Hassan. Salah ed-Din Ramadan,
and Abdel Hadi el-Khafif; the conservation staff of the Cairo Museum headed
by Dr. Salah Ahmed Salah, working with the Metropolitan conservators
Christal Faltermeier and Rudolf Meyer; Dr. Fuad el-Oraby, Chief of Special Projects
for the Organization of Antiquities; Dr. Christine Lilyquist, Curator of Egyptian
Art of the Metropolitan, and members of her staff, Thomas Logan and Lynn Liebling;
Dr. I. E. S. Edwards, whose expertise is evident in the entries prepared for the
publications, and Dr. Edward F. Wente of the Oriental Institute in Chicago, for his
contribution to the catalogue; Richard R. Morsches, the Metropolitan's Vice-Director
for Operations; John Buchanan, Special Assistant to the Director of the Metropolitan;

Irvine Mac Manus of the Metropolitan Museum, coordinator of the exhibition;

William Harrison, President of International Business Associates. Cairo, and

his assistant Georgia EI-Monasterly, business representatives of the Metropolitan
in Egypt; John Dorman of the American Research Center in Egypt; Christine Roussel
and Bruce Hoheb of the Metropolitan's staff, who made the molds and models
for the extensive series of reproductions that accompany the exhibition: Lee Boltin,

the gifted photographer whose work graces this and other publications celebrating
the exhibition; Bradford D. Kelleher, Publisher of the Metropolitan; Ian Pearson
of the firm of Wingate and Johnson, who packed the objects and supervised
their shipment; Mme. Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, Curator of Egyptian Art
at the Louvre, for her sage advice throughout the proceedings; and Stuart Silver,
Overleaf: A scene during the
Director of Design of the Metropolitan and his colleagues. The National Gallery of Art complicated process of opening
in \^ ashington deserves particular thanks for the design of the educational graphics, Tutankhamun' s three coffins in
with the text written by William WiUiams of the National Gallery and Dr. the cramped confines of the
J.
Burial Chamber. The lower half
David P. Silverman of the Oriental Institute of The University of Chicago.
of the outermost coffin is being
We are also grateful to Gaillard F. Ravenel of Washington, Larry Klein of Chicago, lowered by ropes back into the
Franklin Adams of New Orleans, Jeanne d'Andrea of Los Angeles, and stone sarcophagus ; the second
coffin is suspended on wires, and
Neil Meitzler of Seattle in matters of design.
will eventually be placed on
It should also be recorded that without the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Act
planks over the sarcophagus
signed into law by President Gerald R. Ford on December 20, 1975, which provides while it is opened. Howard
full insurance coverage for these incomparable masterpieces, it would have been Carter was puzzled by the cof-
fins' immense weight; he was
extremely difficult, if not impossible, to have mounted the exhibition. The indemnity —
shortly to discover the reason
for this exhibition was granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, the third coffin was made of
and we are most appreciative of the patience and cooperation of the Council's able solid gold
H
Executive Secretary, Lanni Lattin. In addition, it is important to pay tribute to

the idea and efforts of the Honorable Herman Eilts, Ambassador of the United States to

Egypt, to arrange through Admiral James L. Holloway HI, U.S.N.. Chief of Naval
Operations, and Admiral David H. Bagley, U.S.N.. Commander-in-Cliief of the
United States Naval Forces in Europe, for the use of two vessels of the Sixth Fleet, the
U.S.S. Milwaukee and the U.S.S. Sylvania, which in the course of normal rotation
to the United States — and consequently at no expense to the taxpayer — were able to
transport the treasures of Tutankhamun to our shores with precise gentleness.
As it has done so many times in the past with exhibitions that have had a major
impact in the areas of education and the humanities upon millions of Americans.
the National Endowment for the Humanities, under the leadership of Dr. Ronald S.

Berman and his assistant Nancy Englander, provided major financial assistance.

In the case of the Tutankhamun exhibition, the NEH has matched generous grants
from Exxon Corporation and the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust. The
continuing enlightened support on the part of Lila Acheson Wallace for the preservation
and safekeeping of ancient Egyptian antiquities and her deep concern for the

renovation of the Cairo Museum have been major factors in the presentation of this

remarkable exhibition.
In conclusion, the directors of the participating institutions would like to thank

the many members of our professional staffs, whose dedicated, creative, and
cooperative labors brought Treasures of Tutankliamun to the six cities and the
hundreds of thousands of visitors who will have the opportunity to see these

extraordinarily beautiful works of art.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

J. Carter Brown, Director

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

E. Leland Webber, Director

ORIENTAL INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

John A. Brinkman, Director

NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART

E. John Bullard, Director

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

Kenneth Donahue, Director

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

Willis Woods, Director

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Thomas Hoving, Director

HONORARY COMMITTEE TO THE EXHIBITION

Arab Republic of Egypt
Ismail Fahniy, Minister of Foreign Afjoirs of the
Gamal and Information
el-Outeifi, Minister of Culture
Mohamed Ashraf Ghorbai, Ambassador from the Arab Repuhlic of Egypt to
the United Stales
Mohamed (iamal ed-Din Mokhtar, President of the Egyptian Organization of Antiquities
Ahmed Kadry, Vice-President of the Egyptian Organization of Antiquities
THE DISCOVERY OF TUTANKHAMUN'S TOMB

TOM BUCKLEY, Reporter for The New York Times

On October 28, 1922, Howard Carter summoned his reis, the foreman of his
excavating crew, to his house just outside the Valley of the Kings and told him
that he wanted to resume work without delay.
Archaeologists worked only a short season in the Valley in those days.
By April the pitiless sun, beating on its sheer rock walls, turned it into a furnace

until late October, and the khamsin, the searing wind from the south, swirled its

sandy floor into choking storms.

Carter had even less time than that. The tourists would begin arriving by
mid-December to visit the burial ground of the pharaohs. Since his dig would block
the entrance to the tomb of Ramesses VI, one of the Valley's most popular
attractions, he knew he would have to be finished by then.
And this short season might well be Carter's last in the Valley. He had just
returned from a meeting in England with the Earl of Carnarvon, who had been
bearing the cost of his excavations for the past fifteen years and sharing in the
infrequent glory of their finds. Carnarvon, disappointed by years of failure, told Carter
that he had decided not to apply for the renewal of his government concession to
excavate in the Valley. Only Carter's pleading, and his offer to pay the cost himself if

nothing were found, had induced Carnarvon to agree to one final season.

So Carter knew that he had less than two months to complete, in success
or failure, the search that had obsessed him for ten years. The prize he sought was
the tomb of Tutankhamun, who had reigned more than 3,200 years before.
The Valley of the Kings, the royal necropolis, had been part of ancient Thebes,
the capital from which the Egyptian empire was ruled at the zenith of its power.
The Valley lay just a few miles away from the west bank of the Nile, whose unfailing
waters nurtured Egyptian civilization, opposite Karnak and Luxor and more than
four hundred miles south of present-day Cairo.
With the end of the seemingly perpetual power of the pharaohs, Thebes
had been possessed by the Persians, by the Greeks of Alexander the Great, by the
Romans, by the Arabs, by the Ottoman Empire. Egypt had been invaded by the
French of Napoleon, who brought with him a group of scholars; later Egypt became a
protectorate of Great Britain, although with its own ruling house.
For centuries the Valley and its surrounding desert, wild and inaccessible,
had been the haunt of bandits. Only in the nineteenth century, as a measure of order
was imposed, did archaeologists dare to begin excavating there.
In all, about thirty-three royal tombs had been found in the bedrock of the
Valley or delved into its furrowed rock walls, but every one had been pillaged
long before by professional thieves, some of whom struck within a few years of the
royal burials. What had been found by Europeans, while it included many beautiful
objects, was scarcely more than their leavings. At that, few important discoveries
had been made in the Valley since the start of the twentieth century, and most experts
believed that the burial ground had yielded all its secrets.

Carter, who had spent more than thirty years in Egypt, disagreed. Three
 ^•^ni^iHllt^i^^ .

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' "<i:^
^
""^^ ,*>---^ Vwte -^ -. --

In a photograph taken around

1907, the man at the left is
Tutankhamun's
discoveries made early in the century had reinforced his behef that
standing near the pit in which
Theodore M. Davis found vessels tomb was hidden somewhere in the Valley. The first was a faience cup, found
containing materials used for hidden under a rock, bearing the pharaoh's name. The next was a small, mud-filled
mummifying Tutankhamun and pit tomb containing pieces of gold foil with pictures and inscriptions of Tutankhamun
the remains of his funerary
and his wife. The third was a cache of pottery jars — sealed with Tutankhamun's
banquet, a discovery that en-
couraged Howard Carter in his seal — that contained linen wrappings used in mummification, mourning wreaths, and
search for Tutankhamun s tomb. other paraphernalia connected with ancient Egyptian funerary rites.
In the center of the picture can
The finder, a rich, elderly American named Theodore M. Davis, who paid
be seen the entrance to the tomb
for the work of professional excavators, just as Carnarvon paid for Carter's, stated
of Ramesses VI the huts
; of the
workmen ivho constructed it had that he had found Tutankhamun's tomb. When the laughter of professionals at this
been built over the opening to absurd statement abated, the chastened Davis laid aside his discoveries as valueless.
Tutankhamun s tomb, discovered
But H. E. Winlock, director of tlie Metropolitan Museum's excavations
about fifteen years after this

photograph was made at Thebes, visited Davis, examined the jars and their contents, and, with the permission
of Davis and the Egyptian government, had them sent to the Metropolitan Museum
where he could study them more carefully. Winlock realized that these funerary

materials might imply the presence of a nearby tomb and, later, told Howard Carter
about his conclusions.
In those days, to prevent the Valley from becoming a battlefield of rival

archaeologists, the Egyptian government granted each year an exclusive concession

to excavate there. When Davis, certain that nothing remained to be found, decided
in 1914 to relinquish the concession. Carter persuaded Carnarvon to take it up.

By then. Carter had ileveloped a theory as to where the tomb might be found.

10
His research indicated that only one small area of the Valley had not been cut
across with archaeologists' trenches down to bedrock. This was a small triangle
bounded by the tombs of Ramesses II, Merneptah, and Ramesses VI. One reason it

had not been explored was that it was heaped high with rubble that had been
excavated when the tomb of Ramesses VI, who lived about two hundred years after

Tutankhamun, had been dug.

Tutankhamun. it appears, ascended the throne at the age of nine or
thereabouts in about 1334 B.C., during the Eighteenth Dynasty. His parentage is

uncertain, but it is known that he was married while still a child to Ankhesenamun,
the third daughter of the famous Nafertiti.

The reign of Tutankhamun lasted only about nine years. It was a period

of economic prosperity but of some religious confusion. Tutankhamun had been named
Tutankhaton at birth, the last part of his name being a sign of his family's devotion

to the Aton. the solar disk. During his reign the priestly orders of the kingdom,
which still yielded greatest reverence to Amun. "the hidden one." were able to wield
enough influence to have the young king change his religious allegiance. Tutankhamun
died when he was eighteen or nineteen; the cause of his death is unknown.
Even assuming that Tutankhamun's tomb lay in the Valley — some experts
thought it might have been buried outside of it because of the religious controversy
— Carter faced a difficult task in looking for it even within the comparatively
small area in which he had decided to concentrate his search. Just to reach the floor
of the Valley, tens of thousands of tons of rock and sand would have to be removed
by men filling rush baskets, and boys carrying them to vacant ground, emptying
them, and returning — actions slowly and laboriously repeated millions of times.
It was a daunting project, and Carter had scarcely started to make his plans

when the First World War began. Past the age of military service. Carter served as a

King's Messenger, a diplomatic courier, in the Middle East. He visited the Valley

when he could get leave, but it was not until the season of 1918/1919 that the

work really began.

By the season of 1920/1921 Carter's workers had found the remains of huts

used by laborers in the burial ground near the tomb of Ramesses VI. Thinking
it unlikely that officials of the royal necropolis would have permitted such humble
structures to be built atop a pharaoh's tomb. Carter spent the next season digging

without success in another part of the Valley.

It was in the summer of 1922 that Carter returned to England to talk about
the future of their dig with Carnarvon. By then
men had been associatedthe two
for fifteen years. Except for Egypt, they had little in common. Carnarvon, who was

fifty-six, had attended Eton and Cambridge. He had traveled widely. He owned

36,000 acres of farmland. His ancestral seat, Highclere, in Berkshire, was one of the
stateliest of the stately homes of England. He was a collector, a photographer, the
owner of a large and successful racing stable. Although he was a votary of the cult

of the thoroughbred, he was also an automobile enthusiast.

Indeed, it was Carnarvon's injuries in one of the first serious automobile

accidents that led to his interest in Egyptology. While motoring through Germany
in 1902 his car hit a farm wagon and overturned. Carnarvon was seriously hurt.
The long, damp English winter became difficult for him. The next year he sought the
warm, dry air of Luxor. Aside from agriculture in the narrow fertile strip along
the Nile, tourists and archaeology were Luxor's only activities. Not wanting to reproach
himself for wasting his time. Carnarvon decided to take up excavation. After a
 couple of years of false starts, he was introduced to Carter, and they hit it off from
the beginning.

In 1922 Carter was forty-nine years old. He had grown up in provincial

Norfolk, the son and grandson of animal painters, specialists who catered to Victorian
England's love for its dogs and horses. He studied art at his father's knee but had
little formal education.
In 1890 he first went to Egypt as a draughtsman with the Egypt Exploration
Fund. He left the Fund to become an inspector in the Egyptian government's
Department of Antiquities. After several years he was dismissed because of an incident
involving a party of French tourists who were visiting the pyramids and tombs of
Sakkara. The tourists became unruly and the tomb guards appealed to Carter; Carter,
convinced that they were misbehaving, ordered them to leave. They protested, in
vain, and then lodged a furious protest with their ambassador, whose guests they were.
An apology was demanded of Carter by his superior. He refused and was fired.
Carter, intense, driven, a bachelor, must have received a nasty jolt that day

at Highclere when the earl said he had decided to drop the concession. He had spent
£20,000 -well over $500,000 in today's dollars -and all he had to show for it

was holes in the sand.

One last season. Carter asked. If the tomb were not found, he said, he
would pay for the work himself. Carnarvon relented, and Carter hurried back to Egypt
to get started on his last clear shot at finding the tomb.
On November 1, two days after his conversation with his foreman, work was
resumed. Fifty men and boys, happy to be employed from sunrise to sunset for
wages of a shilling or less a day, began digging around the line of huts that Carter had
abandoned a few seasons before. He had no choice; there was no place else to look.
In the next two days a layer of flint chips was uncovered. It was a
mildly encouraging discovery, since rocks of this type were often used to block
the entrance of royal tombs.

By the morning of November 4 the trench had been dug to bedrock, and to
The sixteen stairs leading
within fifteen feet of the entrance of the tomb of Ramesses VI. When Carter arrived
down to the entrance corridor of
from his house that morning, he found his workers just standing around.
Tutankhamuns tomb
"By the solemn silence all around caused by the stoppage of work, I guessed
that something out of the usual had occurred," he wrote later. "My reis (foreman)
was most cheerful, and confidentially told me that the beginning of a staircase had
been discovered beneath the first hut removed."
Working slowly and carefully under Carter's eye, the workmen began clearing
the staircase. The top of a doorway came into view. And on the plaster covering
that sealed the door were affixed the seals of the royal necropolis — the jackal god
Anubis above nine defeated foes.

"It was a thrilling moment for an excavator in that valley of unutterable

silence, quite alone save for his native staff and workmen," Carter wrote, "suddenly
to find himself, after so many years of toilsome work, on the verge of what looked
like a magnificent discovery."

At that, Carter wrote, he did not dare to hope that he had actually found
the tomb of Tutankhamun. The entrance seemed too modest; the setting was
somehow wrong. But it might well have been a cache of royal objects or the tomb
of a royal relative. What was important was that no one had known it was there
and it still bore the seals on the door.
A more impetuous man might have continued to dig and satisfy his curiosity.

12
but Carter ordered the stairway filled again. He posted guards and hurried to
Luxor to send a cable to Carnarvon. It read, "At last have made wonderful discovery
in valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival;

congratulations."
Carnarvon replied that he would arrive in Alexandria on November 20 with
his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert. Nowadays the trip from London to Luxor
can be made in five or six hours; then it took a week or more, by ferry across the
English Channel, by train across France, by ship from Marseilles, and then by
train from Alexandria to Luxor.
They were ferried across the Nile to the west bank and rode on donkeys
through the narrow cultivated strip of fertile land, and then for five miles on the
rough track into the desert to Carter's house, dark and cool, built of bricks of

river mud, outside the entrance to the Valley of the Kings.

The next morning, their donkeys carried them to the site of the excavation.

Carter and his assistant, A. R. Callender, had already begun clearing the stairway
again. As more of the doorway was exposed, the seals of Tutankhamun could be seen
in addition to those of the royal necropolis. When all sixteen steps had been cleared
and the entire doorway could be seen, Carter got a jolt. Holes had been cut into the
upper part of the door. The damage had been repaired and bore the seals of the
necropolis, but the question remained: had this tomb, too, been pillaged?
The door was removed, revealing a passageway cut through bedrock and
filled with rubble. But here also there were indications that a tunnel had been
cut through the filling, thousands of years before. Seated on folding chairs, shaded
by parasols, Carnarvon and his daughter tried to contain their excitement while

the passage was cleared. It ended in another sealed doorway twenty-five feet from SIXTEEN
STEPS
the entrance, but it, too, had been cut tlirough and repaired.
"The next day following," Carter wrote of November 26, "was the day of days,
the most wonderful that I have ever lived through."
With Carnarvon, his daughter, and Callender standing behind him. Carter
drilled a small hole in the upper left-hand corner of the door.
"Darkness and blank space, as far as an iron testing-rod could reach, showed
that whatever lay beyond was empty," he wrote. "Widening the hole a little,

I inserted the candle and peered in. . . . At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping
from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew
accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist,
strange animals, statues, and gold — everywhere the glint of gold.

"For the moment — an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by —
I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand

the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, 'Can you see anything?' it was all
"
I could do to get out the words, 'Yes, wonderful things. . .
.'

Aside from the fact that the objects that Carter was gazing upon, not to

mention those that lay elsewhere in the tomb, were priceless, the Antechamber looked
like the back room of a rummage shop. Parts of three ceremonial beds, thrones,
countless vases, chariots, magnificently inlaid boxes, statuettes, weapons, and
much else besides — the objects of luxury, comfort, and religious significance buried
with the pharaoh for his voyage through eternity, and the greatest find in the
annals of archaeology — lay in untidy heaps.
What had happened, Carter decided, was that the tomb had been ransacked
not once but twice, probably within a comparatively short time after the burial.

13
 The first time the robbers, possibly with the connivance of corrupt guardians, had
carried away gold and semiprecious stones, since mountings and parts of missing
objects were found. The second time they had apparently taken the costly oils and
unguents from the tomb, pouring them from their heavy vases into less fragile

skin bags.
Carter and his group went no further that day. Infinitely demanding work lay
ahead if his find was to be handled with the care it deserved. Even so, he could

scarcely have imagined that it would occupy him for the next ten years.
His workmen put two heavy wooden doors that he had already had made in

place. They were locked and his foreman and the most trustworthy of his assistants

remained on guard, while the four Britons departed.

"We mounted our donkeys and rode home down the valley," Carter wrote,

"strangely silent and subdued."

The next morning Carter set up a portable electric lighting system. That
afternoon he and Carnarvon, his daughter, and Callender removed the door
and entered the chamber.
"Packed tightly . . . were scores of objects, any one of which would have filled

us with excitement under ordinary circumstances," he wrote, "and been considered

ample repayment for a full season's work. . . . Nor was it merely from a point of view
of quantity that the find was so amazing. The period to which the tomb belongs
is in many respects the most interesting in the whole history of Egyptian art,

and we were prepared for beautiful things. What we were not prepared for was
the astonishing vitality and animation which characterized certain of the objects."
Reports of the discovery had begun to circulate through Luxor, and
Carnarvon decided that the time had come for an official announcement. It was made
at a ceremony at the tomb on November 29, at which Lady Allenby, the wife of
Britain's High Commissioner to Egypt, and a number of Egyptian notables
were present.
In his days with the Egypt Exploration Fund, Carter had worked under the
direction of Sir William Flinders Petrie, the father of scientific excavating technique,
and he was determined that in dealing with his great find he would make Sir
William proud of him. Since his own experience was entirely practical, he knew he
would need academic and technical assistance, and he did not hesitate to seek it

before starting to clear the tomb.

On December 3, therefore, he ordered the tomb closed and the passageway
filled in. Then he and Carnarvon and Lady Evelyn Herbert -they were returning
briefly to England - set off for Cairo.

On his arrival. Carter found a congratulatory cable awaiting him from

A. M. Lythgoe, the curator of the Metropolitan Museum's Egyptian Department.
In his reply. Carter asked if he might borrow the services of Harry Burton, the
photographer with an excavating group sponsored by the Museum that was working
just beyond the Valley.
"He promptly cabled back," Carter wrote, "and his cable ought to go on record
as an example of disinterested scientific cooperation: 'Only too delighted to assist in
"
any possible way. Please call on Burton and any other member of our staff.'

Burton photographed each of the four chambers in the tomb in great detail

before anything was touched, and then photographed the thousands of objects
after their removal. His pictures — many reproduced in this book -are extraordinarily
handsome, an achievement all the more remarkable considering the conditions

14
under which he had to work and the hmitations of cameras and other equipment at the

time. Carter also availed himself of the services of other members of the Metropolitan

Museum's expedition: Walter Hauser, an architectural assistant, Lindsley F. Hall,

a draughtsman, and Arthur C. Mace, an associate curator who was supervising

excavations elsewhere in Egypt. Mace, indeed, collaborated with Carter on the first

volume of his three-volume account of the discovery. It is from that work that

Carter's observations quoted in this article are taken.

While he was in Cairo Carter also arranged for Alfred Lucas, a chemist, to help
in preserving fragile objects as they were removed, and for experts in art and
hieroglyphs to assist in examining them. He also enlisted the cooperation of the

Egyptian government's Department of Antiquities, which at that time was headed

by a Frenchman.
He also bought many bales of cotton and miles of bandages, packing boxes,
and lumber, for wrapping and packing his treasures, preservative chemicals such
as paraffin, photographic supplies, and even an automobile. Fearful that the tomb
might somehow be looted despite the presence of three separate sets of guards — such
robberies were practiced as a hereditary occupation in the villages around the
Valley -he ordered a heavy barred steel gate for the entrance and the strongest
available locks and chains.
By Christmas the removal of the contents of the Antechamber to an empty
tomb nearby that had been set up as a storage area and laboratory could be begun,
but it wasn't just a matter of picking them up and taking them out. The task
required seven weeks of careful work.
"So crowded were they that it was a matter of extreme difficulty to move one
without running serious risk of damaging others," Carter wrote, "and in some
cases they were so inextricably tangled that an elaborate system of props and supports
had to be devised to hold one object or group of objects in place while others
were being removed. At such times life was a nightmare. One was afraid to move
lest one should kick against a prop and bring the whole thing crashing down."
With the Antechamber cleared, Carter was able to turn his attention to the

two sealed chambers that led off it. Both had also been entered by robbers. Carter
looked first into the room nearly opposite the entrance, which he termed the Annex.
Howard Carter and Lord Car-
It was found to contain articles similar to those in the Antechamber. It was in the narvon breaking down the wall
other, which opened off the right wall, that Carter and his associates decided they that blocked the entrance to the

work Burial Chamber one

; of the
would find Tutankhamun's tomb, and that was where they went to next.
large gilded shrines surrounding
On February 17, 1923, Carter was ready to open the Burial Chamber. In
the sarcophagus can be seen in
addition to the twenty experts and Egyptian government officials who crowded into the background

the Antechamber, I^rightly lighted with portable electric lamps, hundreds more stood
in the brilliant sunlight outside the tomb. Among them were scores of representatives
of the press. Ever since the original discovery of the tomb, excitement had been
building around the world. Already the objects of the Antechamber had influenced
women's fashion and jewelry. Popular songs were being written about the discovery,
jokes were being told in vaudeville houses and music halls.
The one sour note was the fact that Carnarvon had sold the exclusive rights
to the story to The Times of London, which in turn syndicated it to other newspapers
around the world. Carnarvon and Carter and their associates spoke only to The Times,
and only The Times man was admitted to the tomb. Competing reporters, standing
hour after hour in the sweltering sun, straining for crumbs of information, were
understandably outraged, and as a result were delighted to cable whatever scraps of

15
wmimmmmm mm^/mmmmm

h
 lotnnitlt. Ky.
Victoria/

l0ttrttai' I92e

GOLD-CASED MUilY

OFTUT-ANKH-AIN
IS

Opening of the Sarcophagus

Reveals Pharaoh as He Was
Laid to Rest 3,300 Years Ago.

SPECTACLE IS DAZZLING

Cas« I* Colossal In Size and Is

a Beautiful and Artistic j

Lil(enes8 of the King. 1

IT HAS CROWN AND SCEPTRE

Armi Repose Acroei lt« Breast and

Faded Wreath of Olive Leavea
Still Remalne on Iti Head.

Tht Timt, (LcnAcn) H'^rU Copjnfdl ly

^iTonfemenl iri(>i (Ac Carrarvan £ itele.

Coprrltbl. IM*.M Tht N*-* Tpr* TltiM« Toapur

8p«:l«: cable to Thi Nr^^ Yo«K tium.
UXOR. E«ypt, Feb. li.-Thc lid of
the vre«t ton•^ aarcoptiaaup cf Pharoah

malicious gossip and rumor they could find. Carnarvon was puzzled by their
attitude. The money was not the important thing: it was simply that Carter and his

few co-workers, harried by the enormous job of excavating and recording thousands of
objects, did not wish to have to keep answering the same questions a hundred times
a day, or interrupting their work to lead parties of visitors through the cramped
tomb with its fragile contents.

While the press gossiped in the sun, Carter chipped away at the stone and
mortar with which the doorway to the Burial Chamber had been covered. "The
temptation to stop and peer inside at every moment was irresistible," he wrote,
Left: The lid of Tutankhamun's
"and, when, after about ten minutes' work, I had made a hole large enough to enable
massiie stone sarcophagus being
me to do so, I inserted an electric torch. An astonishing sight its light revealed, raised, revealing the first of

for there, within a yard of the entrance to the chamber, stood what to appearance three coffins, shrouded in linen

17
 was a solid wall of gold."

The dazzled Carter quickly chipped away the rest of the filling. When he
stepped inside he realized that what he was looking at was one side of a shrine that
covered the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun. Made of wood covered with gold,

it measured seventeen by eleven feet and was nine feet high, and filled the chamber
except for a space about two feet wide between its sides and the rock walls.

In one wall was another doorway. It was unsealed. Looking within, Carter
and Carnarvon, who had followed him into the Burial Chamber, saw still

another astounding sight.

"Facing the doorway, on the farther side, stood the most beautiful monument

that I have ever seen — so lovely that it made one gasp with wonder and admiration,"
he wrote. "The central portion of it consisted of a large shrine-shaped chest,

completely overlaid with gold, and surmounted by a cornice of sacred cobras.

Surrounding this, free-standing, were statues of the four tutelary goddesses of the
dead -gracious figures with outstretched protective arms, so natural and lifelike in

their pose, so pitiful and compassionate the expression upon their faces, that one
felt it almost sacrilege to look at them." One of these exquisite statues, the

goddess Selket, is illustrated in Color Plates 24-25.

It was not until the following season that the shrine and the three others inside
it were entered, and the massive stone lid of the sarcophagus was lifted to reveal

the pharaoh's coffin. Two others were nested inside it, the innermost one made of solid

gold, beautifully chased and engraved, and about one-eighth of an inch thick. Within lay
the linen-swathed body of Tutankhamun, gazed upon by mortal eyes for the first time
in more than three thousand years. Covering his head and shoulders was one
of the greatest of the world's artistic treasures -the polished gold funerary mask
(Color Plate 12 ), elegant, calm, remote, and yet breathing with the life of a

supremacy that had ended thousands of years before.

Carter gazed upon it, but Carnarvon did not. In April 1923. in Cairo, he had
sickened and died. A mosquito bite had been nicked by his barber's razor: it had
become infected, and then pneumonia had attacked Carnarvon's weakened lungs.
His body was returned to England for a far simpler funeral than the pharaoh's.

Trailing after it were whispers that caused goose pimples in the dark of night all over
the world. From the day of the discovery of the tomb, gossip had whispered of the
curse that fell upon anyone who violated a pharaoh's resting place. The press had
picked it up. and now it seemed to come true. Who. after all. had ever died of

a mosquito bite without yellow fever or malaria?

For years afterward, whenever anyone remotely associated with the discovery
died, the story was revived. Travelers in the Middle East spoke jocularly of

diarrhea as "King Tut's curse," just as in Mexico they call it "Montezuma's revenge."
The biggest proiilem the curse theorists had was Carter. His fate should have been
the most dreadful of all, but he lived on, full of honors, until 1939, when he died
at the age of sixty-six, peacefully, at home in England.
Not for another year after the opening of the Burial Chamber were the intricate
linen wrappings that swathed the mummified body removed. It was carefully
examined by the leading pathologists of the time, but they were unable to establish

the cause of the king's early death. In Tutankhamun's case the mummifying
process was pretty much a failure. Too lavish use of precious oils and unguents, instead
of preserving Tutankhamun's corporeal remains through eternity, had all

but destroyed them.

18
TUTANKHAMUN AND HIS WORLD

EDWARD F. WENTE, Professor of Egyptology,

Oriental Institute, The University of Chicago

Tutankhamun reigned from about 1334 to 1325 B.C., during the Eighteenth Dynasty of
the New Kingdom, one of the most glorious periods of Egypt's long and
distinguished history. About 3100 B.C. Egypt had become the first large state in history

to be unified under a single king, when Lower Egypt ( the area of the Delta ) was
conquered by the king of Upper Egypt ( the Nile valley to the south of the Delta ) and
the "Two Lands" became one. During the next fourteen hundred years of Egyptian

history, Egypt's inhabitants had enjoyed a measure of security from hostile powers, and
in relative isolation had witnessed two major epochs, the Old Kingdom, noted for its

pyramids, the Great Sphinx, and its confident art. and the Middle Kingdom, when
the tone of the culture became more introspective.

The Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza were already ancient monuments by the

end of the Middle Kingdom, around 1700 B.C.. when political weakness permitted
the peaceful infiltration of Asiatics into the rich Delta. Subsequently, while native

pharaohs were usurping the throne in rapid succession, this Asiatic penetration became
more violent, perhaps an invasion, and resulted in the burning and destruction of
at least one important settlement in the eastern Delta. These Asiatics, known as
the Hyksos, from the Egyptian expression meaning "rulers of foreign countries,"

eventually occupied the Egyptian capital at Memphis, near modern Cairo, and
around 1665 B.C. they established themselves as the dominant political power in Egypt.

The Hyksos overlords called themselves pharaohs, and, from tlieir stronghold at

Avaris in the eastern Deha, exacted tribute from the rest of Egypt.
Tlie period of Hyksos domination, which was regarded by later Egyptians

as a great humiliation, lasted about a century. Then a petty king in Upper Egypt who
ruled at Thebes, more than four hundred miles south of the Hyksos capital,

initiated a war of liberation. After a decade's lull in the fighting the foreigners were
finally routed from their capital and expelled from Egyptian soil by the Theban
king Ahmose. Because Ahmose had succeeded in unifying Egypt once again under
native rule, he was regarded as the founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty, which
lasted from 1570 to 1293 B.C.
The subjection and disarray of the Hyksos period was supplanted by new
vigor and self-confidence. Egypt regained national pride as its armies scored
victories in Asia and extended its frontiers in the south, effectively using two

innovations it had picked up from the Hyksos. the horse-drawn battle chariot and the
The great pharaoh
The mighty pharaoh Thutmose
compound bow I examples of both were buried with Tutankliamun I .

III smiling his enemies with a

Thutmose HI 1504-1450 B.C. firmly estabhshed an Egyptian empire in Asia,
( I
mace, on a wall in a temple at
after numerous campaigns in Palestine and Syria. In recognition of Egypt's dominance Karnak
in this vital area of the Near East, other foreign powers such as Assyria, Babylonia,

and the Hittites of Asia Minor sent gifts to the Egyptian king.

In creating this Asiatic empire Thutmose HI did not resort to large-scale

deportations of enemy populations, as some other Near Eastern powers did later in
history, but a Hmited number of prisoners of war were taken back to Egypt. Some
were donated to temples to serve in temple workshops, while others became household

19
Columns of the great Luxor
temple built by Amenhotpe III
slaves. And, in order to ensure the continued fealty of conquered city-states in
and enlarged by Tutankhamun,
whose ivork was usurped by his western Asia, Thutmose III installed new princes and brought their sons or brothers
successor Haremhab. Across the back to Egypt to be educated. Some would eventually return to their homes to
Nile can be seen the Theban become loyal vassal princes, while others remained in Egypt to serve at the court. To
necropolis, with its temples and
quell insurrection and to supervise the regular delivery of tribute to Egypt, military
tombs. The Valley of the Kings
lies behind the cliffs at the right- garrisons were stationed at strategic points in Asia.
hand side of the picture Thus Egypt, which previously had been relatively isolationistic in its political

and cultural outlook, became involved in close contact with foreign cultures.

Thutmose — the Egyptian equivalent of Napoleon, a short-statured man curious

III

— even took an interest in Asiatic flora and fauna, bringing

about things foreign
specimens home and donating them to the temple of the state god Amen-Ra at Thebes,
the religious capital; they are carefully depicted in one of the halls of the great
temple of Karnak at Thebes. Since in theory it was the god Amen-Ra who gave the
king the power to achieve victories, much of the spoils of war and tribute was
donated by the king to the temple or used to finance building programs
on the god's behalf.
Not all foreign goods reaching Egypt at this time resulted from conquest.

20
During the Eighteenth Dynasty there existed commercial ties with otiier countries, both
overland with Asia and Africa and by sea with lands of the eastern Mediterranean:
Phoenicia. Crete, and the Aegean islands. The brightly painted tomb chapels of high
officials contain scenes of processions of foreign delegates bringing goods that
include Cretan wares, Syrian amphorae, and gold, ebony, ivory, hides, and exotic
animals from Africa: evidence of such trade was found in Tutankhamun"s tomb,
such as two amphorae of Syrian type and several pieces of furniture featuring ebony
and ivory. In this period the characteristic static quality of Egyptian two-dimensional

art was often tempered through Minoan and Mycenaean influences that led to a freer

treatment of the subject matter, especially in the rendition of movement. Some

objects, such as the sheath of Tutankhamun's gold dagger I Color Plate 14 I, also

reflect artistic influences of Near Eastern styles.

Eventually the cosmopolitanism that empire fostered even affected Egyptian

religion. Under Amenhotpe II. Thutmose Ill's son and successor, we find evidence

of the presence of foreign gods in Egypt: the important Canaanite deities Astarte

and Resheph were revered in Egypt at first for their potency in warfare, but then
became associated with similar Egyptian deities and were worshiped according
to Egyptian cult practices. Conversely, the Theban god Amen-Ra came to be regarded
as a universal god. concerned with lands beyond Egypt.
By the time of Tutankhamun"s grandfather. Amenhotpe III ( 1386-1349 B.C. I,

Egypt was enjoying in full the fruits of empire, receiving rich tribute from the
territories it controlled to the north and south. Warfare had subsided as international
diplomacy increased. Peace with one of Egypt's most important foes, the kingdom
of Mitanni in Syria, was ensured by the pharaoh's marriage to daughters of the
Mitannian king. Foreigners believed gold was as plentiful as dust in Egypt, and Egypt's
prosperity was reflected in the construction of huge temples, colossal statues of the
pharaoh, and large and splendidly decorated rock-cut tomb chapels of high officials

and courtiers in the Theban necropolis, located in the impressive desert hills on
the west side of the Nile opposite the city of Thebes.

At the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty an attempt had been made to

continue the practice of having a young pharaoh marry his sister, a marriage that had
theological implications. Since the queen was regarded as the wife of Amun.
the state god of Egypt, and the king was considered the god's son. a marriage between
royal brother and sister stressed the divinity of the king. In the course of the
dynasty this practice was modified: a number of kings who had been born of minor
wives of kings were married to the most legitimate royal heiress to validate their

own position in the succession. Amenhotpe Ill's much publicized marriage to Queen
Teye. a commoner by birth, represented a significant break with the older tradition.
Since her father \ uya was a commander of the chariotry one might see in their
marriage an expression of the ever-increasing power of the military class, which
earlier in the dynasty had provided tutors for young members of the royal family.
\^ hen Amenhotpe I\ . the son of Amenhotpe III and Teye. acceded to the

throne around 1350 B.C. ( possibly as a co-regent with his father i . he e.xpressed
devotion to the traditional gods of Egypt. But not long after the old king's death.
Amenhotpe IV proceeded to institute a religious reform of sweeping nature: he selected
one god. the sun god. to be the sole object of his veneration. Some scholars have
interpreted this move as a political maneuver designed to terminate the growing
power of the priesthood of Amun, which has been viewed as rivaling the throne
even under Amenhotpe III. Although it is surmised, on somewhat erroneous grounds.

21
 Two daughters of Akhenaton
and Najertiti, depicted in a
painting from Amarna (now in
the Ashmolean Museum) ivith
the informality and naturalism
of the Amarna style. Their elon-
gated skulls seem to have been
a family trait: the portrait of
Tutankhamun as a child in
Color Plate 1 shows the same
characteristic

that Amenliotpe III liad emphasized the solar cult at Thebes, there is no clear
indication that this pharaoh experienced difficulties with the priesthood of Amun,
of which his own brother-in-law was the second highest priest. Actually,
Amenhotpe Ill's benefactions to the estate of Amun had been most extensive and
were by no means confined to the sun god's cult, which was already present in a

section of the temple of Amen-Ra that Thutmose III had erected at Karnak.
It would appear that Amenhotpe IV's motivation was less political than
personal, and once having developed his iconoclastic religious ideas, he introduced
them in a way that seems to reflect some planning. Without immediately
terminating the cult of Amun, which lasted about four years into his reign, he first

built a sanctuary at Karnak where the sun god Ra-Harakhty was identified with

the Aton, the disk of the sun. but was still depicted in his traditional form, with the
head of a falcon on human body. The artistic style of this monument was
a

conventional. By Amenhotpe IV's fifth year of rule, however, the anthropomorphic

form of the sun god was for the most part eliminated, and the disk of the sun,
with radiating rays ending in hands holding the symbols of life and dominion, served
to represent Amenhotpe IV's view of a single, all-powerful god called the Aton,
whose cult now entirely superseded Amun's at Thebes.
Just as radical as the theology was a new, naturalistic style of art that
Amenhotpe IV fostered as expressive of the life-sustaining power of the Aton. In a

sense this naturalism in art forms a parallel to the descriptions of nature in an idyllic
hymn to the Aton that Akhenaton himself may have written. This hymn prt'scnts

a fresh and lifelike descri|)tion of universal exuberance over sunlight and life,

realistically tiescrihing the joyous response of all living creatures to the life-giving

powers of the sun, symbolized by the Aton. The hymn is singularly devoid of tlie

clothing of myth so characteristic of earlier sun hymns as they expressed traditional

religious beliefs, and may be considered as the culmination of l*!gyi>tian religious

cosmopolitanism, since the Aton is described as concerned with all lands, jhon idiug

for them "a Nile in the sky" — that is. rain, which was very rare in I'^gypt. \slio~c

inhabitants relied upon tlic \ilf"s atiimal fhioding to coMr their (icid- with

fertile black silt.

22
 It is thought that certain pecuHar features of Amenhotpe IV's appearance - an
elongated skull, protruding jaw, thick lips, slouching posture, and bulging stomach

were accentuated in the new art, and were carried over into representations of
his queen, the beautiful Nafertiti. their children, and even commoners. The
eccentricities of this new style were most pronounced during the early years of
Amenhotpe IV's rule; later in his reign it became more polished and graceful. Traces

of this style can still be seen in the decoration of certain objects from Tutankhamun's
tomb. as. for instance, in the relaxed poses of the young king and queen on the

exquisite throne back illustrated on page 24.

In accordance with his religious beliefs. Amenhotpe IV next altered his name
from Amenhotpe. which means "Amun is content." to Akhenaton, which is probably
to be translated "It goes well with Aton." On a virgin site at Amarna in Middle
Egypt, about two hundred miles north of Thebes, he established a new capital called
Akhetaton. meaning "Horizon of Aton." Here temples to the Aton were built:

unlike traditional temples with their dimly-lit sanctuaries, these were entirely unroofed
so the rays of the sun could penetrate everywhere and touch the king and queen
wherever they proceeded in the temple, performing the daily services in honor
of the Aton.

Throughout Egypt the temples of the old gods were shut down. The names
and representations of the god Amun in particular were expunged from monuments,
including temples and tomb chapels, and occasionally even the plural word "gods"
was erased. Sacred images reposing in the shrines of the old temples were
destroyed, while traditional rituals were abandoned and mythologies were discarded,
being incompatible with Akhenaton's more rational reUgious thinking.
Although the new faith might appear to be monotheism, such an interpretation
must be qualified by the fact that Akhenaton himself was considered to be divine,
the son of the Aton and his living manifestation upon earth. The Egyptian pharaoh had
always been thought to possess a divine quality, which, however, rested more in

the office of kingship than in the king's person. Lacking the abstract concept of a state,

Egyptians attributed the effectiveness of their collective endeavors to the pharaoh,

in whose office the corporate personality of his subjects was represented.
But in the case of Akhenaton, the emphasis on his divine nature appears
to have been intensified to the point that even his person was held to be divine. Unlike
other kings, he, after the manner of a god, even had his own high priest during his

lifetime. He may have sought to attain this unusual status by celebrating a jubilee
festival very early in his reign, even before he moved the court to Amarna. One
aspect of the jubilee ritual — usually celebrated in the thirtieth year of a pharaoh's
rule— was the temporary identification of the king with the sun god. an apotheosis
that served to reinvigorate the king. Inscriptions from Amarna, however, give
tlie impression that Akhenaton's entire reign was a sort of perpetual celebration of the
jubilee: one inscription proclaims, "The ruler is born like the Aton, enduring unto
eternity like him in celebrating the million jubilees that the living Aton decreed
for him." Since, according to the new theology. Akhenaton alone knew the Aton,
everyone else essentially worshiped Akhenaton and only through his intermediacy
the Aton. Thus the public apparently did not share in the ritual and worship of the
Aton. which was performed by members of the royal family. In this respect the
tiieoiogy of the Amarna period afforded commoners considerably less direct access
to the deity than chd the older polytheistic religion with its cult images of the
gods, which were periodically displayed in public to receive the adoration and petitions

23
 AU- -rz-

m'ffl : JlJf iifiiiilil

The back of a throne found in

thetomb of Tutankhamun: it is
covered with sheet gold, and the
graceful figures of Tutankh-
amun and his queen are inlaid
u'ith colored glass and carnelian.
Their clothes are made of silver.
Above them shines the sun disk
of the Aton, its rays ending in
hands. Behind the queen is a
table supporting a broad collar

of people assembled in the temple forecourts. There was no sacred image of the
Aton on earth save his bodily son Akhenaton.
A certain amount of iconographic and textual evidence indicates that Queen
Nafertiti also partook of divinity in her relationship to her husband and the Aton, so
that the tliree formed a sort of divine triad reminiscent of older groupings of three gods,
such as Amun, the goddess Mut. and the child god Khonsu at Thebes. Viewed in this

light, the depiction of the royal couple and their children in informal affectionate
scenes, which occur often at Amarna, was probably less a diminution of their
status than an illustration of a divine family.

Much has been written about Akhenaton's pacifism, supposedly inspired

by the new theology, and the resultant decay of the Egyptian empire in Asia.

At the time of Akhenaton the growth in power of the Hittite kingdom in Asia Minor
was leading to a confrontation between Egypt ami the Hittites, a development that
also involved Syria and Phoenicia. An archive of diplomatic correspondence, written
in the cuneiform script on clay tablets, was discovered at Amarna. and included
among the.se letters between the Egyptian king and foreign rulers are frantic i)leas

of vassal princes asking for military aid, giving the impression that Akhenaton
was uninterested in attending to what seems to be a disintegrating empire. However,
there are indications that the Egyptian court was well aware that the rival Asiatic

princes tended to portray the situation as worse than it actually was. Indeed, under

Akhenaton military assistance was occasionally rendered to Asiatics if such action

24
was deemed advisable in terms of the total picture of power politics. In addition, the

fact that armed soldiers are frequently depicted in scenes from Amarna should
serve to dispel the notion that Akhenaton was opposed to the use of the military

on religious grounds. The decay of the Egyptian empire in Asia under Akhenaton
seems to have been less extensive than formerly believed and was certainly not
due to his disinterest or pacifism.

There is considerable controversy among scholars about the last several years

of Akhenaton's seventeen-year reign. At some point in these final years, Smenkhkara

-probably Akhenaton's son by a minor wife -was appointed co-regent and was
married to Meritaton. the eldest daughter of Akhenaton and Nafertiti. By this time
.Nafertiti seems either to have died or to have withdrawn from the scene in

retirement, although recently the novel theory has been proposed that Smenkhkara,
one of whose names was identical with an epithet of Nafertiti, was none other
tlian Nafertiti herself, who had adopted the trappings of kingship.

In Akhenaton's last year there seems to have been a resurgence of the cult

of Amun at Thebes. There is some evidence that commoners had not totally relinquished

tlieir traditional beliefs, even in Aklienaton's capital: small amulets of the ancient

deities Hathor and Bes were found in the workers' settlement at Amarna, suggesting
that humble people had continued to cling to familiar household gods. The first

suggestion of a return to orthodoxy outside Amarna occurs in an inscription from

the third year of Smenkhkara's reign, perhaps while Akhenaton was still alive;

it >upplies evidence for a revival of the cult of Amun in a temple erected in the name
of Smenkhkara One may suppose that at Thebes, where the persecution
at Thebes.
of Amun had been most intense, the ousted members of the Amun clergy and much
of the local population harbored considerable resentment against Akhenaton's

reforms. It has been speculated that Akhenaton may have sent Smenkhkara to Thebes
to effect a reconciliation with the conservatives, but there is no positive evidence
for any change of heart in Akhenaton himself, whose religious fervor seems to have
intensified in the second half of his reign, when a great purge of Amun was
carried out. Thus the renewal of the cult of Amun at Thebes may have been a response

to local pressure rather than the result of an order from Amarna to reverse the tide.

Akhenaton seems to have died in 1334 B.C. and was probably buried in a tomb
tliat had been prepared for him and Nafertiti in a desert valley to the east of

Amarna. On the other hand Smenkhkara - whose death apparently occurred at about
the same time as Akhenaton's — may have been interred in the traditional royal burial

ground, the Valley of the Kings in western Thebes. A much disturbed and puzzling
burial there contained the skeletal remains of a young man who may well have been

Smenkhkara. Pathologists who have examined both these remains and Tutankhamun's
mummy believe the two were probably full brothers. Certain funerary objects

manufactured for Smenkhkara's burial were found in Tutankhamun's tomb:

Smenkhkara's names were originally present — and were erased and replaced by
Tutankhamun's — on both the miniature cofi&ns containing Tutankhamun's embalmed
viscera I Color Plates 26-27 ) and on some gold bands placed on his mummy. These
objects, interestingly, do not reflect the theology of Amarna but traditional funerary
beliefs associated with Osiris, god of the dead.
With the passing of Akhenaton and Smenkhkara, Tutankhaton- Tutankhamun's
original name, meaning "Perfect is the life of Aton" or possibly "Living image
of Aton" — came to the throne around 1334 B.C. as a boy of about nine years of age,
a figure arrived at by subtracting the length of his reign of nearly ten years from

25
 the pathologists' estimate of his age at death. There is good evidence that Tutankhaton
was the son of a king, and aUhough there are inscriptions referring to Amenhotpe III

as his father, chronological considerations now favor the view that he was actually
Akhenaton's son, since the Egyptian word for "father" can also mean "grandfather"
or "ancestor." Tutankhaton's mother may have been a minor wife of Akhenaton
named Kiya, but was probably not Nafertiti. whose children, so far as we know,
were limited to daughters.

During Tutankhaton's early childhood at Amarna. he was exposed only

to the new religion and to the revolutionary naturalistic style of art. He was probably
unaware of most of the traditions in religion and art: the images of the old gods,
the ancient liturgies and myths were passe.
When he was still a child, Tutankhaton was married to Ankliesenpaaton,
a daughter of Akhenaton and Nafertiti, and his legitimacy as king of Egypt was
ensured. It is interesting to note that the two brothers. Smenkhkara and Tutankhaton.
both married daughters of Akhenaton who seem to have been previously espoused
to their own father, and possibly to have each borne a daughter by this incestuous

marriage. Some scholars dispute these father-daughter marriages, but if Tutankhaton's

age has been correctly ascertained by pathologists, he could not have fathered a
child known as "Ankhesenpaaton Junior" during the first three years of his reign,
the only time when he and his wife bore Atonist names.

Initially Tutankhaton and his court resided at Amarna, continuing the

worship of the Aton. though perhaps with somewhat less fervor than when Akhenaton
was alive. It was not long before traditional gods such as Amen-Ra and Mut infiltrated

Amarna itself; there are a number of scarabs from the first years of Tutankhaton's
rule at Amarna that mention Amun.
The appearance of elements of the traditional religion at Amarna at this time
was perhaps spurred by the death of Akhenaton, who had been so closely identified

with the Aton. The theology of Amarna had emphasized the Aton's continual
revitalization of the living Akhenaton, but this philosophy failed to provide an
adequate mythological answer to the problem of life after death, as did the

older belief in Osiris, a god who had died and was then revivified to become the lord

of the dead, and with whom the deceased identified. The Amarna theology made
it impossible for the deceased king to be identified with Osiris, who was not officially

recognized at Amarna. Perhaps unanswered questions regarding the fate of the

dead Akhenaton led even those who had backed his cause to question the primacy
of the Aton to the exclusion of the traditional gods.

During the first few years of Tutankhaton's rule at Amarna. it is pos>ibit'

that Nafertiti was still alive. The newly proposed theory that King Smenkhkara was
in fact Nafertiti leads to further speculation that she was a regent for the young
Tutankhaton; thus the restoration of the cult of Anuui at Tlielies. which was said to

have occurred during Smenkhkara's third year of rule, niigiit be assigned instead
to the third year of Tutankhaton's reign, under Nafertiti's regency. This theory,
however, leaves unanswered the question of tlic identity t)f tiie remains said
to be Smenkhkara's.
Several of the objects buried with TutanklKuiuin i)ioliali!y date from his years
at Amarna: these include pieces obviously designed for a ciiilds u>c. such as a

diminutive chair and a small bracelet (Color Plates 6, 17 ), as well as objects iiiscriiied

with the Atonist form of iiis name, such as a flail ( Color Plate 5 ) anti a .scribal |)alelte

on which Tutankhaton is described as "beloved of Thoth, the lord of writing."

26
 In the third year of Tutankhaton's reign, Amarna was abandoned as the capital

in fa\ or of Memphis and Thebes, and the Atonist names of the royal couple were
ahered from Tutankli«/on and Ankhesenpa«^o« to Tutankhawf/H anil Ankiiescnnr/u/n,

officially signifying their switch in devotion from the Aton to Amun.

During Tutankhamun's reign there was a tremendous amount of activity
connected with the restoration of the old religion, especially at Thebes. The
priesthoods, which had been dissolved by Akhenaton, were reconstituted, and new
statues and images of the gods were made, some in the likeness of Tutankhamun
himself. The majestic Luxor temple, which his grandfather Amenhotpe III had erected,
was embellished with magnificent panoramas in painted relief, depicting in detail

the great feast of Amun, which was revived in all its splendor. This festival involved

a river procession of the elaborately decorated barges of the Theban gods, welcomed
by crowds of jubilant Thebans. During the restoration Tutankhamun's ties with
his grandfather were stressed, while the Amarna period was officially described as
one during which the gods had withdrawn so that prayers were left unheeded.
It is significant, however, that at this time there was no outright attack upon the Aton,
who still remained a god, but no longer the sole one.
A numiier of pieces from Tutankhamun's tomb reflect the moderate attitude
toward Atonism. In the charming scene portraying the king and queen in the

Amarna style, illustrated earlier on page 24, the Aton disk is prominently featured
while the king's name appears in its Amun form. However, on one side of this
golden throne the Atonist name Tutankhaton appears. On another throne, inlaid in
ebony and ivory, the sun disk is again prominent, and inscriptions contain the
king's names in both forms. Among the king's epithets on this throne are references

to Tutankhamun's close relationship to the traditional gods: he is called "'the image

of Ra, beloved of the gods" and "the son of Amun, whom he desired to be king."

Conversely, an inscription on a tall-legged cabinet indicates that even after the

restoration of the old temples, Tutankhamun could still be called "the eldest son
of Aton in heaven."
Just as there is no evidence of an attack on the Aton under Tutankhamun,
so there is no positive indication of the persecution of Akhenaton's memory during
Tutankhamun's reign. Tutankhamun's tomb contained a box bearing the cartouches
of Akhenaton and Smenkhkara, an artist's palette that belonged to Akhenaton's eldest
daughter Meritaton. and the lid of a small box depicting Akhenaton's daughter
Neferneferura. An estate of the Aton was still supplying the royal household with
wine as late as the ninth year of Tutankhamun's reign.
The nature of the evidence pertaining to the return to orthodoxy under
Tutankhamun suggests that a symbiosis of Atonism and Amunism existed for some
time during liis reign, and that the Amarna style of art continued. The golden
shrine illustrated in Color Plates 8-9 bears a number of references to the traditional
gods, but the scenes depicting the king and his queen are rendered in the freer
style of art characteristic of the Amarna period.
Whereas Akhenaton's reformation had been intolerant of the existence of

the old gods, the counter-reformation under Tutankhamun was more charitable and
liroad-minded. At issue was not the specific name of the god but the nature of the

divine. A trumpet from Tutankhamun's tomb I Cat. no. 3 I bears a scene of the king in
the presence of the three major gods of the New Kingdom: Amen-Ra, Ra-Harakhty,
and Ptah. A somewhat later hymn describes the relationship of these gods: "Three are
all gods: Amun, Ra, and Ptah, and they have no counterpart. 'Hidden' is his name

27
 as Amun, he is Ra in the sight [of men], and his body is Ptah." The old theology
of Egypt respected the divine as being both beyond human comprehension and yet

manifest in the cosmos and in sacred images. Because the divine also acted in
human terms, the Egyptian could even speak of recognizing "the god who is in man,"
believing that the deity does inspire man directly in guiding his heart. Ender
Akhenaton. it would have been more difficult to discern the divine in one's fellow
man, for the emphasis at Amarna was that knowledge of the Aton was Akhenaton's
prerogative, and he in turn "taught" his subjects. An account of Tutankhamuns
reforms, known as the restoration stele, is quite explicit about the disruption of the
relationship between god and man that had occurred as a result of Akhenaton's
innovation that made the king an intermediary in man's approach to god. With the
counter-reformation under Tutankhamun it was once again possible for men to

encounter the gods directly.

Because of Tutankhamun's youth and Atonistic background, his active role
in the return to orthodoxy must have been minimal. In fact, Tutankhamun possesses
no personality about which the historian can talk. The achievements of his reign

were probably less a result of his will than the activity of two important individuals:
the vizier Ay and the general Haremhab. The aged Ay had had a close association

with Amarna, where he served as overseer of all the king's horses, and where
he had prepared an imposing tomb for himself; because of his attachment to the
Amarna royal family, indicated by his title "God's Father," Ay was probably
responsible for the moderation that characterized the return to polytheism. The
similarity between Ay's titles and those of Yuya, Queen Teye's father, as well

as connections both men had with the Elpper Egyptian town of Akhmim, does lend
some support Ay was Nafertiti's father.
to the theory that

On the other hand, Haremhab, who must have been an army commander under
Akhenaton, had less discernible associations with Amarna, nor did he have any
blood relationship with the royal family. Born in Middle Egypt, Haremhab
distinguished himself both as a general and as king's deputy under Tutankhamun.
In Asia Haremhab seems to have achieved some success in reasserting Egyptian
authority, which was being challenged by the Hittites, Any decline in Egypt's Asiatic
relationships at this time may have been due less to any lack of military preparedness
on Egypt's part than to the growth of Hittite power and influence in Asia. The text
The photograph above was taken on Tutankhamun's restoration stele suggests Egyptian forces did function effectively
during the unwrapping of Tut-
ankhamuns mummy: amulets
in Asia under Tutankhamun, who elsewhere is said to have filled the temple

and other funerary equipment workshops with male and female slaves captured abroad. Indeed, in Haremhab's
made of gold can be seen, u'ith tomb in Mempliis, decorated under Tutankhamun, there are reliefs and texts
thr iron-h/nded dagger at the left
suggesting that a delegation of Asiatic princes came to Egypt imploring aid against
their enemies' incursions, while another scene from the same tomb depicts
Asiatic prisoners.
Tlie pharaoh is customarily shown singlehandedly defeating foreign enemies
in royal reliefs of the New Kingdom, and on several objects from his tomb
Tutankhamun is depicted vanquishing Egypt's foes. But this sort of evidence cannot
be used as jjroof that Tutankiiamun actually took part in military campaigns. The
nature of the concept of the pharaoh was suili that it wa> he who ])revailed over

enemies even in battles he had not personally fought. It is conceivable, however, that
as Tutankhamun matured, he might have engaged in warfare: the pharaoh
Amenhotpe II had campaigned in Asia at the age of eighteen. Thus it is remotely
possible that Tutankhamun may have used in battle some of the bows that were

28
discovered buried with him I Color Plate 28). Certainly he was trained in archery, for
an inscription on the handle of a magnificent gold fan (Color Plate 11) informs us
that its plumes, now disintegrated, were obtained from ostriches hunted by

Tutankhannin on the desert east of Heliopolis, near modern Cairo.

As king's deputy Haremhab was also much involved in internal reconstruction

and. perhaps more than Ay, was the dynamic power behind the throne. To the south

Egypt was firmly in control of the Nubian gold mines, and in the Theban tomb
chapel of Tutankhamun's viceroy of Kush are illustrated the products of Africa that
contributed to making this an opulent age. which, thanks to the treasures contained
in Tutankhamun's tomb, we are now in a position to appreciate. While we are
apt to be most impressed by the amount of gold found in this tomb, several objects

made of iron, including a miniature headrest and a beautiful dagger (shown on

page 28 I, are of archaeological importance. Before Tutankhamun's time, iron objects
are of extreme rarity, for Egypt was the last of the countries of the Near East to
become an Iron Age culture. The smelting of iron on a significant scale seems to have
been first achieved by the Hittites.
While the restoration of the old cults was still in progress, Tutankhamun
suddenly died. Mystery surrounds his death. It has been observed that his skull
exhibits some damage, which might be interpreted as indicating that he was
assassinated, although it is possible that this injury occurred after his death. Also

baffling are two mummified stillborn children, probably male and female, placed
in his tomb. While they could easily be the dashed hopes of the royal couple
for continuing their line, it has also been proposed that the fetuses were interred with
Tutankhamun for religious reasons, to aid symbolically in the revivification of the

\"
3f i^ A corner of the Treasury, the
third chamber
amun's tomb, its
in Tutankh-
contents hastily
tidied by the necropolis guards
after an ancient robbery. A chest
containing the mummified
bodies of two stillborn babies,
perhaps Tutankhamun's chil-

dren, lies against the back wall

29
 dead king through the male and female principle.
Tutankhamun's early death seems to have caught him unprepared. Often,
in the New Kingdom, the first year of a king's reign was characterized by the
initiation of new projects, one being the construction of the king's future tomb
in the Valley of the Kings. This was not the case, however, with Tutankiiamun, who
had come to the throne at Amarna. From the very modest size and arrangement
of the chambers in which he was buried, it is obvious that his sepulcher was a hastily-
converted commoner's tomb, not intended for a royal burial. The meagerly and
not too expertly decorated Burial Chamber cannot compare either in quality or in
extent of decoration with many of the royal tombs previously known.
Rather, Tutankhamun's tomb is famous for what it contained. Some objects
were belongings that he had used during his life and might be expected to enjoy
in the afterlife; some were strictly of a funerary nature, such as amulets to protect him
during his travels through the underworld, and funerary statuettes with his visage
and tools to perform any labors the gods might assign to him. The artisans had
ten weeks to complete all the funerary equipment - the coffins, the shrines that

protected them, and other requirements of the burial ceremony- since the process
of mummification took seventy days.

The corpse was mummified on the west side of the Nile. After the internal
organs, except the heart, had been removed, the body was packed in a dry
mineral called natron for dehydration. Then resins, gums, and oils were used to
embalm the body, which was carefully wrapped in linen bandages and adorned
with amulets and other jewelry. Meanwhile, the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestines,
which had been treated separately, were usually placed in four containers called

Canopic jars. In the case of Tutankhamun. the organs were placed in four miniature
coffins (Color Plates 26-27 ), which in turn were deposited in a Canopic chest, the
four cavities of which were capped with lids bearing the king's likeness ( Color Plate
12 ). The chest was enclosed in a shrine guarded by four statuettes of the goddesses
Isis, Nephthys, Selket ( Color Plates 24-25 I , and Neith.
After the mummy had been wrapped and provided with a mask, it was drawn
on a canopied sledge to the tomli. Tutankhamun's sledge was hauled by the highest
officials of the state, perhaps first to the funerary temple and then on to the tomb,
where the interment of the pharaoh marked his entrance into the netherworld.

The aged Ay. who succeeded Tutankhamun as king, officiated at the young
king's funeral and also completed a temple at Karnak that Tutankhamun had started.
Perhaps it was Ay who encouraged Tutankhamun's widow to write a strange letter

to the very man who was threatening the northern reaches of the Egyptian empire: she
asked the king of the Hittites. Shuppiluliumash, to send her a Hittite prince for a
husband, who could become king of Egypt since it would be improper for her to wed an
Egyptian commoner. The Hittite king, suspicious of tlii> appeal, sought furtlirr
clarification from Egypt, and when he was convinced of the genuineness of the
widow's plea, sent his son Zannanzash on his way to Egypt. Ay was okl, and
this extraordinary maneuver was perhaps the only hope the glorious Eighteenth
Dynasty line had of perpetuating itself. But the ilittitr prince was murdered
before he reached Egypt: |)resuniably llareniliab. a> a iKili()iKdi>t. perceived tlu"

tiangers inherent in this scheme and had the ilitlite |)rince assassinated. The murder
of Zannanzash did result in more vigorous Hittite military action against Egyptian
outposts in Syria. The Asiatic wars of the Nineteenth Dynasty pharaohs Setliv 1 and
Ramesses H never successfully recovered areas lost to the Hittites, who proved

30
 mm p

Part of the painted decoration in

to be a formidable foe until Ramesses II finally concluded a treaty with them and the Burial Chamber, this frieze
depicts, from right to left: Tut-
subsequently married Hittite princesses. Thus further indecisive wars in Asia
ankhamun's successor Ay, with
were the price Egypt had to pay for maintaining a native Egyptian on the throne, but the leopard-skin mantle of a
at least Egypt was spared the possibility of another foreign humiliation. setem priest, performing the
As a powerful general Haremhab had only to wait until Ay's death before important ceremony called
"Opening the Mouth" on Tut-
he easily took over the throne. As pharaoh he sought to indicate more clearly
ankhamun's mummy, garbed as
the leading role he had played in effecting the restoration of the traditional gods and Osiris; Tutankhamun standing
tried to obliterate the memory of his immediate predecessors by razing their before the sky goddess Nut; and
Osiris, god of the dead, welcom-
monuments or by replacing the names of Tutankhamun and Ay with his own. As a
ing Tutankhamun, tcho is fol-
result of this thorough pogrom, Egyptians of succeeding generations were little
lowed by his spirit double
aware of the importance of the young king's brief reign.
But from what we have learned since the discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb,
we can begin to piece together the story of the Eighteenth Dynasty. From rather
humble beginnings this dynasty marked the conversion of Egypt from a land dominated
by Asiatic overlords to a world power that controlled an important area of western
Asia. Egyptian culture was vitally affected by the creation of empire, but ultimately
a theological crisis developed that struck at the very roots of Egyptian religious
thought. As a boy, Tutankhamun had grown up at a time when most Egyptians must
have been confused by the new theology and art that Akhenaton promulgated.
It was in Tutankhamun's short reign that the validity of traditions which had been
challenged was reaffirmed in a spirit of reconciliation. There is some reason to

suspect that the richness of Tutankhamun's burial was extraordinary, and some of the
objects, like an elegant figure of the king's mummy (Color Plate 23), were actually
donated by private citizens. Perhaps Tutankhamun's magnificent burial, with all

its gilt and gold, was less a tribute to his youthful person than an expression of the
community's feeling of relief at the restoration of the old gods and traditions.
Perhaps Tutankhamun was, even in death, more of a concept than a personality.

31
COLOR PLATES

PLATE 1 As a work of art the painted

wooden figure shown at the right stands out
among the whole contents of Tutankh-
amun's tomb. It illustrates one of the most
picturesque ancient Egyptian accounts of
the initial creation : it represents the
infant sun god at the moment of birth,
emerging from a blue lotus that grew in a
pool left by the receding waters of the
primordial ocean. The features are unmis-
takably those of Tutankhamun, and the
shape of the elongated skull is very
reminiscent of the Amarna princesses who
may have been his half-sisters. By liaving
this model in his tomb. Tutankhanum.
through the process of imitative magic,
would have an instrument that would enable
him to be reborn as the sun god every
day. (Cat. no. 1 I
 \ .-<!
s
•

^'^'•BP*^
PLATE 2 The alabaster chalice below repre-
sents a single bloom of the white lotus. Its
discoverers called it the "wishing cup,"
from its inscription to Tutankhaniun: "May
you spend millions of years, you who love
Thebes, sitting with your face to the north
wind, your two eyes beholding happiness."
( Cat. no. 2 I

Tiu' god of eternity, who is also (Irpicled on

the handles of the wishing cup. dominates
the superbly carved panel on the hark of
thisceremonial cliair. Every detail has been
executed with the utmost feeling and
delicacy; the figure of the god possesses
elegance and grace, and each hieroglyph is

a work (if art in it>elf. (Cat. no. 12)

^^r>
i>r>\- m
•'Vi-i
i^i XJ'
'"^^ismi.
mm::
 ) 1

PLATE 3 Leopard-skin mantles were worn

by many categories of Egyptian priests, and
two - one a real skin, the other a cloth imita-
tion — were buried with Tutankhamun for
his use in the afterlife. This head, of wood
overlaid with gold, belonged to the real
leopard skin. I Cat. no. 4)

The stool above, with an inflexible seat

firmly joined to the legs, imitates a folding
stool with a leopard-skin seat. ( Cat. no. 1 1

PLATE 4 (OVERLEAF) Reversing the

natural colors, the spots on the stool's
leopard-skin seat are made of ivory, set in
an ebony background. Leopards were extinct
in Egypt in the New Kingdom, but their
skins were regularly included among tribute
sent annually from Nubia (Cat. no. 11
X* .
5?

4t •

li
 1

PLATE 5 Some fifty alabaster

vases, such as the one at the left,

were found in the tomh. nearly all

emptied of their precious contents
by ancient robbers. Cat. no. 10
( )

The crook and the flail were the

insignia of the beneficent god Osiris,
and were carried on some ceremonial
occasions by the pharaoh. The flail
shown here is inscribed with Tut-
ankhamun's name in its original
form. Tutankhaton. and it is possible
that he carried it at his coronation
when he was about nine years old.
(Cat. no. 5)

Tutankhamun is represented on the

golden buckle at lower right as a
warrior returning from battle, his
hound running beside his chariot.
Taken as a whole, the design means
that Tutankhamun. protected by the
goddesses of Upper and Lower
Egypt and supported by its inhabi-
tants, will vanquish all his enemies.
(Cat. no. 6
PLATE 6 Both in form ami in conslrurtion.

this chair is typical of its period. The wood,

probably ebony, is decorated with ivory
inlay and with gilded panels depicting ibexes
and desert plants. Because of its small size
- it is only twenty-eight inches high - it is
thought to have been made for Tutankhamuii
when he was a child. I Cat. no. 8 I
PLATE 7 The chests shown here are
examples of the Egyptian craftsman's ex-
quisite use of materials. The one at the left
is made of ebony and a red wood, perhaps

red cedar: it is the only known example of

an ancient Egyptian portable chest. The
casket below is carved of alabaster, with
painted decoration. It bears the name of
both Tutankhamun and his queen, and
contained two balls of hair wrapped in linen,
which are thought to indicate some kind of
contract. Cat. nos. 7, 9
( )
PLATE 8 The trumpet at the far left, made
of bronze or copper with gold overlay, is one
of three ancient Egyptian examples of this
instrument: to the right is its wooden stop-
per, used with a cloth to clean it or to prevent
its being damaged when not in use. Trumpets
are perhaps the only ancient instrument
whose exact sound can be reproduced today.
(Cat. no. 3)

The small golden shrine at the right is in the

form of the sanctuary of the vulture goddess
Nekhbet. Every exposed surface is covered
with scenes, inscriptions, or some other kind
of decoration, all in relief. I Cat. no. 13 )
 ''^.1^

^ ^
 m
9!

_
^r^.

fm
I
it'.

f^r-

:)

•^hmMB «

^!H-

<yi
PLATE 9 The picture at left shows the interior of the golden
shrine (Cat. no. 13 ) , with a pedestal that probably once
supported a golden statuette of Tutankhaniun. stolen by the
ancient robbers. The imprint of the statuette's tiny feet can still be
seen.The scene above shows the king and queen in the relaxed
and informal poses that are a vestige of the Amarna style.
The king is seated on a stool that suggests the one in Color Plate 3.
PLATE 1 The eerie emblem at the left,

marie of gilded wood, is associated with

the god Anubis: it depicts a headless
animal skin attached to a pole, in an
alabaster base. It harks back to very
remote times, when real animal skins
were swathed in bandages like a mummy
and placed in tomb shrines. Cat. no. 15
( I

The oil-burning lamp below, carved from

a single piece of alabaster, represents a
lotus plant growing from the bed of a
pond. Slight traces of oil were still visible

in the three cups when the lamp was first

discovered. fCat.no. 141

The charming beast shown at the right

may have been intended to suggest the

king's lion-like character. Lively scenes
of animals incombat are incised on the
unguent jar beneath. (Cat.no. 16)
^r
PLATE 1 1 Tutankhamun himself is shown hunt-
ing the ostriches whose feathers — now disintegrated
— were used for the plumes of this fan. On the
reverse ( below ) . the dead ostriches are borne off
by His Majesty's attendants. ( Cat. no. 18 I

The handsome gold case at the right was made to

contain some kind of unguent. Both figures repre-

sent Tutankhamun, once with fair skin and, at

left,with a black face. Although the color has no

ethnic significance, its precise meaning is not
easy to explain: it may symbolize regeneration.
(Cat.no. 19)
PLATE 1 2 These are three portraits
of Tutankliainun. as a chubby child
I left I and then at the time of his
death, about ten years later. The
figure below is made of gold, and top-
ped a staff that the young king may
have carried at his coronation.
(Cat. no. 171

The portrait above is one of the four

alabaster stop])ers in a magnificent
Canopic chest in which the king's
internal organs were placed.
(Cat. no. 44)

The mask at the right is probably the

most famous work of art from Tut-
ankhamun's tomb. Made of solid
gold, it seems to be a faithful de])ic-

tion of the king: the rather narrow

and shape of the nose
eyes, fleshy lips,
and chin all agree with the features
visible on his mummy. Cat. no. 25 I )

PLATE 13 (OVERLEAF) This superb

gold collar, inlaid with colored glass.
was placed on the chest of Tutankh-
amuirs nunnmy. In the form of the
vulture goddess Nekhbet, it was
intended to provide magical protec-
tion. (Cat. no. 23)
 :^^?^ij

%^

^ '/^
m:^
rf*<r:
PLATE 1 4 Gold daggers were probably This solid gold necklace, encrusted on the
reserved for royalty, and this one is an out- front with blue and red glass, was probably
standing illustration of the goldsmith's worn by Tutankhamun during his lifetime.
technical skill. Its simple blade is set off not The vulture goddess Nekhbet is shown hold-
only by the ornate haft but also by the richly ing the hieroglyphic sign for "infinity.'" On
decorated sheath, which includes artistic the reverse, Nekhbet is depicted wearing ;

features with a foreign appearance. necklace decorated with Tutankhamun's

(Cat. no. 20) name. I Cat. no. 24)
PLATE 15 The bracelet illustrated
in three views at the left was placed
on the right arm of Tutankhamun's
mummy. It depicts an uJjat eye —
a human eye and eyebrow to which
are added the markings on a falcon's
head. With the exception of the
scarab, the udjat eye was the most
popular amulet in ancient Egypt. It

symbolized filial piety and was

thought to be a potent amulet
against sickness as well as capable
of restoring the dead to life.

(Cat. no. 21)

The heavy gold rings at the right

depict some of the most important
Egyptian deities, whose cults
Tutankhamun restored after their
suppression by his predecessor
Akhenaton. (Cat. no. 22)
^1

K
 PLATE 16 This tiny figure of solid
gold was found, wrapped in a
piece of linen, within a gilded
miniature coffin. It has been iden-
tified asAmenhotpe III, but it
seems more probable that it rep-
resents Tutankhamun himself.
(Cat. no. 41)

The elaborate pectoral at the left

dramatically illustrates a fusion

of two related symbols that were
originally independent. In Egyp-
tian art the sun god could be
represented both as a scarab and
as a falcon: here he is symbolized
by a chalcedony scarab that
serves as the body of a falcon
with outstretched wings. It has
the forelegs of a scarab and, at
the back, falcon's legs.
(Cat.no. 26)

The jewel at the right depicts the

sun god as a falcon, a very ancient
conception probably inspired by
the falcon's habit of flying high
in the air. In each talon it holds
the signs for "life" and
"infinity." (Cat. no. 27)
•^CA
iir-
i'
-jm

M^l
_J
 )

PLATE 18 In the Egyptian lan-

guage, a word for hand mirror was
ankh, spelt hke the word meaning
'Ufa." The artist who designed this
mirror case in the form of the hiero-
glyphic sign for "life" was no doubt
deliberately indulging in a play on
words. I Cat. no. 30 I

The pectoral on this lovely necklace

symbolizes the nocturnal journey of
the moon across the sky. A golden
bark containing the moon (repre-
sented by a disk with crescent I

floatsabove the sky sign in celestial

waters from which lotus flowers
grow. Cat. no. 31
I I

PLATE 19 (OVERLEAF) Onthenext

pages are shown details of this neck-
lace: the gold counterpoise decor-
ated with lotus and poppies, and the
pectoral with the moon bark. The
moon disk and crescent are made of
electrum. a natural alloy of gold and
silver, and the other parts of the
necklace consist of gold, feldspar,
lapis lazuli, carnelian, and dark-
colored resin. I Cat. no. 31
i#f
 ffl^

i v..
 From the earliest times onward, the
regular vehicle of transport in Egypt was
the boat. Nature had provided a river
that was navigable at all seasons, and sail-

ing against the current was greatly simpli-

fied because the prevailing wind blew in

PLATE 20 A small group of articles

used in writing was found in Tutankh-
amun's tomb, although he himself may not
have been able to write. Among them
were a handsome papyrus burnisher Cat. I

no. 34 and a very elaborate pen holder

)

(Cat. no. 33 ).
that direction. This model boat is one
of seven of its kind that were stacked
higgledy-piggledy in the Treasury of Tut-
ankhamun's tomb. Since it has neither oars
norsail, it must represent a barge towed

on some formal occasion. (Cat. no. 36)

 m
r
m ^^^i^—

•mitifiimiaimmmim
PLATE 21 This depiction of the pharaoh on the back of a leopard
seems to have been connected with incidents in the passage of the
king through the underworld. The leopard is black, the color
of darkness, but it would have been inappropriate to depict the king
in black because he was associated with the sun god, who brought
a brief spell of light to the underworld as he passed through it
each night. ( Cat. no. 38 I

The superb piece illustrated at the left is an outstanding example of

the Egyptian sculptor's ability to represent realistically the
poise of thehuman body in the course of movement. The pharaoh
is about harpoon a hippopotamus of Seth, the god of evil, which
to is

not shown for magical reasons, because its presence in the tomb
might be a source of danger to the king. Cat. no. 35 I I
i*^
PLATE 22 This dramatic creature
is a cobra with dilated liood. Made
of gilded wood, with quartz eyes,
it represents a serpent deity that
Tutankhaniun believed would help
him in the journey through the
underworld. Cat. no. 37
I I

Ptah. patron deity of artists and

craftsmen, was the principal god of
Memphis, the capital of Egypt in the

time of the kings who built the pyra-

mids. The theologians of Memphis
maintained that it was Ptah w ho had

created the world and all living

creatures: his tongue uttered the
name of everything and thereby
brought it into existence. It was a

more intellectual conception of the

creation than the notion that the sun
god emerged from a lotus, and it

never lost its appeal to the

Egyptians. I Cat. no. 39 I
 .^

'--
V V
•,
:
 Shaivabty figures are among the
commonest objects that have been
preserved from ancient Egypt: they
were substitutes for their deceased
owner when the god Osiris ordered
him to do manual labor in the next
world. fCat.no. 42)

PLATE 23 Carved from a single

piece of wood, this model consists of
a figure of Tutankhamun wrapped
in a shroud and lying on a bed.
Beside the body are small figures of
a falcon and a human-headed bird
(called the fco-bird I. each with one

wing protectively laid on the body

of the king: these are two of the
forms that the king might adopt
when visiting his body after it had
been mummified. (Cat. no. 40)
PLATE 24 This graceful figure portrays the goddess Selket,
whose eiiilileni. a scorpion, is placed on her head. She is one
of four goddesses who wooden shrine
stood outside the gilded
that housed the chest containing Tutankhainuns nuinuuified
internal organs, the goddesses' outstretched arms spreading
protection over their charges. Selket's divine role was not
limited to funerary duties: also as.sociated with childhirtli and
nursing, she was chiefly noted for her control of magic.
( Cat. no. 43 I
-j:^
PLATE 25 In its naturalistic style the statue of Selket resembles the art of
Amarna, but its most striking feature is the turn of the head sideways. It is the more
remarkable because it breaks one of the most fundamental and persistent
rules of Egyptian plastic art, the so-called rule of frontality, which meant every
figure carved intheround was supposed to face the viewer directly. Cat. no 43
( )
m j#fV.

#^L
PLATES 26 AND 27 (OVERLEAF) Tliis is one of
four miniature coffins that contained Tutankh-
amun's internal organs. Made of beaten gold inlaid
with colored glass and carnelian, the coffins may
originally have been made for Smenkhkara,
Akhenaton's co-regent at the end of his reign; there
is a general facial resemblance to Tiitankhamun.

who was perhaps Smenkhkara's brother or lialf-

brother. Cat. no. 45
( )
 '^

M
m
^, Ar A'' ^ ..
 i 'VIA

m W.
.JliL - '.U. -'. .->

I
bj w
>v^«^^
 PLATE 28 The left paw of the hon depicted
on this alabaster unguent vase rests on the
hieroglyphic symbol for "protection." When
the vase was found the crown was missing,
having been wrenched off by ancient thieves.
The contents, some dried fatty substance
black in color, remained intact. Cat. no. 53 ( )

In the intricacy of its decoration, the angular

bow shown below is one of the
in the detail
most elaborate of some fifty weapons of its
class found in Tutankhamun's tomb. The
head of the horse represented here is adorn-
ed with ostrich plumes, and an ostrich-plume
fan is shown behind its flank. Cat. no. .55
I )

^/i)K^.»y .^v^^^s-^^T^
>
M)
PLATE 29 This ivory
headrest has no close par-
allel in Egyptian art. Shu.
god of the air, holds the
curved support for the
head. According to legend
Shu brought chaos to an
end, at the creation of the
universe, by raising the
sky high above the earth;
this action had to be main-
tained continuously, for
otherwise the sky would
fall and chaos would re-

turn. To indicate that the

base of the headrest rep-
resents the earth, the artist
has included two lions,
symbolizing the moun-
tains on the eastern and
western horizons between
which the sun rose and set.

(Cat. no. 48)

PLATE 30 These two pieces reflect, in dif-
ferent ways, artistic interests of Tutankli-
aniun's period. The vase above is made of
silver — very rare in Egypt — and depicts a
pomegranate, introduced from western Asia
a!id proliahiy still a prized novelty ( Cat. no.
.50 I . The elegant flask at the right is made of
the finest alabaster, and is a product of a
notable revival of the art of carving stone ves-
sels that had been an outstanding achievement
(if early Egyptian craflsnieii I Cat. no. 17 I.
a»' .»THI

4i

4 •*
 PLATE 3 1 The principal decora-
tion of the stool at the
left is made up
of the hieroglyphic sign
for "unifica-
tion" to which are tied
stems of lotus
and papyrus flowers,
symbolizing
the union of Upper and Lower
Egypt. (Cat. no. 49)

The scepter at the right is made

of
sheet gold beaten on a
wooden core,
with a shaft in the form of
a papyrus
flower and stem. (Cat. no.
52)

The gameboard below is the largest

of four found in Tutankhamun's
tomb. To judge from the
number of
boards buried with him, the
game
must have been one of his
favorite
pastimes, and it also was described
in the Book of the Dead as one of the
occupations of the deceased
person
in the next world. ( Cat.
no. 46 »
PLATE 32 Vessels in the shape of animals and birds were made early in
Egypt's history, hut subsequently they seem to have gone out of fashion until
the Eighteenth Dynasty. This ibex is carved of alabaster, but the horns —
only one of which was found — are real animal's horns. The body was hollowed
out to hold unguents. ( Cat. no. 54 I

Both artistically antl technically this wooden chest is undoubtedly one of the
most important works of art in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Carved and
painted ivory panels depict Tutankhamun and his queen in gracious scenes
reminiscent of nuich of the art of the preceding Amarna period. The sides are
decorated with floral motifs and spirited animals. Cat. no. 51 ( I
PLATE 33 111 this (Itliglitfuliiancl from the top of the painted rlu'st,Tiit;inkliamimi^ handed two
liouquf tsl)y Ills wife, licr hearing; erectand yet graceful and niohile. (("at. no. SI1
CATALOGUE

I. E. S. EDWARDS
Former Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities
British Museum

The objects are listed in the order

in which they were excavated.
ENTRANCE PASSAGE

wR
 : .

THE SUN GOD ON A LOTUS was not trying

this fashion, the artist

COLOR PLATE 1 toconvey the idea that the sun god

when he came into being resembled
In remote antiquity, before Egypt Tutankhamun. There were several
had become a nation, the individual different schools of thought about
communities that inhabited the Nile what happened to the sun when it set
Valley and the Delta developed their every evening on the western horizon,
own conceptions of the origin of and one theory was that the sun god,
existence, some of which survived in manifest in the sun, died at sunset
historical times and are preserved to he reborn on the next morning in
either in reUgious texts or in pictorial the lotus, thus repeating every day the
reproductions, and frequently in the original creation. According to
both. These conceptions, having this theory, the earthwas surrounded
evolved independently, differed by the primordial ocean and floated
widely and they were never reduced on the surface of the ocean. By having
to a single, universally accepted this model in his tomb. Tutankha-

creed, although Akhenaton endeav- mun, through the process of imitative

ored to bring about such a change magic, would have an instrument
immediately before the time of that would enable him to be reborn as
Tutankliamun. In one fundamental the sun god every day.
respect, however, there was a very As a work of art this piece is one
considerable measure of agreement: of the most outstanding in the whole
before the first act of creation there contents of the tomb. In shape the
was nothing but a watery abyss, the elongated skull is very reminiscent
primordial ocean caOed Nun. Amarna
of the representations of the
Nature had provided a parallel who may have been
princesses
to the primordial ocean in the annual Tutankhamun's half-sisters. The face
inundation of the country by the is that of a child, as would be
Nile, and just as mounds appeared expected in this context, though the
above the w-ater when the Nile flood perforation of the lobes of the ears
began to recede, so, according to some Elsewhere the lotus is sometimes seems an incongruous detail in a
of the most commonly held beliefs, represented not as the vehicle from newly born child see No. 29 It I I . is

the earth emerged initially, as a which the sun god came into being carved in wood and overlaid with
"High Mound," from the primordial but as a single entity with the god; painted gesso, the eyebrows and
ocean. Exactly where in Egypt this a text in Berhn, dating from about eyelashes being blue in imitation of
mound appeared was never decided two centuries after the time of lapis lazuli, of which the sun god's hair
Hermopolis, Memphis, Heliopolis, Tutankliamun, calls the sun god "the was believed to be made see No. 25 ( )

and, later, Thebes in the precincts of

( great lotus who appeared from Nun." This piece was not found in the
the temple of Medinet Habu were I This painted wooden figure chambers of the tomb but on the floor
all regarded by their respective theo- clearly represents the infant sun god of the entrance corridor, under the
logians as the actual site of the at the moment of birth emerging rubble filUng introduced by the
primeval "High Mound." Once from the blue lotus. The features are necropolis staff after the first robbery.
cosmic matter had evolved, creation unmistakably those of Tutankliamun. Since it is unlikely that it was acci-
could begin, first with the gods and According to the solar creed, a king dentally dropped there when the
then with all living creatures, after death was identified with the furniture was placed in the tomb at
including man. sun god and consequently it was not the time of the funeral, it must be

One of the most picturesque uncommon to depict the sun god with assumed that it was removed from
explanations of the initial creation the features of a particular king. One the tomb by the first robbers and
postulated that a lotus grew in a pool of the best-known examples is the discarded on their way out.
left by the receding waters and from giant sphinx at Giza. which repre-
the flower the sun god emerged as the sents the sungod in the form of a Cairo \o. 60723; Carter No. 8.
first living being. A text dating from human-headed lion, and the face is Height U^yiG in. (30.0 cm.).
a later period describes the sun god thought to be a likeness of King Carter III, pi. I; Desroches-Noble-
as"He who emerged from the lotus Chephren in whose pyramid complex Fox pi. 2;
court 294, frontispiece;
upon the High Mound, who illu- it stands. Morenz and J Schubert 50.
S. .

mines with his eyes the Two Lands." In representing Tutankhamun in Exhibitions: A one.

99
ANTECHAMBER
 .

sign for "life" (ankh ) probably from the Annex. Its

WHITE LOTUS CHALICE
Two inscriptions testify that discoverers called it the "wishing
COLOR PLATE 2
Tutankhamun was the owner of the cup," from the wish at the end of the
frame on the front are
chalice. In the inscription. Cups and chalices in
Carved of a single piece of alabaster his throne name and his personal the form of the flower of a lily and

(calcite and inlaid with blue

) name with the appropriate titles and dating from the Eighteenth to
pigment, this chalice represents a the epithet "Beloved of Amen-Ra, the Twenty-second Dynasty are
single bloom of the white lotus Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands not uncommon: a small faience

( Nymphaea /o<i<5 J, the characteristics and Lord of Heaven, given life for plaque in the Eton College collection
of which, apart from its color, ever." On the lip of the chalice the actually shows Tutankhamun in the

are sixteen to twenty ovoid petals and band of inscription is divided into act of drinkingfrom a large lotus
four ovoid sepals. In this piece two, one reading to the right from chalice comparable in size with the
sixteen petals are shown, all carved the center of the front and the other present piece, but without handles.
in very delicate relief. Rising from the to the left; to the right: "May [he] From the evidence at present avail-
base are two supports for the live, the Horus 'Strong Bull, beautiful able, appears that the cups
it

handles, each support consisting of of birth.' the Two Ladies "Goodly of representing the white lotus were used
a single flower of the blue lily Laws, who pacifies the Two Lands,' as drinking vessels, whereas those
(
Nymphaea caerulea) and two buds. the Horus of Gold 'Exalted of Crowns, representing the blue lily were used
The petals and sepals of the blue who King of
placates the gods,' only for ritualistic purposes.
lilies are narrow and pointed, while LTpper and Lower Egypt and Lord
thenumber of petals in the flower is no of the Two Lands Nebkheperura,
more than twelve to sixteen. The given life." To the left : "May your ka Cairo No. 62125; Carter No. 14.
handles, which are attached to the [spirit] liveand may you spend Height T'Yir, in. (18.3 cm.), width
flowers and to the sides of the chalice, millions of years, you who love 1 1 Vs in. (28.3 cm.) depth of cup
,

are composed of figures of Heh. the Thebes, sitting with your face to the 6% in. (16.8 cm.).
god of on the
eternity, kneeling north wind, your two eyes beholding Carter 1, 110, 190,pl.XLVI;
emblem and holding
of infinity happiness." Desroches-N oblecourt 64, 299,
in each hand a palm rib the I
The chalice was found just pi. XXII B.
hieroglyphic sign for "year" resting ) inside the door of the tomb, whither Exhibitions: Paris No. 42; London
on a tadpole see No. 10 and the
I ) it had been taken by the robbers. No.7;U.S.S.R.No.41.
 . .

TRUMPET
COLOR PLATE 8

This trumpet, made of bronze or

copper with gold overlay, is one of
three known examples of the instru-
ment preserved from ancient Egypt,
two of which were found in the

tomb Tutankhamun: the third

of
is in the Louvre. The bell is decorated

with incised figures of the king and

of three gods, all standing under
the hieroglyphic sign for heaven:
Ra-Harakhty falcon-headed Amen-
I I ,

Ra. and Ptah mummified within a

I

shrine and holding three scepters I

With the trumpet is a wooden stopper

to fit the tube and bell, almost cer-
tainly either for use with a cloth as a
cleaner or to prevent the instrument
being damaged and thus losing its

shape when not in use. A hole at

the thinner end of the stopper was
probably intended for a thong by
which it could i)e suspended beneath
the arm from the shoulder while
the trumpet was being blown. The bell of soldiers, battle scenes, and so forth. blue crown (khepresh) while in his,

is painted to resemble a lotus flower. A trumpeter and a standard bearer lefthand he holds a heqat scepter, of

In comparison with a modern are shown among the first Egyptian the same kind as No. 5, and the
trumpet, this instrument is short soldiers to scale the walls of an Egyptian sign for "life" (ankh) In .

and has no valves. The mouthpiece is Asiatic town in a famous battle scene addition to the helmet he wears a
a cylindrical sleeve with a silver ring in the temple of Ramesses III at bead collar, a shrine-shaped pectoral
at the outer end fixed to the outside Medinet Habu western Thebes
I I suspended from his neck, and a
of the tube; it is not cup-shaped or Sometimes a pair of trumpeters is pleated kilt with an animal's tail at
detachable. Both this trumpet and its shown, but it is noticeable that they the back. His feet are bare. The god
companion in the tomb, which is are never represented both playing at standing in front of hiin, Amen-Ra,
made of silver, have been played in thesame time. As a rule, when he holds the sign for 'iife'' to the king's

recent times and the lowest notes that accompanied soldiers the trumpeter nostrils and places the other hand
could be clearly sounded were D and marched outside the column, punctu- on the king's shoulder.
C respectively. Plutarch (De hide ating by staccato notes the step of This trumpet was found in a long
et Osiride 30remarked that the
)
the soldiers. chest in the Antechamber. It may
people of Busiris and Lycopolis did It is impossible to be certain have been taken there by the robbers
not use trumpets because they whether Tutankhamun's trumpets from the Burial Chamber. The other
sounded like the braying of an ass, were intended solely for military trumpet, wrapped in a reed cover, was
the ass being identified with the god purposes. Nevertheless the figures of left in the southeast corner of the
Seth, the murderer of Osiris. It has the gods on the bell would suggest Burial Chamber outside the outermost
been stated H. Hickman, La
I such a use, for these three gods were golden shrine: it was made of silver.

Trompette dans I'Egyple ancienne, the tutelary deities of three out of

p. 1 I that the trumpet is the only four divisions of the army of
ancient instrument of which the exact Ramesses II at the battle of Qadesh Cairo No. 62008; Carter No. 50 gg.
sound, as heard by the ancients, can (about 1275 B.C. only aboutI , Length 19''Aq in. (49.4 cm.), max.
be reproduced today. seventy-five years after Tutankh- diameter 3^/\ in. (9.5 cm.}.
Several scenes in tombs and amun's death. Their names and Carter II, 19, pi. II B; Desroches-
temples illustrate the trumpet in use epithets are written in hieroglyphs N oblecourt 66; H. Hickman 17-19.
and in most instances it is associated above the figures. The king's name is Exhibitions: Paris No. 39; London
with military activities — processions also given. On his head he wears the No.45;U.S.S.R.No.24.

103
 made of cloth that, according to
Carter, was decorated with tapestry-
woven The other, to which
designs.
this head belonged, was a real
leopard skin. The head, however,
is not real; it is made of wood covered
with gesso and overlaid with gold.
The eyes are made of translucent
quartz with the details painted at the
back, while all the other inlaid
features, including the king's car-
touche with his throne name on the
brow, are made of colored glass.
More than one reason can be
suggested to account for the inclusion
of these "leopard skins' in the tomb
equipment. Perhaps the least probable
is that a leopard skin would be needed
by the king in the next life when he
sailed across the sky to join the
sun god, Ra, on the eastern horizon.
LEOPARD'S HEAD In an allusion to this celestial journey,
COLOR PLATE 3 the ancient texts inscribed on the
walls of the pyramids of the Fifth and
One of the most important episodes son Horus, although in this instance Sixth Dynasties attribute these words
in the funeral of an ancient Egyptian Ay would have been old enough to to a deceased king: ''My leopard
was the performance of a ceremony have been Tutankhamun's skin on my arm, my scepter is in
is

called "Opening the Mouth," the grandfather. my hand." It seems more likely,
purpose of which was to restore life to Leopard-skin mantles were worn however, that Tutankhamun's leopard
the mummified body. It was per- by many categories of priests, be- skins were buried with him because,
formed outside the tomb by priests, sides the setem, when they were in theory, each Egyptian king was
at least one of whom, the setem priest, performing their sacerdotal duties. the high priest of every god, and the
wore a leopard-skin mantle that The origin and significance of the official high priest was merely his
covered most of the otherwise bare custom are unknown, but it was deputy. The skins would thus have
upper part of his body and extended apparently regarded as a barbarous belonged to Tutankhamun's ward-
downward over his skirt. It was worn practice by Akhenaton, because the robe for use on occasions when he was
in such a way that the head of the skin has been deliberately excised acting as a priest.
leopard fell over the priest's chest. by the adherents of the Aton cult from Carter states that the leopard's
This episode is depicted in a the wall paintings in a number of spots on the imitation skin were
painting on the north wall of Tutankli- Theban tombs dating from the pre-
amun's burial chamber. The ritual is Amarna period. Its presence in the
being performed on his mummy, painting in Tutankhamun's tomb
which has been bandaged and clothed shows how completely the creed of
to resemble the god Osiris, and the his predecessor had been discarded.
officiant is King Ay, who had already Perhaps even more indicative of
succeeded to the throne as the Tutankhamun's own disregard for
khepresh crown see No. 17 on his
( ) Akhenaton's proscriptions was the
head shows. He wears the leopard- fact that two "leopard skins" were
skin mantle and is clearly acting as the inclutled among articles of apparel
setem priest. In this particular ritual buried with liim. both packed tightly
the setem priest represented both with a mass of other material in
the son of the dead person and Horus chests, where they had been hastily
the son of Osiris. Tutankhamun had placed by the staff of the necropolis
no son but, having died, lu; had after the robberies, and both in a very
become identifietl with Osiris and his poor state of preservation. One of
successor was identified with Osiris's the '"skins" was onlv an imitation

104
represented by hollow five-pointed years after the death of Tutankh- the other of the two kinds of stars
stars made of sheet gold. In the case amun. In addition to the stars, it is were worn by certain priests, Tutankh-
of the real leopard skin, such imita- adorned with cartouches, those of amun's mantle with a mixture of
tions of the spots would have been Sethy I, no doubt because Userhat ringed and unringed stars appears
unnecessary, and yet some reddish was acting as the king's deputy. to be without parallel.
gold stars and a gold cartouche Another example occurs in the tomb
inscribed with Tutankhamun's throne of a priest of the mortuary cult of
name had been attached to it. but Amenhotpe I, also at Thebes. Perhaps Cairo Ao. 62629; Carter No. 44 q.
the original positions of most of the the stars in these instances are in Height 6~/% in. (1 7.5 cm.), width
stars on the mantle could not be rings because Tuthmose I and 6% in. (16.9 cm.) max. thickness
,

determined. They were of two kinds: Amenhotpe I had gone to the imder- i%6 in. (3.3 cm.).
one kind was a simple five-pointed world. a ringed star being the Carter 1, 113; E.Scamuzzipl.
star I the only kind represented on the hieroglyphic sign for the underworld. XXXVI; N. de G. Davies pis.

imitation "skin" i and the other was Although these representations V-VIII, XI, XXIII.
a five-pointed star within a ring. show that leopard skins with one or Exhibitions: None.
Isolated representations of each
kind of star, but not on the same
mantle, are known. The drawing at
lower left depicts a statue of Queen
Teye's brother, named Onen. in the
Turin Museum that shows him wear-
ing a leopard skin decorated with
five-pointed stars and a cartouche
inscribed with the throne name of
Amenhotpe III. Teye's husband.
Onen was a priest of Amun and a
"Chief of Seers" of Heliopolis of
L pper Egypt I Thebes I : his starred
leopard skin was doubtless his vest-
ment in his latter capacity. In earlier
times, "Chief of Seers" was the title of
the high priest of the ancient temple
of Heliopolis. near Cairo, probably
because one of his duties consisted
of observing the movements of the
stars, and the leopard skin with stars
was his mantle of office. In the
Eighteenth Dynasty, when Thebes
became the Heliopolis of L pper
Egypt, the adoption of the title and
the mantle by the priests followed
naturally.Tutankhamun added the
Upper
epithet "Ruler of Heliopolis of
Egypt" to his name when he became
king, thereby emphasizing his devo-
tion to the Heliopolitan cult. By
virtue of being king he was also high
priest of Heliopolis. and consequently
he would have been entitled to wear
the starred leopard skin.
A leopard skin with five-pointed
stars within rings is depicted in a
tomb at Thebes. It is worn by a high
priest of the mortuary cult of the
deceased king Thutmose I, named
Userhat, who was in office about forty
Two stages in unpacking the box containing Cat. no. 4

105
 ) .

the symbols held by Egyptian kings adopted his insignia. Osiris, however,
in some of their coronation cere- was regarded not only as a god but
monies, it is at least possible that this also as a deified deceased king and
object was the actual flail used by consequently his insignia, particu-
Tutankhaton in his coronation at larly the crook and flail, were treated
Amarna when he was about nine as symbols of royalty.
years of age and before he was It is not difficult to imagine
crowned at Karnak. The crook is how a shepherd's crook could have
inscribed on both the terminal caps acquired the symbolical significance
with the throne name only — a dif- of rulership. Its name in Egyptian is

ference that, in spite of the equality heqat and the most common word for
in size of the two objects, may indi- "ruler" is heqa. Not unnaturally it

cate that they were not originally has been compared with the crosier,
made as a pair. A second pair and an the Christian i)astoral staff. A flail
odd crook, all larger, were found in I called nekhakha I , however, seems
the same wooden box as this flail. All out of character for a kindly and
three crooks are composed of alter- beneficent god like Osiris and for this
nating cylindrical sleeves of metal reason some authorities prefer to
overlaid with gold and dark blue regard it as a ladanisterion, a flail-like
glass upon a bronze core. The handle instrument used until the present day
of the flail, as far as the angular sleeve by shepherds in the Mediterranean
at the top, is similarly composed, but region and elsewhere for collecting
the gilded beads in the thongs of the ladanum, a gummy substance
swingle have wooden cores. excreted from the leaves of the
Although the crook and the flail Cislus plant. According to classical
were most often represented as writers, it was used in the preparation

emljlems of the god Osiris, they were of incense and unguents. This sug-
also carried on some ceremonial gestion, proposed liy the late Profes-
occasions, besides the coronation, by sor P. E.Newberry who helped in the
the reigning pharaoh. Very occasion- clearance of Tutankhamun's tomb,
ally thecrook was held by viceroys is plausible, but, as yet, there is no
ofNubia and also by viziers. A painted clear evidence that the Cislus plant
scene of tribute from Asia in the grew in Egypt in jtharaonic times.

tomb of Tutankhamun's viceroy of

Nubia, Huy, shows the king holding Crook: Cairo No. 61759; Carter
both the crook and flail in his left No. 44 u.

hand and the sign for "life" (aiikh Lengths 13\n in. (33.5 cm.)
in his right, while the viceroy holds a Carter I, pi. XXI 11 A; III, 77-8, pi.

crook, but no flail, hand

in his left XXI A; Desroches-N oblecourt
and a single ostrich plume see No. ( 86,179, fig. 104; P. E. Netvberry
18 in his right. Only rarely is the
I
84-94.
CROOK AND FLAIL flail shown in the hands of priests or Exhibitions: U.S.A. Nos. 4-5; Japan
COLOR PLATE 5 officials and such instances are limited Nos. 4-5; Paris No. 17; London
to scenes of royal juliilee festivals. No. 44; U.S.S.R. No. 18.
These emblems were found sepa- Notwithstanding these sporadic
rately, the crook in the Antechaniher excejjtions, the crook and the flail
and the flail in the Treasury. The flail were essentially Osirian emblems,
is historically the more interesting though possibly not so in origin. OPENWORK BUCKLE
because it bears on the gold cap at Osiris is believed to have acquired COLOR PLATE 5
the base of its handle the king's them from Amijeti, the local god of a
name in its early form of Tutankh- town in the Delta named Djedu, who Tulankhanum is portrayed on this
aton together with his throne nami; was represented in human form with buckle as a warrior returning from
Nebkheperura, thus showing that it two feathers on his head and hold- battle in his chariot (see No. 55),
had belonged to him while he was still ing the crook and flail in iiis hands. with his houndrunning alongside. In
a child, but after he had ascended At a very early date in Kgyi)tian front of the chariot are a bearded
the throne. Since a flail was one of history Osiris absorbed Andjeti and Asiatic and a Nubian — captives

106
 .

shackled together with stems of single on the fan and in the battle scenes and the viewer objects that must have
flowers of a papyrus and a lily. It is on the famous painted casket found lain between them in reality. Three
simply a heraldic device, without in his tomb he wears a leopard-skin of the objects discussed in this volume
historical foundation, for Tutankh- corselet and a kilt with apron. The show the king drawing his bow ( Nos.
amun himself probably never took trappings of the horses are very 13. 18. and .51 )— an action that could
part in any military exploit; even if he similar, though not identical; on the only be performed effectively by
had done so, western Asia lay to the buckle, moreover, there is no visible placing the arrow close to the neck
northeast of Egypt and Nubia to the connection between the reins and the and having the lower half of the bow-
south, so that a campaign against the bit. The hound, wearing the custom- string crossing the body diagonally,
peoples of both regions simultaneous- ary broad collar, also figures in the but the artist has adopted a different
ly would have been geographically hunt, and a pair of hounds accom- technique in each instance. In the
impossible. The heraldic nature of pany the king in the battle scenes on scene on this buckle the king holds a
the presentation is emphasized by the the casket. In only one respect is there pair of reins in each hand and, in
other elements in the composition: a marked difference between the addition, his bow in his left hand and
the protecting vulture of Hierakonpo- accessories shown on the three his whip in his right, but no part of
lis I Upper Egypt
hovering above I objects: most of theaccouterments the hand or arm is obscured by the
the horses and extending the sign of on the buckle are more richly dec- objects carried. The same reluctance
"life" (ankh) toward the king; its orated — in particular, the king's wig to screen one object with another is
counterpart, the winged serpent of and elaborate collar, the chariot, the shown in the representation of the
Buto Lower Egypt with its wings
( ) collar of the hound, and the housing bow case, the lower end of which
outstretched behind him, embracing and harness of the only horse that can passes between the spokes of the
a cartouche bearing his throne name; can be completely seen are all edged chariot wheel, although higher up the
and the cluster of papyrus growing with applied gold granules. rim of the wheel cuts across the
in a swamp see No. 10 ( Immedi- ) . The sheet gold of which this middle of the case. The hound — a
ately behind the chariot is the formal buckle is made shows the reddish or strong, lithe animal — also is conven-
inscription reading, "May all protec- rose-pink color that is common to very tionally shown, his hind half behind
tion of life attend him like Ra for many of the gold objects found in the legs of the far horse and his head
ever." In order to fill the bow-shaped Tutankhamun's tomb. It is not an on the viewer's side of the near horse,
space between the base of the buckle indication of some natural impurity as though his body stretched right
and the level ground beneath the in the metal; it is a film so thin that across the bellies of the horses.
chariot and horses, the artist has measurement is difficult, but it is

employed the standard motif sym- believed to be less than one hundred- Cairo A'o. 87847; Carter No. 44
bolizing the unification of the Two thousandth of an inch in thickness ?;the location of this piece was
(

Lands see No. 49

( I in one of its many and to have been produced by a not recorded)
variants: the hieroglyph for "unifica- process using either iron oxide or Width Sy^c, in. (8.5 cm.) height
,

tion" (sema) and

is in the center iron pyrites and soda. 2 "in in. (6.2 cm.).
bound to it by lotus and papyrus Egyptian artists tried to avoid Desroches-N oblecourt 98. pi XXIla,
stems are a Nubian and an Asiatic intersecting the human body or any 299; Vilimkovd 64.
captive, the whole group being part of it by interposing between it Exhibitions: None.
flanked by a lily symbolizing L^pper
Egypt on the right and a papyrus
flower and buds for Lower Egypt on
the left. Interpreted baldly, the device
would mean that Tutankhamun,
protected by the goddesses of tapper
and Lower Egypt and supported by
the inhabitants of L'pper and Lower
Egypt, will vanquish all his enemies.
If this buckle be compared with
the scene on the reverse side of the
ostrich-feather fan. No. 18, it will be
evident that the king's equipment on
his return from battle was the same as
it was he
after hunting. In each case
wears the short wig and long pleated
robe, though both in the hunt depicted
 sand years before the time of Tut-
ankhamun. Mo other exam[)le of an
actual portable chest is know n.
Carved in low relief on one end
of the chest within a rectangular
frame, the top of which is in the form
of the hieroglyphic sign for "heaven,"
are figures of the king and a god fac-
ing each other and separated by a
vase on a stand. The king, whose ear
is pierced for an earring
see No. (

29 wears the blue crown see No.

) , (

17 with uraeus and streamers, a

I

broad collar and bracelets, and a kilt

with apron. In his outstretched hands
he offers the god a lamp and a pot of
unguent. The lidded vase on the stand
is of the same shape as some blue
faience vessels found in the tomb,
apart from the spout that, in this
representation, is in the form of an
ostrich feather signifying "truth,
justice, right order" I maat — see No.
PORTABLE CHEST could not be undone without breaking 22 According to a hieratic inscrip-
I .

COLOR PLATE 7 the seal covering the knot. Each knob tion on the box containing those
bears within a shrine-shaped frame vessels, they were called by the name
Found on the floor of the Antecham- the cartouche of Tutankhamun nemset, which must apply also to this
ber, this chest liad been stripped of mounted on the hieroglyphic sign for vase, although its shape does not
its original contents by the toml) "gold" (nub) and flanked by uraei correspond exactly with that of
robbers and refilled with vessels and wearing either the double crown (left nemset vases dating from earlier
a miscellaneous collection of other uraeus or the crown of Lower Egypt
)
times. When figured in ritual scenes
objects, including stone knives, the lid (right uraeus Both uraei have pen-
) .
carved on temple walls, they contain
of a rush basket,lumps of resin, balls dent life signs (arikh) at the base of cold water for libations.The god,
of incense,and dried fruits. their hoods. called in theaccompanying inscrip-
Both its gable lid and the box UnHke the other chests found in tion "Onnophris, who is at the head
are made of ebony framework with the tomb, this chest, no doubt be- of the West, the great god. Lord of
recessed inner panels of red wood, cause of its size and weight when full,
the Necropolis." is only another form
probably cedar. The joints are either was provided with four poles so that of Osiris. On his head he wears the
dovetail or mortise and tenon, the it could be carried by bearers on their
alef crown with ostrich plumes and
latter being secured by wooden pegs. shoulders. Each pole slides back- the uraeus. The artificial beard
As a border to each panel there are ward and forward through two strapped to his chin is exceptionally
three or four contiguous strips of bronze rings, attached to boards fixed
ivory and polished ebony veneer laid to the bottom of the box. A collar at
alternately. At the top of the box, the back end of the pole, greater in
projecting outward beyond the line circumference than the ring, prevents
of the lid, is a plain cavetto cornice the pole from slipping forward
with a gilded molding at the base. through the inner ring. When the
The feet are capped with bronze shoes chest was not being carried, the poles
and strengthened with bent right- could be pushed back until the collars
angle braces; at the l)ottom of the of two axially opposite poles were
walls, on the underside, are strips of touching each other and the poles
ivory that follow the bends of the were then entirely concealed from
braces and fit into slots on the inner view. Portable chests of this kind are
sides of the bronze shoes. Two gilded represented in relief on the walls of
mushroom-sha])ed knobs, one on the the maslaba totubs of high oflicials,
lid and the other on an entl ])anel, such as Mereruka an<l Anklinialior at

served as terminals for a tie that Sakkara. daliiig from about a thou-

108
 ; .

long and straight. His body, as regu- Baker 94, fig. 115; Desroches- one front and one back hoof raised
larly, is shrouded in a long white X oblecourt 58. and its head turned back over its
garment from which his hands pro- Exhibitions: Paris No. 26; London shoulder, and a desert plant within a
trude, one holding a long crook and Xo.l4:U.S.S.R.Xo.49. border of continuous spirals. The
the other a flail, the regular insignia inner faces are devoted to desert
of Osiris. Under his feet is a pedestal plants enclosed in a striated border.
in the form of a hieroglyphic sign that Although the chair bears no in-
has the same sound value and mean- CHILD'S CHAIR
its inclusion in Tutankh-
scription,
ing as the ostrich feather. It is COLOR PLATE 6 amun's tomb furniture leaves little
noticeable that the king is described room for doubt that it was made for
in the hieroglyphic inscription as Both in form and in construction this
him when he was a child. A chair
"the Osiris. Nebkheperura," which wooden chair is typical of its period.
almost identical in overall dimen- its
shows that the action which he was The curved back, set at a backward
sions was made Satamun, a for
performing was conceived as taking slant, is supported behind by three
daughter of Amenhotpe III and
place after his death. vertical stiles, one in the middle and
Queen Teye, but its decoration was
The funerary character of the one at each side, all j oined to the top-
more elaborate and it was gilded, the
chest is further demonstrated by the railand the back of the frame of the
whole appearance being more typical
inscriptions. Bands of text, incised seat.The five wooden slats of the seat
of a piece of royal furniture than
and filled with yellow paint, on are curved with a double cove and
Tutankliamun's chair. If they were
both the lid and box consist, in the fastened to the sides of the frame by
brother and sister, as some authorities
main, partly of utterances by various means of mortise and tenon joints
believe, the difference in richness
deities and partly of offering formu- reinforced by bronze or copper rivets
would be unexpected.
lae. The gods who deliver the utter- capped with gold. Similar joints are
ances — Thoth, Geb, Harendotis, used throughout. Curved wooden
Cairo No. 62033; Carter No. 39.
Harakhty. and Ptah-Soker-Osiris — brackets overlaid with strips of ivory
Height 28 in. ( 71 .12 cm.) width ,

promise the king among other things strengthen the base joints of the front
14V2 (36.83 cm.), depth 15V2
in.
that his mouth, his eyes, and his ears uprights of the armrests and the two
in. (39.37 cm.)
will be opened, that his limbs will be stiles on the flanks. The legs, shaped Carter 1, 114, pi. LIX; Baker, 84-6,
rejuvenated, that heaven will receive like a lion'spaws with inlaid claws of
fig. 99; Singer, et al. /, 686
his soul and earth his body, and that ivory, stand on beaded drums shod
( fig. 485 B).
he will be granted all kinds of sus- with metal. Rounded stretchers, orna-
Exhibitions: Paris No. 13; London
tenance. In the offering formulae the mented with papyrus-flower terminals
No. 16; U.S.S.R. No. 43.
gods — Geb. Harakhty-Atum. Osiris- of ivory and fixed to the middle of the
Onnophris, and the divine Enneads — legs, help to keep the chair rigid and

assure the king that, in return for the serve as a base for the latticework
offerings presented to them, he will bracing between them and the frame
enjoy the sweet cool breeze, wine, and of the seat.

the odor of incense, he will assume, The wood is said to be ebony, a

like the sun god, any form he chooses, material that the Egyptians imported
he will be in the company of the gods from Africa. The toprail and the back
in thebark of his father, Ra. he will support are decorated with ivory mar-
be reborn daily like the sun, he will quetry of geometric designs broken
live as long as the sun and will be by a frieze of single floral petals and
granted all the other benefits that can lotus buds, which covers the upper
be accorded to a king when he is crosspiece of the frame surrounding
among the blessed dead. the back panel. The panel itself is
Four columns of inscription at overlaid on both its concave and con-
the gable ends of the lid name not vex faces with broad upright strips of
only the king but also "the Great ivory and ebony arranged alternately
Royal Wife, his beloved, the Mistress and separated by narrow borders of
of the Two Lands, Ankhesenamun." the same material. In contrast with
this formal decoration the armrests
Cairo \o. 61445; Carter No. 32. have gilded panels adorned with
Length 32^\\q in. (83.0 cm.) width , scenes of a naturalistic kind. Al-
23 1 % 6 in. (60.5 cm.), height 25 though not absolutely identical in
in. (.63.5 cm.). detail, the outer faces of the two
Carter 1,114, pis. XVI, XVII, LV panels show a recumbent ibex with
 . .

of the queen is the wish that she may

PAINTED CASKET
"be given life and be fruitful."
COLOR PLATE 7
Cairo No. 61 762; Carter No. 40.
When fouiul, this alabaster casket was Length 13 in. (33.0 cm.) width ,

lying in theAntechamber with the 6^^{,i (17.0cm.), height 9 '4 e in.

lid removed, no doubt Ity the robbers. (24.0 cm.).

There was nothing to suggest that Carter I,200,pl.LXVI A.
they had interfered with its contents, Exhibitions: U.S.A. No. 27; Japan
which consisted mainly of an ivory No. 17; London No. 5; U.S.S.R.
pomegranate see No. 50 a layer of
( 1 , No. 47.
cloth, a mass of decayed horse? ( )

hair, and two balls of hair wrapped

in linen, one 2 inches 5 cm. and the ( I
10
otJier 2'S's inches 6 cm. in diameter.
( )
FLORAL UNGUENT VASE
Balls of dried Nile mud, sometimes COLOR PLATE 5
with tufts of hair in the center and
sometimes with fragments of papyrus Some fifty alabaster I calcite I vases
or linen, have been found in Egyptian for unguents were found in the tomb,
tombs and they are thought to have nearly all of them emptied of their
had a magical significance, the nature contents by thieves in a second visita-
of which is still obscure, although tion I the tomb had also been robbed
there is evidence to suggest that they in antiquity of objects made of
were associated with some form of precious metals I . It has been esti-

contract. Since this casket bears the mated that the total quantity of
names of both the king and the queen, unguent placed in the tomb amounted
it is conceivable that each ball con- toabout 105 U.S. gallons 400 liters ( I

tains the hair of one of them. If some That the robbers should have risked
contract of importance was thereby their lives to obtain and also that

^iM'M^.
it

signified, it may explain why such they should have chosen it in prefer-
simple articles were placed in so ence to the many other treasures at
elaborate a casket. their mercy would alone prove that it

The box and lid of this casket was a costly commodity. The vases
are each carved from a single piece being heavy and, in the case of this
of alabaster (calcite) and the two vessel and four others of the same
knobs are made of obsidian ( volcanic general character, too large to move
glass The decoration throughout
I . is through the tunnel, the robbers
incised and filled with colored pig- poured the precious oils into water-

ments. On the lid it consists of formal skins for removal. Chemical analysis
bouquets in which the chief compo- of the contents of one of the vessels
nents are a papyrus flower, corn- found intact showed that the princi-
flowers, mandrakes, and lily petals. was animal fat. to
pal constituent
Two identical horizontal bands of which some resin or balsam hail been
blue lily petals beneath friezes of a added, while cedar oil was identified
checker pattern decorate the box. At as the base ingredient of another
the head end the iiands are liroken by specimen. The perfume was extracted
a rectangular frame within which are from flowers, gum resins, and other
the cartouches of the king left and ( fragrant substances by wringing them
center and of the queen right
I ( I
in cloths ami squeezing out the
Above the cartouches are their titles odoriferous liquids.
"Good God, Lord of the Two Lands" Floral motifs, particularly repre-
and "Son of Ka. Lord of the Dia- sentations of the pa[)yrus and the lotus
dems" for the king, ami "Great Koyal ( or its variant, the lily I , were often
Wife" for the (pieen. The cartouches used to decorate Kgyplian unguent
of the king are followed by the wish vessels. The lotus was [)erhaps the most
that he may be "given life for e\ cr fragrant flower in the Nile \ alley anil
and ever" and beneath the carlouelie therefore very appropriate for ailorn-
 cAvJ the Antechamber; the vase described here (Cat. no. 10) is labeled "60"
Alabaster lu.sts i/i in

triangular incisions indicating a flower flanked by two buds and be-

ing containers intended for sweet-
The papyrus, papyrus swamp. At each end of the neath it a single mandrake fruit. On
smelling unguents.
row a figure of a tadpole mounted the belly of the vase, under a frieze of
however, was almost odorless and its is

on a ring of rope: as a hieroglyphic petals, are representations of two

association with the lotus in this con-
probably the result of the sign the tadpole means "one hundred human breasts and the names and
nection is

regular juxtaposition of the two thousand" and the ring of rope "infin- titles of Tutankhamun. in part written

ity," and combined in this fashion the defectively.

plants in sculpture and painting as the
representative emblems of Lower two signs mean "one hundred thou- The stand consists of a central
papyrus) and Upper Egypt sand times infinity." The notched support flanked by two signs of "life"
Egypt I

lotus )With their stems intertwined,

.
stems above this group, which form (ankh ) the crosspieces of which are
,
I

as on the neck of this vase, they sym- the outermost elements in the handles in the form of human arms and hands,

bolized the union of the two divisions of the vase, represent palm ribs, the each holding the hieroglyph for

of the land at the beginning of the hieroglyphic sign for "year." Be- "dominion" (ivas). The inner hands
tween the palm ribs and the vase are also hold single papyrus flowers and
First Dynasty.
Carved of two blocks of ala- the stems and flowers of papyrus and stems which extend to the central

baster of unequal height cemented lotus, either growing from the swamp support.

together, this piece consists of a long- or tied to the neck of the vase by the
necked amphora and its stand, each so-called magical knot. On the front Cairo No. 62118; Carter No. 60.

flanked by symbols arranged sym- of the neck, carved in relief, is the Height 19^^\ in. (50.0cm.).
ft

metrically in an openwork design. On head of the goddess Hathor; attached Carter I, pi. XXII; Fox pi. 13.

to her collar, which is incised and Exhibitions: Paris No. 36; London
a level with the base of the vase and
on the vase itself is a double row of filled with a black pigment, is a lotus No.3;U.S.S.R.No.40.

Ill
11
MODEL FOLDING STOOL
COLOR PLATE 3
•-
t-?-
In the time of Tutankhamun a woman
might sit on a chair, a rigid stool ( see
No. 49 I , or even on a hassock ( see No.
13 but, to judge from scenes painted
I

on the walls of tombs, not on a folding

stool; it seems to have been a male
prerogative. Many examples of such
stools have been found, two in the
tomb of Tutankhamun with frag-
ments of leather seats still adhering
to their upper crossbars.
This stool, having an inflexible
seat that is firmly joined to the legs,
is in reality rigid, but it is an imita-
tion of a folding stool with a leopard-
skin seat. Leopards were already
extinct in Egypt in the New Kingdom,
but skins of the beast were regularly
included among the objects sent
annually from Nubia as tribute to the
reigning pharaoh. Organizing the
collection and despatch of this tribute
was one of the duties of the Egyptian
viceroy of Nubia. Tutankhamun's
viceroy of Nubia was a person named
Huy, and tomb at Thebes there
in his
is a scene of himself accompanied by

Nubian princes presenting their trib-

ute to Tutankliamun, one of the
objects being a folding stool with a
seat of leopard skin.
The African leopard's skin being
buff color, perhaps strange that
it is

the seat of this stool should have been

carved in ebony, a black material;
the markings are made of ivory inlay
and are therefore light in color, the
result being a reversal of the contrast
in nature. Nevertheless, the pattern
of the markings, as a mixture of spots
and hollow rosettes, is fairly true to
nature, though somewhat stylized.
The tail, hanging down from one end
of a narrow strip of red wood running
along the middle of the seat and prob-
ably representing the backbone,
is disproportionately short in relation
to the length of the skin; the ivory
inlay at the tip, marked with longer
hairs, is peculiar. Probably the four
paws were represented on the over-
hang at the corners of the stool but

112
The model folding stool (Cat. no. 11 ) as it was found, in front of the animal-shaped couches in the Antechamber
 1 . ,

shrine I No. 13 I and one on the orna-

mented chest I No. 51 ) . The slatted

seat, deeply curved with a double

cove, is attached to the outer frame

by mortise and tenon joints. Similar

joints were used throughout and those
thatwere subjected to the greatest
strainwere pegged with gold-capped
dowels, probably made of bronze or
copper. The lion-paw legs have ivory
claws and each paw stands on a

beaded drum that is sheathed with

golil and shod with bronze. Of the gild-

ed grille between the stretchers and

tlie seat, only the central feature I the
iiieroglyphic sign for "unification" I

and the base elements of the lotus and

papyrus plants have survived the de-
structive attentions of the robbers.

were wrenched by the robbers,

off Carter 1,119, 218, pi. LXXIV B; When complete it must have resem-
leaving visible scars, because the Baker 87-9, fig. 102; Desroches- bled the grille on the white stool (No.

claws were made of gold. Fortunately Noblecourt 198-9, fig. 117. 49 The sloping and slightly curved
) .

the handsome gold bands with deco- Exhibitions: None. back support consists of a carved
rated rings on the legs and at the ends inner panel and an outer frame
12 strengthened behind by three upright
of the bottom bars were left un-
touched, as were the two gold caps CEREMONIAL CHAIR stiles fixed to the rear of the seat and

covering the ends of the pivotal pins. COLOR PLATE 2 to the top rail. Added firmness is

If the four feet were placed at given to the base joints at the sides
the corners of the seat, it would All the evidence suggests that this of the back support and to the outer
explain why the legs, which are also fine piece of furniture and the foot- stilesby curved wooden brackets,
made of ebony with ivory inlay, are stool found with it were intended for overlaid with sheet gold ornamented

not those of a leopard but are in the use by the king in a religious cere- w ith continuous spirals and the stri-
form of ducks' necks and heads, hold- mony, probably at his coronation. ated band found on Nos. 8 and 49.
ing the crossbars in their bills. The Although the chair is generally Material and design both con-
stool inHuy's tomb has legs repre- regarded as being made of cedar, tribute to the impressiveness of the

senting a leopard's paws, which would there is reason to doubt whether the superbly carved elements of the inner
seem more natural to us. Ducks' description is botanically correct. panel. In the center is the god of
heads and necks were, however, so The wood, which is reddish in color, eternity, Heh, represented in the
commonly reproduced in the design is strong, finely grained, and perfect classic pose, kneeling on the hiero-

of folding stools that the ancient in texture. It is certainly not a native glyphic sign for "gold" and grasping
Egyptians would not have been con- product. From very early times Egypt in each hand a notched palm rib at-

scious of any incongruity in this com- imported timber from Lebanon, tached at the base to a tadpole
bination of bird and mammal whose so-called cedars are mentioned mounted on the sign for "infinity"

elements. Indeed, it may be regarded in the Old Testament in connection ( see Nos. 10 and 19 I . At the top of
as evidence that the stool was made with the building operations of David each rib is a solar disk with pendent

in Kgypt from materials ( probably and Solomon. Very probably this iiraeus, from whose hood is suspend-

inclufhng the gold I l)rought from chair is made of that same wood, but, ed the "banner" engraved with the
Nubia, rather than tliat it came has been correctly identified as
if it Horus name of Tutankhanmn.
ready-inadi' witii a (leli\ery of tribute. belonging to a coniferous species "Strong Bull, beautiful of birth," sur-
Abies cilicica, "'Cilician fir," it is not mounted by the falcon of Horus, also
Cairo No. 62035; Carter No. 83. botanically a true cedar. w ith uraeus, wearing the double
Height 13% ,; in. (34.5 cm.). The general design of the chair crown of L'pper and Lower Egypt. A
Seat: length 18''/\ tj in. (46.5 cm. J, represents a style that, with variations large sign for "life" (ankh) hangs

width 1 '
-'i « in. (30.0 cm.) is found on many monu-
in detail, from the god's right arm. On his head
Base: length i5% in. (40.0 cm.) ments of the New Kingdom. Three is the solar disk flankeil by uraei

width 12% in. (31.5 cm.). examples can be seen on the golden with "infinity" signs facing panels

114
bearing the king's personal and descent from the gods; they are thus Nel)khe|)erura, the Son of Ra, his
throne names, eacli with its appropri- in accord with the theme of the cen- beloved, Tutankhaniun, Ruler of
ate title and the regidar formulae. tral feature. As an example, the in- Heliopolis of Upper Egypt." The
Every detail in this carving has scription i)eginning in the middle of same sense, but in different words, is
been executed with the utmost feeling the top rail of the inner panel and expressed in the other inscriptions
and delicacy. Each hieroglyphic sign running leftward can be translated: carved on both the front and the back.
is a work of art in itself and the figure "May the good god live, the son of
of the god possesses elegance and Amun. offspring of the majesty of Ra, Cairo No. 60708; Carter No. 29.
grace.The setting, too, beneath the excellent seed and pure egg, whom Height 37% in. (96.0 cm.) width,

golden emblem of Horus of Behdet — Horus nurtured in the temple [of ISVh in. (47.9 cm.),depth20Vx&
the sun's disk with w ings and pendent Atum at Heliopolis] , whose beauty in. (51.0 cm.).
uraei — adds to the impressiveness of the Souls of Heliopolis created and Carter 1,116, pis. LX, LXI; Des-
the composition. In all the surround- whom Atum caused to appear in glory roches-N oblecourt 69, pi. XIV;
ing inscriptions the emphasis is on the on his throne, the King of Upper and Baker 83, pis. 95, 96; Fox 1 7.
divine origin of the king and on his Lower Egypt, Lord of the Two Lands, Exhibitions: Japan No. 43.
 .

13
tered the impression of the modeling, top of the roof, seven on each side of
GOLDEN SHRINE
the outer face of the gold being finally a singlecolumn of inscription giving
COLOR PLATES 8-9 chased. seems doubtful, however,
It thenames and titles of the king and
whether the gesso, even reinforced by queen. The vultures hold in their
Some two tliousand years before the
gossamer-like linen, which a recent talons the hieroglyphic sign for
time of Tutankhamun, the vulture
examination has shown to be present "infinity" (shen) . Cartouches bear-
goddess of Elkab, Nekhbet, was
on both faces of the exposed gesso on ing the names of either the king or
worshiped locally in an oblong pavil-
the inside of one of the doors, would the queen occupy the space at each
ion made of a light wooden frame, the
have had the strength to withstand side of the talons. On the front of the
top of which was covered with the
the amount of pressure and friction roof is the winged disk of Horus of
skin of an animal. The earliest repre-
involved in the process. If this doubt Behdet, the place being named in the
sentations, which date from about
is valid, the scenes and inscriptions inscriptions at the tips of the wings.
3100 B.C., show this pavilion in a
must have been worked on the gold A winged uraeus with the "infinity"
stylized form, sometimes mounted on
itself; the gold sheets would then have sign between its wings occupies the
a sledge, as in the drawing at the
been put face downward on a flat entire length of each of the vertical
right. Its roof fre-
surface and covered with a piece of sides of the roof.
quently has a hump
linen; the gesso in a liquid state Front: Beneath the roof on all
at the front and a
would have been poured on the back four sides and projecting outward at
downward slope to-
of the linen so that it filled the de- the top is a cavetto cornice with a
ward the back. It was
pressions on the reverse side of the torus molding at the base. The whole
called the Great
gold and, while was still soft, the
it of the front of the shrine is in the
House (per iver) . When the rulers of
second piece of linen would have form of doorway, the lintel of which
a
Elkab succeeded in establishing their
been applied to the outer surface. The is decorated with the winged disk of
supremacy over the whole of Upper
purpose of the gesso would thus have Horus of Behdet and the jambs bear
Egypt and ultimately, through Menes.
been to give support to the decoration inscriptions describing the king
in conquering Lower Egypt, Nekhbet
on the gold and to provide a flat ( left as "the son of Ptah and
I

was promoted to the position of

surface for attachment to the wooden Sekhmet," and right as "the image
( I

joint tutelary goddess of the king of

walls, roof, and door. of Ra who does what is beneficial to
the Two Lands, her partner being the
Every exposed surface of the him who begat him." In each case he
serpent goddess of Buto, Wadjet,
shrine is covered with scenes, inscrip- is proclaimed as "beloved of [the
who had advanced from local to
tions, or some other kind of decora- goddess] Uret Hekau," a name mean-
national recognition under the former
tion, all in relief, of which the follow- ing "The Great Enchantress," who
kings of Lower Egypt. The sanctu-
ing are the principal: is called in another inscription on the
aries of the two goddesses ( called
Roof: Fourteen vultures of the shrine "Lady of the Palace."
iterty I were then regarded as repre-
goddess Nekhbet, with outstretched Each of the two doors is provid-
sentative of the sanctuaries of all the
wings, are represented in relief on the ed at the top and bottom with pivots,
local deities in their respective regions
of the unitedkingdom. Thus, in the
The contents of the shrine (Cat. no. 13); note the imprint of feet on the pedestal
step pyramid enclosure of Djoser
( about 2650 B.C.I, two rows of dum-

my shrines faced each other in the

jubilee festival court, one row for the
gods of Upper Egypt in the form of the
sanctuary of Nekhbet and the other
row for the gods of Lower Egypt in
the form of the sanctuary of Wadjet
(per nu)
Tutankhamun's small shrine is
form of the sanctuary of
in the
Nekhbet mounted on a sledge. It is
made of wood overlaid with a layer
of gesso and covered with sheet gold.
The wooden sledge is overlaid with
silver. Carter was of the opinion that
the gesso was first modeled in relief
and the plain sheet gold was then
pressed against it until it had regis-
 ,

which fit into sockets, one in the glyphic sign for "all" (neb) and she seems to be pointing at the fledg-
lintel and the other in the floor of the having a five-pointed star ( dua) be- lings in the nest, perhaps urging the
sletlge, and witli a silver bolt that neath the arms, thus forming a kind king to take care not to hurt them.
slides through two gold staples into of monogram meaning "adoration The other I right I side has four

a third staple in the other door. Two of all people." scenes, all of an unusual kind. In
additional staples, side by side in the Sides: The toprails and two the left of the top register the queen
middle of each door, were intended stiles of both sides are inscribed with extends toward the king a sistrum
for a sealed tie. On the outer faces of the names and titles of the king and and a necklace with an elaborate
the door are representations of in- queen, followed by the words counterpoise. At the front of the
cidents in the daily life of the king "beloved of the Great Enchantress" counterpoise are the head and
and queen, arranged in three panels with or without the epithet "Lady shoulders of a goddess, surmounted
on each door. The uppermost panel of the Palace." by cow's horns and the sun's disk
on the left-hand door shows the queen On the left side, in the upper and having the uraeus on her brow.
in a plumed headdress standing with register, the king stands in a boat Human hands project from beneath
hands upraised before the king, who made of papyrus stems throwing a her collar, each hand holding a sign
holds in his right hand the crook and boomerang, but the quarry — wild for "life" (ankh) toward the king.
scepter and in his left a lapwing. fowl rising from the papyrus marshes The identity of the goddess is re-

In the corresponding panel on the — is not shown. The queen stands vealed as the Great Enchantress in
right-hand door and on both the behind him as an onlooker; in her the inscription beneath the necklace.
middle panels, the queen holds out left hand she holds a flail or perhaps Addressing the king, the queen says:
bunches of flowers toward the a fly The king, who wears
whisk. "Adoration in peace, receive the

king and in the middle panel on the a corselet on the upper part of his Great Enchantress, Ruler, beloved
right she also holds a sistrum. The body and over it two representations of Amun!"
queen's headdress in two of these of falcons, holds in his left hand In the second scene in the top
scenes surmounted by a cone of un-
is four birds that may represent his register the king, seated on a
guent, flanked in one instance by "bag" or may be tame fowl used as cushioned chair, holds out a vessel
uraei with the sun's disk. In the decoys. In the clump of papyrus containing flowers and the queen
middle panels the king is seated on behind the prow of the boat can be pours water into the vessel from a
a stool ( left ) and on a chair ( right )
seen a nest with two fledglings. The vase in her right hand. In her left

both with thick cushions. He wears right-hand portion of this register hand she holds a lotus flower and bud
the blue crown see No. 17 on ( ) is occupied with a scene that, al- and a poppy.
the and the nemes headdress on
left though different in detail, repeats On the left of the lower register
the right. In tlie bottom panels, on the theme of the bottom panel on the the king pours water from a vessel
the left side, the queen holds the outside of the left-hand door. In the into the cupped right hand of the
king's arm with both hands and, on present setting it seems out of place. queen. Her left elbow rests on his
the right, the king's liand with her A second fowling scene is repre- knee. The king, holding a bouquet of
left hand, while extending a blue lotus sented in the lower register. The action lotus flowers and poppies, sits on a
and buds toward him in her right is not conducted from a boat, but on stool covered with a cushion and an
hand. the bank at the edge of a papyrus animal skin. What appear to be balls
The gold overlay from the inner swamp. The king is seated on a stool under the claw feet are in reality the

face of the left-hand door is lost, with a thick cushion, his tame lion is ends of rounded crossbars. In the
but it is evident from the damaged by his side, and the queen squats on a right-hand scene the queen is tying
impression on the surviving gesso cushion at his feet. Behind his head the king's floral collar behind his neck
that its decoration was very similar to is the vulture of Nekhbet. He is in while he sits in a chair festooned with
that of the right-hand door. Sand- the act of shooting an arrow at birds flowers. Nekhbet's vulture hovers
wiched between two panels that are rising from the swamp, one of which over his head.
entirely filled with the king's car- has already been hit. The string of Back: Two scenes decorate the
touches and supporting uraei is his bow has been delineated by the back. In the uppermost the queen
another scene of the queen holding artist as though it [)assed around the stoops toward the king, her right
a bunch of flowers and a sistrum king's neck ( see No. 6 I . His quiver hand touching his left arm. In her left
toward the king. In this case her hangs down behintl him, suspended iiand she holds, in addition to a
headdress is surmounted by lyriform on a straj) from his shoulder. As in bunch of lotus flowers and buds
horns and the sun's disk with two the similar scene on the head end of hanging downward, an unguent-cone
high plumes. At the bottom are two the chest No. 51, the queen holds holder mounted on a stand and
lajjwings with outstretched human an arrow in her hand, ready to pass decorated with lotus flowers. A com-
arms, both mounted on the hiero- it to the king. With her other hand parable scene on the back panel of the

118
 ,

form of a human-headed serpent

suckling Tutankhamun: the accom-
panying inscription identifies the
serpent as the Great Enchantress,
who is mentioned ten times in the in-

scriptions on the outside of the

shrine, once in connection with the
necklace and elaborate counterpoise
presented by the queen to the king.
The goddess was thus associated with
the king in a maternal capacity, but
as a rule she is the uraeus that was
placed on the brow of the king in one
of the ceremonies of the coronation.
Ramesses III mentions the ceremony
in these words: "Since [the day
when] I sat upon the throne of Har-
akhty and the Great Enchantress
was fixed upon my head like Ra."
Haremhab, also with reference to his
coronation, says that the Great En-
chantress established herself on his
brow and that the ceremony took
place in the Great House (per wer)
of which this shrine is a model.
In spite of the intimate nature
of the scenes in general, at least
three — the two on the back wall and
the presentation of the necklace and
counterpoise — depict episodes in
the coronation of the king they are, ;

moreover, ceremonies for which there

is some evidence that, in the late
108 C Eighteenth Dynasty, they were per-
formed by the queen. It seems likely,
The Great Enchantress suckling Tutankhamun. found in the shrine (Cat. no. 13)
therefore, that one of the purposes
of the shrine was to commemorate

golden throne found in the tomb amun has appeared in glory on the the king's coronation, and through

shows the queen anointing the king throne of Horus like Ra." the processes of magic to renew his

with unguent from a vessel; the scene Three objects were found in the coronation in the afterlife.

on the shrine seems to represent an shrine: a gilded wooden pedestal

action of a very similar kind. with back support, part of a corselet, Cairo No. 61481; Carter No. 108.
In the lower scene the king, and a bead necklace with a large Shrine: Height 19ys i'l- (50.5 cm.),
seated on a throne and wearing the pendant. The pedestal still has the width lOVie in. (26.5 cm.) depth ,

crown of Lower Egypt, raises his left imprint of the feet of a statuette, pre- 72% (I in. (32.0 cm.). Sledge:
hand to receive from the queen two sumably of the king and very prob- Length 18^A in. (48.0 cm.) , ividth

notched pahn ribs, the hieroglyphic ablymade of gold. A statuette of the 12Vsin.(30.7cm.).
signs for "years." Within these signs queen may once have stood by its side. Carter 1, 119-20, 137, pis. XXIX,
are the symbols for jubilee festivals The fragment of the corselet was LXVIII, corselet pis. XXX VII,
and also amuletic signs in groups. probably put in the shrine after the XXXVIII; Desroches-Noblecourt
They are attached at the bottom to robbery of the tomb; other parts were 66, pis. VII-IX, LI; Fox pi. 11;
single tadpoles — the sign for "one found in three of the boxes and scat- Lange and Hirmer 464, pi.
hundred thousand" — mounted on the tered about the Antechamber and XXXIII; Baker 88-9, fig. 104;
sign for "infinity." The inscription elsewhere. Of greater significance is K. Bosse-Griffiths 100-8.
behind the king reads: "The Son the pendant attached to the necklace Exhibitions: London No. 25;
of Ra, Lord of Crowns, Tutankh- ( illustrated above I , which is in the U.S.S.R. No. 5.

119
 BURIAL CHAMBER *«'--—r-- -=^

p -
-f'^WI^I'*^
Km if
 At the head of each stem is a flower,
the middlemost being fully open and
the two sides half-open. Beneath the
half-open flowers are two leaves, so
represented that they appear to be
floating on the surface of the water.
Slight traces of oil were visible in the
cups when the lamp was first ex-
amined, but there was nothing to
-•how that it had been furnished with
any holders for the wicks, which,
if they were not floating, could have

been three or more in number.

Cairo No. 62112; Carter No. 174.

Height 10% in. (27.0 cm.).
Carter II, 31 ,
pi. XLVII; Desroches-
Noblecourt 107, 299, pi XXIII a;
Drioton 41, pi. 119; Fox 21, pi.

19; J. Cerny, The Valley of the

Kings, 43-54.
Exhibitions: None.

15
EMBLEM OF ANUBIS
COLOR PLATE 10

One of a pair, this emblem was

14 associated with the god Anubis. The
Roman times. Generally consisted upper part, made of wood overlaid
TRIPLE LAMP it

of a stone or pottery vessel for the oil with gesso and gilded, represents a
COLOR PLATE 10
and made of braided fibers of
a wick pole terminating in a lotus bud and
flax.The wick could be either floating an inflated animal skin suspended
For purposes of lighting, the ancient or fixed. A fixed wick required some from the pole by a copper wire tail
Egyptians used candles and lamps, kind of support, which might be ending in a papyrus flower. The hind
hoth of which were included in the provided either by a pottery lid legs are frequently not show'n, as in
equipment of Tutankhamun's tomb, pierced with a hole through which this example. Some representations
together with two candlesticks and one end of the wick would be inserted include a separate papyrus flower
two lampstands. The candle found in by a hole near the top
into the oil or with its stem entwined around the pole.
one of the candlesticks is described from which the wick
of the vessel The base consists of a solid alabaster
by Carter as made of "linen twisted projected. The oil was linseed, castor, (calcite) stand in which the pole is
up and bound in a spiral by a strip of or sesame. According to the Greek fixed. Inscribed on the base are the
linen six centimeters [ 2% inches] historian Herodotus, who visited name and titles of Tutankhamun
wide." was thus in the stage of its
It Egypt in about 450 B.C., the lamps "given life for ever and ever" and
manufacture called "dry" by the he saw at Sais, in the Delta, were the epithet "Beloved of Anubis who
Fvgyptians, before it had been coated saucers charged with salt and oil and presides over the embalming booth."
with fat to become an "anointed provided with floating wicks, the In very remote times this fetish
candle." The two lampstands be- purpose of the salt being to absorb belonged to a god named I mint, mean-
longed to the same set as the candle- water in the oil and thus reduce the ing "He who is in his wrappings."
sticks. Carter conjectured that their amount of smoke caused by the flame. who was eventually identified with
lamps were gold and had been stolen This tri[)le lamp, fountl in Anubis, the jackal god of embahning.
by the ancient robbers. Tutankhamun's Burial Chamber, is An early example, found in 1911- by
In its essential elements, the carved from a single piece of ala- The Metr()i)olitan Museum of Art
Egyptian oil-burning lamp remained baster (calcitel. It depicts a lotus near the pyramid of Sesostris I

unchanged from predynastic to plant growing from the bed of a pond. ( about 1971-1928 B.C. I at El Lisht,

122
was placed in a wooden shrine. Like
the enihlenis in Tutankhaniun's tomb,
it consisted of a wooden rod and an
alal)aster stand, but tlie headless
animal skin was real: it was stuffed
with linen and wrapped in bandages
like a mummy, linen pads being placed
within the bandages as packing to fill

the irregularities between the skin

and the rod. It is easy to see how the
god acquired the name "He who is in
his wrappings." The stand, which re-
sembled a vessel, was about two-
thirds full of a bluish-colored sub-
stance completely dried and con-
sidered to be some kind of ointment.
Tutankhamun's emblems represent
a later development, not uncommon
in Egyptian tomb equipment in which
a model was used in place of the
object itself.

This emblem and its counterpart

were placed in the northwest and
southwest corners of the Burial
Chamber, outside the first of the four
gilded wooden shrines that protected
the coffins and the mummy of the
king. The position may be significant
because the outermost shrine corre-
sponded in style with the pavilion
in which Egyptian kings performed
some of the ceremonies of their
jubilee (sed) festivals, and the em-
blems of Anubis are shown on the
monuments in connection with that
pavilion. Tutankhamun did not live
long enough to celebrate a jubilee,
but the provision of the proper fun-
erary equipment would have enabled
him to do so in the next world.
Djoser, for whom the architect Im-
hotep built the famous Step Pyramid
at Sakkara. included in his pyramid
enclosure a separate court with stone-
built model shrines, so that he could
enjoy repetitions ofhisjubilee
festival in his afterlife. Tutankli-
amun's arrangements were, by com-
parison, somewhat modest.
The Anubis emblem (Cat. no.
15) as it was found ; the oars
would help the king to navigate
Cairo No. 61374; Carter No. 194. in the next world
Height 65^(i in. (167.0 cm.).
Carter II, 32, pis. V , VI; Desroches-
Noblecourt250; Lythgoe 150-2.
Exhibitions: London No. 24.
 Tutankhamun completed it and re-
corded his act of piety toward his
1 deceased predecessor in an inscrip-
tionon the pedestal.
In view of Tutankhamun's con-
nection with the second Soleb lion, it
is at least possible that he himself was
responsible for choosing the same
pose for the lion on the lid of this

alabaster ( calcite I unguent jar.

Perhaps it also represents the same

underlying conception, the image in
this case being suggestive not of
Amenhotpe III but Tutankliamun,
whose name is written on the side of
the lion's body. The most striking
deviation, apart from the difference
in size, is the pendent tongue of red-
stained ivory, a feature that is not
uncommon in representations of the
lion-headed god Bes and can be seen
in the two heads of the god which form
the abaci of the small lotus columns
beneath the lid I see No. 53 ) . Ivory,
similarly stained red, was used for the
pivotal pin of the lid and for the two
mushroom-shaped knobs, one on the
lid and the other projecting from the

brow of the head of Bes below, to

which the binding string, knotted and
sealed, was attached. The lion's eyes
are gilded, with details in black, and
the nose, eyebrows, claws, and the tip
of the tail are painted dark green or
black. If earrings were attached to the
ears, theywere probably of gold and
were stolen by the ancient robbers.
Lightly incised on the exterior
surface of the jar are lively scenes
of animals, mostly engaged in com-
bat. The main scene on both the

16 front and the back sections between

an image of the king was not new, the columns consists of a bull being
LIONUNGUENT JAR
but the manner in which it was por- attacked by a lion: in the scene
COLOR PLATE 10 trayed marked a ileparture from on the front a hound has joined
precedent. Each lion is represented in the attack. Two of its companions
Amenlioipe Ill's best-known monu- in a recumbent position, its head are attacking an ibex. On the back,
ment outside Kgypt is the temple that turned sideways facing the viewer the sul>sidiary features are a hound
he huilt in Niihia, between the and its front paws crossed. Only the chasing a gazelle, a recumbent
Seeon<l and tlie Third Cataracts, at sole of the farther hind paw can be gazelle, and a desert hare. The dark
Soleb. Among its sculptures were two seen, placetl between the body and blue background is broken in both
lions (now in the British Museum) the nearer paw. One of the lions was .sections by desert flora. Above and
carved of pink Aswan granite, both completed, and probably taken to below the scenes are decorative
probably intended to suggest to the Soleb, before Anienhotpe died, but bands, the most conspicuous element
observer the character of the king the other remained unfinished for in the former being pendent lotus
himself. The conception of the lion as more than twenty years, until petals. It is evident that these natural-

124
 .

istic representations belong to the

same genre as those on the sheath of
the gold dagger No. 20) and on the
(

ivory veneer of the ornamented chest

( No. 51), but they are artistically
inferior, perhaps owing to the greater
difficulty experienced in carving on a
curved surface.
The jar stands on two rectangu-
lar crossbars of alabaster terminating
in heads of bearded Asiatics, carved
in a red stone, and in heads of
Negroes with ivory earrings, carved
in a black stone. They are reminiscent
of the bound captives of the same
kind who are sometimes represented
on the pedestals of statues of kings
and on footstools. The addition of
such a feature to this jar gives empha-
sis to the royal character of the lion.
When it was opened, this jar was king wearing only the blue crown and suggests the standards carried by
found to contain about one pound a pleated kilt with ornamented apron priests and ofiBcials in state and
of organic matter which, when ana- suspended from a girdle. His throne religious ceremonies. As a rule, how-
lyzed, appeared to be mainly animal name is engraved on the clasp of the ever, such standards consist of a long
fat with about ten percent of some girdle.The upper part of the body staff surmounted by a cult object

resin or balsam. and the feet are bare. resting on a flat base. The cult objects
Nothing in the dress of the king include birds and animals sacred to
Cairo No. 62119; Carter No. 211. indicates the purpose of the object. particular gods and, exceptionally,
Height lOy-2 in. (26.8 cm.) diameter
, His crown (khepresh) sometimes in- , even mummiform figures, but not
of jar4''/iQ in. (12.0 cm.). correctly called the war helmet, first human figures. Furthermore, the
Carter II, 34-5, 206-10, pis. L, LI; appears on monuments as a royal staffs are considerably longer than
Desroches-N oblecourt 21 1 ,pl. headdress at the end of the Seven- those of this piece and its companion
XLIII;Foxpl.22. teenth Dynasty and is commonly in silver. Possibly these were more in
Exhibitions: None. worn by Tutankiiamun's predecessors the nature of wands than standards,
in the Eighteenth Dynasty in many or conceivably marking pegs used in
different circumstances: in battle, in some ceremony. The unmistakably
17 religious and secular ceremonies, and childlike appearance of the king
GOLD STAFF in private life. He is represented might suggest that the ceremony was
COLOR PLATE 12 wearing the same kind of pleated kilt his coronation, which occurred when
shooting ostriches from his chariot he was about nine, but why they
Among the many objects from this ( No. 18 I , in some of the scenes on should have been made of two differ-
tomb remain unparalleled in
that the small gilded shrine ( No. 13 ) ,and ent metals and how they were
Egyptian art are two small figures of on the gilded wooden figure ( No. employed cannot be explained. Nev-
the king, one in gold and the other in 35 The position of the hands, with
I . ertheless his age and consequently
silver, the feet in each case being their backs facing toward the front, his shortness of stature may account
socketed into a plate of the same metal is an exceptional feature in figures for the reduction in length of the staff.

as the figure. Beneath the plate is a with a close-fitting kilt ; normally this
tubular shaft of silver or of gold. pose is found only when the kilt is of Cairo No. 61665; Carter No. 235a.
They were found, wrapped in fine a different type with a triangular Height 51'^in in. (131.5 cm.) height,

linen and bound together, on the floor frontal projection. Perhaps this vari- of figure 3^2 in- (9.0 cm.)
between the two outermost shrines ation is but an extension of the Carter II, 35, pi. VII; Desroches-
protecting the king's coffins. Apart regular practice of Egyptian sculp- N oblecourt 71 ,176; Fox pi. 23;
from their material, the two figures tors, when carving in relief, of Aldred90,pl.l50.
are almost identical in every respect. avoiding whenever possible depicting Exhibitions: U.S.A. No. 15; Paris No.
The gold figure, shown here,
which is the hands in profile. 15; Japan No. 12; London No. 22;
is cast solid and chased. It shows the In form, this piece immediately U.S.S.R.No.20.

125
 1 , ,

tive. The chariot is a light vehicle belong to the species Strulhio

OSTRICH-FEATHER FAN
reminiscent of a curricle, made of Camelus L., which existed in Egypt
COLOR PLATE 1
wood and fitted with a sun's disk pro- until some 150 years ago )
, it is not
jecting above the saddle and attached likely that the scene, at least in detail,

An inscription on the handle of this to either the yoke or the front end of is to be interpreted literally. The
fan states that it is made of "ostrich the pole. A bow case is strapped to the explanatory inscription, which fills

feathers obtained by His Majesty body of the chariot, inside the wheels. most of the upper part of the field,
when hunting in the desert east of The quiver for the arrows is sus- reads: "The good god who secures

HeUopohs." Stumps of the feathers pended from the back of the king's [the quarry] in hunting, who strives

may still be seen in the holes on the girdle, its handle resembling a long [?] and engagescombat [?] in
in

outer edge of the palm. When com- tail. Behind the chariot is the hiero- every desert [or "who campaigns and
plete it consisted of fifteen white and glyphic sign for "life" (ankh) with ,
fights against every foreign land"]

fifteen brown feathers, arranged in human hands and feet, carrying a fan who shoots to kill like [the goddess]

alternate colors. Thehad feathers of the same kind as this fan. The Bastet, his horses are like bulls when
been almost entirely devoured by inscription above this composite fig- they convey the King of L pper and
insects when it was found on the floor ure. "May all protection of life attend Lower Egypt, the Lord of the Two
of the Burial Chamber between the him" ( i.e. the king ) , although a Lands, possessor of a strong arm,
innermost of the four golden shrines common formula, is probably in- Nebkheperura, given life for ever like
shielding tjie coffins of the king. It is tended to emphasize the symbolical Ra." The group of hieroglyphic signs
made of wood covered with sheet gold. nature of the figure. ^ ithin the bow immediately behind the quiver,
Embossed on each face of the are two hieroglyphic signs meaning "given all life," is probably to be
palm are lively scenes of the king "possessor of a strong arm," a regular taken separately and not as part of the
hunting the ostriches. On the front he epithet referring to a king, but here main inscription.

is shown riding in his chariot and with special application to his Fans of this kind were regularly
shooting with his bow at two strength with the bow. The remainder carried by attendants in royal proces-
ostriches,one of which is already on of the field is occupied with desert sions at court and in religious

the ground. His hound, in hot pursuit, flowers, perhaps thistles, and the in- ceremonies, their modern counter-
isabout to despatch the birds. The scription: "The good god Nebkhep- parts being the flabella borne in pro-

king wears a short wig with two erura, given life for ever like Ra." cessions in Rome behind the pope
streamers, a short leopard-skin On the reverse side of the palm when seated on the sedia geslatoria.
corselet, and a kilt with ornate apron. the king is shown returning from the The characteristic features are the
On his left wrist is an archer's leather hunt. The spirited horses are held in long handle terminating in a knob
bracer. In order that his hands may check, the reins being now in the at thelower end and in a stylized
be free to use his bow, he has put the king's hands together with his bow papyrus or lotus flower at the top, a
reins around his body. The richly and a whip. He has put on a long semicircular or elongated palm, and
caparisoned horses, depicted in full pleated garment and what appears to several long ostrich plumes. They
gallop, have hogged manes, and lie a shoulder wrap with "feathered" were used chiefly as sunshades.
ostrich plumes and sun's disks fixed fringes. The form of the "feathers" Another type of fan, carried as a
to the headstalls of the bridles. An does not suggest that they are ostrich symbol of office, generally had a
object shaped like an animal's tail plumes, as some writers have sup- shorter handle and a single plume.

and suspended near the shoulder posed. Two attendants in front of the

behind the girth is found on horses chariot carry the two ostriches shot Cairo No. 62001 ; Carter No. 242.
of this period when decked for cere- by the king on their shoulders. In Length of handle 37%. in. (95 cm.)
monial occasions; its function is not view of the weight of these birds height of palm 4\'ii in. (10.5 cm.),
clear and it may be merely decora- (about 315 lbs. fully grown if they width of palm 7' i in. (18.5 cm.).

Thr lidlil inn (Cal. nn. I ll ) am! ils irinn hlitii: nsliirh pliimrs lyinp bclirccn llic lltiid and iuurth shrint
 1 ,

Carter IL 15, 16, 46, 242, 243, ph.

LXI A LXII;
, Desroches-
Noblecourt 71 205, 298,
, pi. XX;
Fox pi. 24.
Exhibitions: Paris No. 25; London
No.23;U.S.S.R.No.21.

19
DOUBLE CASE
COLOR PLATE 1

The character of the decoration of

this handsome gold case, which con-
sists of two small hoxes, each in the
form of a cartouche see No. 28 ) (

seems to indicate that it was a piece

of funerary equipment. Its purpose
would have been difficult to determine
if some of its contents — a brown

substance — had not been preserved,

leaving no room for doubt that it had
held an unguent of some kind.
Wooden unguent spoons in the New
Kingdom were often carved in the
shape of either a cartouche or the
related shen sign ( see No. 28 per-
) ,

haps in the belief that the magic

properties thought to be inherent in
the symbol would impart permanence
to the virtue of the unguent held in
the spoons.
Set side by side and surmounted
by solar disks with plumes, the two
boxes are attached at the base to a
low silver pedestal. Each box is pro-
vided with a lid that has a mushroom- the figures face inward, but, whereas the tight-fitting cap on his head. A
shaped knob. Although it is not im- those on the front are identical, those thousand years before the time of
possible that the two compartments on the back represent the king with Tutankhamun, in the Old Kingdom,
were intended for different unguents, fair skin in one cartouche and, in the boys were frequently represented
a more probable reason for the other, with a black head and neck. wearing the side lock, but in the New
duality of the design would seem to Only on the front was it necessary to Kingdom it was usually a mark of a
be that cartouches usually occurred fix knobs to correspond with the prince or of a certain class of priest.
in pairs in inscriptions, one engraved knobs on the lid as terminals for It was also a regular feature in the

with a king's throne name and the knotted strings with seals. iconography of the child-god Harpo-
other with his personal name. In this Both the front figures show the crates. In the gold shrine discussed

piece, however, the cartouches do not king in a long pleated robe and wear- earlier ( No. 13 I , the young queen
enclose his names but representations ing a broad bead collar. It is notice- Ankhesenamun can be seen in a
of the king, two on the front and two able that in the left-hand figure one headdress with a plaited side lock;
on the back. sleeve of the robe reaches the wrist she also wears a side lock in a scene
AH four cartouches are alike in Iiut the other sleeve stops at the carved in ivory on the lid of the ornate
their general pattern: the central and eliiow: in the right-hand figure the chest, No. 51. but in that case the
dominant feature is the figure of sleeves are more equal in length. The Here Tutankhamun,
style is different.
Tutankliamun squatting on the heb most significant feature, however, is although his youthfuhiess is empha-

sign beneath the sun's disk with uraei the blue glass imitation on the side sized by the side lock, wears the
and pendent ankh signs. In both pairs lock of plaited hair that projects from uraeus on the front of the Amarna

127
 cartouche on the back of this case is a band of "life"
the silver pedestal
( which his arms, hands, and feet
in and "dominion" signs engraved in
are not shown in black is repre- )
, groups of three on the outer faces of
sented with black skin in two life-size all four sides. Concealed from view,

wooden statues that stood outside the on the underside (shown at the left)
door leading to the Burial Chamber is a pleasing composition consisting

of his tomb. Clearly the color has no of four clusters of papyrus flowers
ethnic significance, but its precise and buds and poppies, arranged in
meaning is not easy to explain; it may two antithetical pairs. At the foot of
not be the same in every instance. each cluster is a series of wavy lines

Black was associated with regenera- representing the leaves of the

tion, probably because it was the papyrus. The poppy, which does not
color of the fertile soil of Egypt - the appear in Egyptian art until the New
source of plant life — and a figure so Kingdom, was not a native of the
painted might benefit from the sup- country; it was probably brought
posed regenerative properties of the from Palestine with many other
color. Some figures of kings may, Asiatic plants during the campaigns
however, have been painted black in of Tutankhamun's predecessors in
imitation of ebony, a material that the Eighteenth Dynasty. All around
had to be brought from Punt, called the clusters are pintail ducks, either
"god's land" and probably located in in flight or alightingon the petals
the region of Eritrea and Somaliland. of the open papyrus flowers. In its
It was highly prized, no doubt be- general style it is very reminiscent
cause of But neither of these
its color. of the paintings of marsh scenes that
explanations would fully account for adorned the floors of some of the
the partial coloring in the figure. halls in Akhenaton's palace at
Another peculiarity is that the Amarna.
khepresh crown see No. 17 on his ( ) The predominant material in
head and the pendent streamers the inlay is polychrome glass, in
behind are tinted with black and are imitation of lapis lazuli, turquoise,
inmarked contrast with the bright and red jasper. Small pieces of these
blue crown and light streamers in the semiprecious stones may, however,
companion cartouche. In both the have been used, interspersed with
cartouches the king holds the crook glass, in some of the decorative
and one hand and
flail in rests the elements such as the heb signs and
other hand on his knee. the necklaces. The solar disks on the
On the outer side of each box front and back of the case are made
( one illustrated at the left ) is a fig- of either translucent calcite or quartz
ure of the god of eternity, Heh, with a pigment resembling the color
kneeling on the heb sign and holding of carnelian at the rear, and the same
type of cap with streamers and in iiis in each hand a long, notched palm material has been applied to the ex-

hands he holds the crook and flail rib, the hieroglyphic sign for "year." posed parts of the king's body and
(see No. 5 j all of which indicate
, Over one arm is slung the sign for also to the tails of the streamers.

that he had already been crowned, "life" (ankh) At the base of each
. With the exception of the plumes on

an event that probably took place palm rib is a tadpole mounted on a the lid, which are made of cloisonne

when he was about nine years of age. coil of rope ( see No. 10 and the ) work, nearly all the ornamention is

Certain gods, notably Osiris, meaning of the whole emblem is a highly embossed and chased.
Amun, and Min, are sometimes de- wish that the years of the king may
picted with black skin. There are also amount to "one hundred thousand Carter No. 61496; Carter Ao. 240 bis.

several paintings and statues of kings times infinity." His throne name, Height 6% (i in. (16.0 cm.) , width
of l)oth the Middle and the New King- Nebkhei)erura, is written with a scarab 3'\ c,
in. (8.8 cm.) , depth
doms, and a number of paintings of with open wings above the god's head 7 "lu in. (4.3 cm.).

Queen Ahmose Nafretari, mother of and is rept-ated below together with Carter 90,255, pi. LXXIV;
II,

Amenhot])e I, in which the color of his personal name, both in cartouches Dcsroches-Noblecourt 69, 297,
her skin is black. Tutankhamun, in surmounted by solar disks. pi. XIII.
addition to the figure in the left-hand The only visible decoration on Exhibitions: None.

128
20
and glass, a central band of minute
GOLD DAGGER AND SHEATH red and blue circular disks breaking
COLOR PLATE 14 the regularity of the palmette orna-
mentation. At the base of the hilt,

Daggers were used by the ancient applied in gold wire, is a band of

Egyptians from predynastic times on- continuous spirals within a rope-
ward, though examples dating from pattern border, thus conveying to
the Old Kingdom about 2700-2180 ( the eye the suggestion that the haft
B.C. ) are exceedingly rare. During is bound to the blade.

the Middle Kingdom about 2100- I In striking contrast with the

1700 B.C. I and the New Kingdom ornate haft, the decoration of the
(about 1570-1000 B.C. they were I blade, which is tinged with red, is

generally made of copper or bronze; simple. Incised at the top on both

gold, apart from its use for purposes faces is a plain horizontal band,
of embellishment, was probably re- which also suggests a tie, over a de-
served for royalty. Queen Ahhotpe, sign consisting of a diamond-pattern
mother of Ahmose I, the founder of chain bordered beneath by two
the Eighteenth Dynasty, had, in her horizontal lines, the spaces between
funerary equipment, a solid gold thediamonds being filled with dots.
dagger and sheath, both of which are Under this frieze is engraved an
now in the Cairo Museum. Tutankh- elegant palmette with poppies sur-
amun's mummy was provided with mounting two perpendicular grooves
two daggers encased in gold sheaths, that converge at the base and re-
one with an iron blade and the other semble floral stems.

with a blade of hardened gold. The The front of the gold sheath is
latter specimen is shown here. almost entirely covered with a
As an illustration of the gold- feather pattern in cloisonne work,
smith's artistic ability and technical relieved at the top by a palmette
skill, this dagger, and particularly frieze and at thepointed base by a
its sheath, are among the outstanding jackal's head. Of far greater interest
pieces of the collection. On the top is the elaborate design on the reverse.
of the pommel ( illustrated in the First comes a line of inscription
drawing I are the king's cartouches reading: "The good god, possessor
in applied embossed gold and a of a strong arm, Nebklieperura, given
wreath of lily palmettes in cloisonne life.'" A row of continuous spirals
''f^''
work. On the underside are two follows and then two loops of pal-
figures of falcons holding in each mette design, by means of which the
talon the hieroglyphic symbol for sheath was attached to the girdle.
"infinity" (shen) was . The falcon The main scene, embossed in high i|/^r
often represented in Egyptian art relief, is composed of the following
--,.*^^'
holding this symbol and, with wings elements: an ibex attacked by a lion,
'%^.-
outstretched, protecting a king a calf with a hound on its back biting
( see No. 6 I : it was probably intended the calf's tail, a leopard and a lion
to serve an amuletic purpose in this attacking a male ibex from above and
instance also. A similar motif appears below, a hound biting a bull, and
on the haft of a dagger in the Met- lastly a calf in full flight. Interspersed
ropolitanMuseum bearing the same between the animals are stylized
name Thutmose I (about 1524-
of plants, while a more elaborate floral
1518 B.C. and it may have been a
I device occupies the pointed base.
characteristic feature of royal dag- Although there is no reason to
gers at this period. Below the pom- doubt that this sheath was made in
mel, the haft is decorated with Egypt, the decoration of the reverse
alternate bands of geometric designs includes artistic features that have a
in very fine granulated goldwork foreign appearance. The band of
and lily-palmette designs in gold continuous spirals, the style of the
cloisonne work of semiprecious stones rosette on the shoulder of the second

129
 .

lion ( see Nos. 16, 48 I , the summary

treatment of the skins of the animals,
and the floral motif at the base have
parallels in the art of northern Syria
at this period and they also have
Minoan or Mycenaean affinities.

Scenes of workshops painted on the

tombs at Thebes
walls of private
sometimes include Asiatic craftsmen
at work side by side with the far
more numerous Egyptian artisans;
they were very probably employed on
account of their ability to reproduce
artistic styles that were familiar to

them but new to the Egyptians. Like

so many other importations in the
history of Egypt, however, these
innovations were quickly absorbed
and given the general character of
native products.

Cairo No. 61584; Carter No. 256dd.

Dagger: Length 12% in. (31.9
cm.), blade 7% in. (20.1 cm.).
Sheath: Length 8V4: in. (21.0
cm.) width 1
,
^
Vi e (4.4 cm.)
Carter 11,16, 131-2, pis. LXXXVll
A,LXXXV1II A,B; Desroches-
Noblecourt 232-3, pi. XXI a, b;
Fox pi. 37; Drioton 42, pi. 132;
Gardiner frontispiece; Schaeffer
33-4.
Exhibitions: U.S.A. No.l; Paris
No. 19; Japan No. 1; London
No. 36; V.S.S.R. No. 25.

21
FLEXIBLE BEAD BRACELET
COLOR PLATE 15

Thirteen bracelets, illustrated in the

photograph at the right, were placed
on the forearms of Tutankhamun's
mummy, seven on the right and six on
the Apart from these thirteen,
left.

there were other bracelets among the

mummy wrappings and elsewhere
in the tomb. This bracelet was placed
on the right forearm, near the elbow.
Its wristband is composed of nine
rows of gold, faience, and glass beads
threaded between six gold spacer
bars that resemble the gold beads and

130
keep the nine rows in position. Tlie ing the dead to life, as it had done IV later moved the capital north to
clasp,which is Hke a pegged mortise for Osiris. Both the right eye and the Amarna, adopted the name Akhena-
and tenon joint, consists of three left eye are represented in the udjat ton, and suppressed the cults of all

members: a hollow bar with a central form, but the right is more common, the gods except that of the sun's disk,

slot the bar itself being attached to

I
perhaps through the influence of Aton. Tutankhamun's accession to
one end of a gold cloison inlaid with another myth, according to which the the throne, followed by his revival of

a carnelian udjat eye a tenon which I , sun and the moon were the right and the old cults, restored Ra-Harakhty
projects from the terminal at the left eyes of the sky god and the sun to the position he had occupied in

free end of the wristband and fits was regarded as the more powerful. Egypt before Akhenaton.
into the slot, and a removable gold With the exception of the scarab, The next ring bears Tutankh-
pin to hold the tenon in the slot. On the udjat was the most popular amun's original personal name,
the back of the cloison there is the amulet in ancient Egypt. Tutankhaton. and his throne name,
inscription "Lord of tlie Two Lands, Nebkheperura. The change to Tut-
Cairo No. 62372; Carter No. 256 oo.
image of Ra, Nebkheperura, ruler ankhamun was made when he was
Length 6% in. (16.2 cm.) width ,

of what is in order, given life like Ra about nine, when he was crowned by
niein. (2.7cm.).
for ever and ever." The engraver the priests of Amen-Ra at Karnak.
Carter II, 129, 267, pis. XXXIII,
has inverted the signs for the Two The king thus detached himself from
LXXXVIA (2nd from top);
the cult of Aton and declared his
Lands. It is exceptional, but not Desroches-N oblecourt 231, fig.
without parallel, to find the epithet adherence to the older cult of Amun.
142: Aldred,ieweh,226,pl. 112;
"ruler of what is in order" (see No. Next is shown a heavy ring
W ilkinson 106.
depicting Amun, or Amen-Ra as he
22 after the king's throne name.
I

Exhibitions: None.
Both the eye and the cloison have a is called in the inscription. When
figure of an uraeus with the double Amun became the official state god
crown at the end opposite to the during the Eighteenth Dynasty the
clasp. important sun god of Heliopolis be-
The udjat eye consists of a
22 came associated with him at Thebes
human eye and eyebrow to which are GOLD RINGS under the name Amen-Ra. His cult
added the markings on a falcon's COLOR PLATE 15 was the most powerful of those that
head; it is thus symbolical of both Akhenaton suppressed.
Horus, son of Osiris and Isis, who is Five of the finest gold rings found in Second from the top is one of
represented in human form, and the Tutankhaniuns tomb are shown in the two rings found on the king's

sky god named Horus. who is rep- Color Plate 15. Depicted on the mummy: it depicts Tutankhamun
resented either as a falcon or as a massive ring in the foreground is the holding an image of the goddess
man with a falcon's head. The word falcon-headed god Ra-Harakhty, Maat. Maat personified the action
udjat means "sound, healthy" and it whose name means Ra Horus of the of the creator of the universe, Atum,
was used by the ancient Egyptians Horizon. Since remote antiquity the when he established the right order

as a name for the eye which Horus cult of the sun god Ra had been in natureand society. The ring illus-
had lost when fighting with the god centered at Heliopolis. near Cairo. ceremony performed every
trates a

Seth to avenge the murder of Osiris. Horus was the god personified by the morning at the temple of Karnak:
According to the myth, Seth tore the Upper Egyptian kings who conquered after opening the door of the shrine
eye into fragments, but Thoth, the Lower Egypt, where Heliopolis was containing a statue of Amun, the king

god of writing, wisdom, and magic, situated, at the beginning of the or tlie high priest knelt and offered
found the fragments and put them historical period. For political rea- it an image of Maat.
together. He restored the eye to sons, the cults of the two gods were The ring at the top of the color

health by spitting on it and then gave unified, and the composite god Ra- plate is another representation of
it back to Horus, and he, in turn, Haraklity came into being. In the Ra-Harakhty. to whom the king pre-
gave dead Osiris to eat.
it to the Eighteenth Dynasty the capital was sents an offering.

thereby bringing him back to life. established at Thebes. 400 miles to

Filial piety was one of the the south, and Amun was recognized In ascending order: Carter Nos.
virtues symbolized by the udjat eye: as the state god. Probably to restore 256 vv, 256 vv, 44 j, 256 ccc,

it could serve as a substitute for any some of Ra-Harakhty's lost prestige 44 h.

of the offerings that an eldest son was and to counteract the power of the Carter 1. 114, 138, pi. XXX, LXVII
supposed to provide daily at the priests of Amun, Tutankhamun's pre- A;lI,127,130,pl.LXXXV;
tomb of his father. It was also decessors Amenhotpe HI and his son Desroches-N oblecourt 231-2, pi.

thought to be a potent amulet against Amenhotpe IV built sanctuaries at 143: Aldred, Jewels, 217, pi. 91;
sickness and to be capable of restor- Karnak to Ra-Harakhty. Amenhotpe Wilkinson 130-4.

131
 3 )

"^m
^^

23
Tutankhamun's mummy, which was gold beads to divide feathers from
VULTURE COLLAR its

more than half a millennium later in those of its neighbor. The body of
COLOR PLATE 1
date than these coffins, was equipped the bird is inlaid in the same manner
with all these inlaid collars except as the lesser coverts, while the tail

This flexible gold collar, in the form the cobra collar, and also with all four feathers resemble the primary and
of the vulture of the goddess Nekhbet collars in sheet gold without inlay. the secondary districts of the wings.
( see No. 24 ) , was laid on the They were purely funerary in char- Both the beak and the eye in the
thorax of the king's mummy so that acter and very from the
different delicately chased head are made of
it covered the whole of the chest and bead or gold collars worn in life. obsidian. In each of the talons the
extended upward to the shoulders. The elongated wings, set in a bird grasps the hieroglyphic sign for
Collars and necklaces were placed on circular fashion, are divided into "infinity" (shen) , inlaid with red
Egy])tian mummies not as objects They are composed
"districts." of and blue glass. A floral-shaped
ofadornment but to provide magical two hundred and fifty segments, counterpoise ( mankhet , which was
])rotection.They were also repre- engraved on the back and inlaid on attached by gold wires to eyelets
sented on the cartonnage covers of the front with "feathers" of |)oly- at the back of the wings, hung down
mummies and on the lids of anthro- chrome glass in imitation of lur- llie back of the muniniy.
poid coffins. Among the many collar (juoise, jasper, and lapis lazuli.
amulets painted on the walls of The segments were held together by Cairo Ao. 61876; Carter
rectangular wooden coffins dating thread that passed through small No. 256 mmin.
from the Middle Kingdom are four golden eyelets ])rojecting from the Height /5"i(i in. (39.5 cm.),
made of gold and inlaid on the outer and lower edges. On one side
ujjper ti'idthlH-Yi in. (48 cm.).
surface, shaped to represent a falcon, margin of each segment, except in Carter 11. 12.3-4, pi. LXW li:

winged cobra, and a

a vulture, a the district known as the lesser M. VHimliovapl.45: U illcinson

combined vulture and cobra. coverts, there is a liorder of niinute XX\ l.pl. \\\n 1:,ll,lred,

132
 ,,

Jewels, 225-6, p/.///. lace was found. The clasp consists of

Exhibitions: Paris No. 20; London two falcons with heads turned
No. 40; U.S.S.R. No. 34. backward and resting on their
scapulae. Made of gold encrusted
with lapis lazuli, feldspar, onyx,
carnelian, and green glass, they are
24 connected by a gold tenon on the inner
NECKLACE side of the bird, which slides into a
WITH VULTURE PENDANT gold mortise on the inner side
COLOR PLATE 14 of the other bird.
Nekhbet, whose name means
Tutankhamun's mummy was band- 'She who belongs to Nekheb," was
aged in layers, the appropriate originally simply the local goddess of
amulets and jewelry being placed in Nekheb, the modern Elkab on the
each layer, and the innermost layers east bank of the Nile, about halfway
contained his personal possessions. between Luxor and Aswan. She owed
This necklace was suspended from her importance in dynastic times to
hisneck in the eleventh or twelfth her previous adoption by the pre-
mummy, and
layer, close to the dynastic kings of Upper Egypt, whose
therefore very probably it was a piece seat lay at Nekhen Hieraconpolis
m
( )

thathe had worn during his lifetime. across the river from NekJieb.
The pendant consists of a repre- According to tradition, the last of
sentation of the vulture goddess of these kings, Menes, completed the
Upper Egypt, Nekhbet, with the conquest of Lower Egypt, the patron
outer ends of the wings folded down- whose kings was the cobra
deity of
ward resembling a cloak. It is made goddess Wadjet, and united the two
of solid gold, encrusted on the front kingdoms under his sovereignty.
with blue glass, apart from the lesser The vulture and the cobra thus
coverts of the wings, which are en- became the symbols of this unification
crusted with red glass edged with and also the tutelary deities of the
green, and the tips of the tail feathers, kings. Their heads were often placed
which are also encrusted with red side by side on the front of the
glass. In its talons it holds the hiero- headdresses worn by kings on state
glyphic sign for "infinity" (shen) , occasions, and on the headdresses of
inlaid with carnelian and blue glass. their statues and other representa-
The gold head, turned sideways, tions. Frequently the entire cobra was

and the neck are delicately rendered reproduced in this setting, and they
in a most realistic manner, the effect were also depicted singly, as the
being heightened by the wrinkled vulture in this pendant. It is said that
occiput, the obsidian eyes, and the this species of vulture (Gyps fulvus)
lapis lazuli beak. On the chased now has its habitat in Middle and
reverse the vulture shown wearing
is Upper Egypt and further south, but
a miniature necklace and pendant, is seldom seen in Lower Egypt.

modeled in high relief: the pendant

is composed of Tutankhamun's Cairo No. 61892; Carter No. 256ppp.
cartouche surmounted by the sun's Pendant: Maximum height 2'y\r, in.
disk and ostrich plumes, flanked by (6.5 cm.) , maximum width
two uraei. Fastenings for the sus- 4^16 in. (11.0 cm.).
pensory chains are attached to the Carter II, 124, pi. LXXXIV;
upper edges of the wings. The chains Desroches-N oblecourt 229-31, pi.
are formed of rectangular links of XXXVII a; Drioton 42, pi. 131;
gold and lapis lazuli inlaid, on the Fox pi. 36; Lange and Hirmer pi.
front, with concentric circles of XLI; Nims fig. 31; Vilimkovd
colored glass and bordered on the 32-3; Aldred, Jewels, 128-9, 221
outer sides with minute gold and pi. 103; Ifilkinson 140-1, pi. LIV.
glass beads; some of the lapis lazuli Exhibitions: Paris No. 18; London
links had decayed before the neck- No. 43; U.S.S.R. No. 28.
25
body was made of gold and his hair head of gold encrusted with obsidian
THEGOLD MASK
of lapis lazuli. Tutankhamun's mask and colored glass.
COLOR PLATE 12 with its gold face and neck, and its The inscription engraved on the
eyebrows and eyelashes of lapis shoulders and on the back of the
This mask of solid gold, beaten and lazuli, perhaps preserves a relic of mask is a spell that first appears on
burnished, was placed over the head this belief. The hands, which are the masks of the Middle Kingdom, some
and shoulders of Tutankhamun's only other physical members repre- five hundred years before the time of

mummy, outside the linen bandages sented, being also of gold, help to Tutankhamun. It was later incor-
in which the whole body was create the illusion that the whole body porated in the Book of the Dead
wrapped. Although it is difficult to was made of this metal, an illusion ( Chapter 151 B I . Intended for the
judge how closely the face represents heightened by the darkening effect of protection of the mask, it identifies
a true likeness of the king, it is at the unguents that had been applied its various parts w ith the correspond-
least an approximation. The rather to all the linen bandages. ing physical members of different
narrow eyes, the shape of the nose, The stripes of the nemes head- gods, addressing them individually:
the fleshy lips, and the cast of the dress are made of blue glass in imita- ". . . Your right eye is the night l)ark
chin are all in agreement with the tion of lapis lazuli, and the same [of the sun god] , your left eye is

features visible in his mummy, and material has been used for the inlay the day bark, your eyebrows are
the whole countenance is unmistak- of the plaited false beard. The [those of] the Ennead of the Gods,
ably youthful. Perhaps it is slightly vulture's head upon the brow, your forehead is [that of] Anubis,the
idealized, but essentially it seems symbolizing sovereignty over Tipper nape of your neck is [that of] Horus,
to be a faithful portrait. Egypt, is also made of solid gold, your locks of hair are [those of]
Mummification and the various apart from the beak, which is made Ptah-Soker. [You are] in front of
rites connected with it had a double of horn-colored glass, and the inlay the Osiris [Tutankhamun] he , sees
purpose: the preservation of the body of the eyes, which is missing. thanks to you, you guide him to the
to receive the soul, and the creation By its side is the cobra, symbolizing goodly ways, you smite for him the
of a likeness of the god Osiris. sovereignty over Lower Egypt, its confederates of Seth so that he may
Through the action of imitative body made of solid gold, its head of overthrow your enemies before the
magic a dead body, mummified and dark blue faience, its eyes of gold Ennead of the Gods in the great
bandaged so that outwardly it re- cloisonne inlaid with translucent Castle of the Prince, which is in
sembled the form of Osiris, would, quartz backed with a red pigment, Heliopolis . . . the Osiris, the king of
so the Egyptians believed, be reani- and its hood inlaid with carnelian, Upper Egypt Nebkheperura, de-
mated in the same way as the body of lapis lazuli, turquoise-colored glass, ceased, given life like Ra."
the god had been revivified after and quartz. The eyebrows, eyelids,
death, thereby enablinghim to be- and kohl marks extending sideways Cairo No. 60672; Carter
come kingdom of the
ruler of the from the eyes are made of lapis lazuli No. 256 A.
dead. Tutankhamun's body was mum- and the eyes of quartz and obsidian. Height 2 IVi in. (54.0 cm.),
mified and bandaged in the pre- Caruncles ( small red patches) are width IS'/ia in. (39.3 cm.).
scribed Osirian fashion, and a crook shown on the inner and outer canthi Carter II, 83, 85, 88, frontispiece,
and flail, the emblems of Osiris of the eyes —a frequent mistake in ph. XXV, LXXIII; Desroches-
( were placed in artificial
see No. 5 ) , Egyptian reproductions of the human Noblecourt 74. 236, 300, fig. 73,
hands of burnished gold outside the eye, which in nature shows a caruncle pl.XXVI;Aldre(I,ArU92,pl.
bandages over his chest. A hiero- on the inner canthus only. The lobes 156; Drioton 42, pi. 134; Fox 24,
glyphic inscription on a strip of gold of the ears are pierced for earrings, jtls. 32-3. Lange and Hirmer
beneath the hands puts the following but when the mask was found the pl.XXXl III; Piankofi.pl. 17.
words mouth of the sky god-
in the holes were covered with disks of gold Exliibilions: Paris No. 43; Japan
dess Nut: "Osiris, King of Upper and foil. A triple-string necklace of gold No. 45; London No. 50;
Lower Egypt and Lord of the Two and faience disk beads has also been U.S.S.R.No.17.
Lands Nebkheperura, your soul lives removed from the mask in order to
and your veins are healthy." It is reveal the neck. On the chest, ex-
clear therefore that the dead king was tending from shoulder to shoulder,
regarded as an Osiris. But the isa broad collar encrusted witii
Osirian creed never superseded com- segments of lapis lazuli, (juartz. and
pletely the solar cult of the Pyramid green feldspar with a lotus-bud
Age, according to which deceased border of colored-glass doisomie
kings were thought to become identi- work. At each end of the collar is a
fied with the sun god Ha, whose terminal in the form of a falcon's

134
Tutankhamun's gold mask as it was found (Cat. no. 25)

135
TREASURY

) V

^>:.
(\7i
1 ITITT'
•*.j':vv"^.'\v
26
on head and a long tail extending applied to its surface are small golden
PECTORAL WITH SOLAR its

upward to form an outer frame for figures of the ibis-headed moon god
AND LUNAR EMBLEMS the tops of the falcon wings. A band Thoth, the king, and Ra-Harakhty,
COLOR PLATE 16 of blue and red disks stretches from the two former wearing the moon's
one cobra to the other beneath disk and crescent and Ra-Harakhty
Composite forms of two related the w inged scarab. the sun's disk with uraeus.
symbols were common in religious The designer of this pectoral, As a kind of fringe at the base
iconography as a way of indicating having produced a twofold symbol of the pectoral are blue lotus flowers,
two originally separate conceptions of the sun, repeated the technique, complex buds, and papyrus flowers
that had been fused in the course of but less effectively, in the case of projecting from poppy buds, all
time, and such a fusion is dramatic- the moon. Above the winged scarab, separated at the point where the stem
ally illustrated by the central motif supported by its front legs and the joins the flower or the bud by round-
of this gold cloisonne pectoral. tips of its wings, is a gold bark, els of concentric circles.
In Egyptian symbolism the sun god its hull inlaid in the center with This pectoral is inlaid with
could be represented both as a scarab turquoise. That it is the bark of the carnelian. lapis lazuli, calcite, ob-
I see No. 32 I and as a falcon see (
moon is shown by the left "Eye of sidian ( ? I , turquoise, and red, blue,
No. 27 1 : here he is symbolized by Horus which was one of the symbols
'
green, iilack, and white glass.
a scarab of translucent greenish- of the moon, the right "Eye of Horus"
yellow chalcedony that serves as the being a symbol of the sun. Two Cairo No. 61884; Carter
body of a falcon with wings out- cobras with sun's disks flank the eye, No. 267 d.

stretched. It has the forelegs of a perhaps as symbols of Upper and Height 5's in. (14.9 cm.),ividth
scarab and, at the back, falcon's legs Lower Egypt, on both of which the S^'ie in. (14.5cm.).
of gold. In both talons it grasps the moon shines. The eye alone would Carter III, 76, pi. XIX B; Desroches-
hieroglyphic sign for "infinity" have been enough to indicate that the Noblecourt pi. XXXVI; Wilkinson
(shen) and in one an open lily, while bark belonged to the moon, but the XXX, pi. L; Aldred, Jewels, 223,
the other holds a lotus flower and artist has added to it the disk and pi. 106; Vilimkovd pi. 36.
buds. Bordering this motif on each crescent of the moon. The disk is Exhibitions: London No. 30;
side is a cobra with the sun's disk appropriately made of silver and U.S.S.R. No. 35.

137
 .

27
FALCON PECTORAL their beliefs and conceptions and, in along the ground ( see No. 32 )

particular, some of the ideas de- \ et another explanation arose from

COLOR PLATE 16 veloped by other solar cults. These the fact that, apart from the celestial
extraneous ideas were not allowed to bodies, the only creatures that could
A problem that must have perplexed supersede or supplant those that al- support themselves in the air were
the Egyptians in remote antiquity ready existed in their creed; they those provided with wings, and in
was how the sun traveled across the merely supplemented them even particular birds. A sun god who was
sky each day. In prehistoric times the though they were sometimes difficult worshiped in many localitieswas
sun cult had been adopted by a num- to reconcile with them. Such was the called Horus, a name that means
ber of the scattered communities that case with their ideas about the pass- "lofty." From very early times he was
had banks of the
settled along the age of the sun across the sky. thought to be a falcon, probably be-
Nile, and different ideas had evolved According one school of
to cause of its habit of flying high in the
to account for the daily phenomenon. thought, the sun god, when he air. When he was identified with Ra,
After the unification of the country emerged each morning from the the sun god of Heliopolis, he became
under one ruler — an event that underworld, entered his bark '"of a composite god named Ra-Harakhty
marked both the beginning of the millions of years" and, accompanied but retained his falcon form. It is in
historical period and the foundation by his divine retinue, ferried across that form that tiie sun god is repre-
of the First Dynasty in about .H 100 the sky until he reached the western sentetl on this pectoral. The materials
B.C. — the ideas conceived by the horizon and re-entered the under- used in the inlay are lapis lazuli,
priests of the solar cult at Heliopolis world ( see No. 36 ) . A more pic- turquoise, carnelian, and light blue
began to gain wider recognition and, turesque explanation of the daily glass, with perhaps obsidian for the
not many centuries later, the Heliopol- crossing represented the power that eye. On I lieunderside, which has four
itan creed becami; the state religion. propelled the sun as a large scarab rings for susi)ension ciiains, the de-
In reaching that position it had not beetle, the concept having been sug- tails of tht^ bird are chased in the
required the sup])ression of other gested by the conunon spectacle of surface of the golil. In each talon it

cults, but it had ai)sori)ed some of tiie scarab ])usliing its ball of dung holds the signs for "life" and "'inhnity.

138
Cairo l\o. 61893; Carter touches also spelt Ptolemy. Both the
No.267m(l). conjecture and the deduction proved
W'idtli4^''/^r,in. (12.6cm.). to be right, and the first step toward
Carter HI, 66-7: Wilkinson 139, pi. reading the long-forgotten script
LVI A ; Aldred, Jewels, 222, pi. of the ancient Egyptian language was
104; I ilimkovd 50. thus achieved, largely through the
Exhibitions: None. chance discovery of a bilingual docu-
ment that included a royal name
written in a cartouche.
28 On the top of the lid of this
CARTOUCHE-SHAPED BOX box, rising slightly above the gild-
COLOR PLATE 17 ed background, are applied ebony
and painted ivory hieroglyphs that

Cartouche, a French word meaning name and

render the king's personal
an ornamental tahlet for an inscrip- his usual epithet !J"Amun," :

tion, is the name that was given by •f."Tut," ^"ankh"and "ruler," )

early scholars to the oval rings in j[

"of On," f£"of Upper Egypt." The
which a king's throne name and per- name of the god Amun was written
sonal name and the names of other first for honorific reasons, but it was
members of the royal family were read after "Tut" and "ankli." Like
usually written. The personal name other Egyptian names Tutankhamun
of the king might be followed by an has a meaning, although it is un-
epithet, which would also be included certain whether it should be trans-
in the cartouche. A cartouche actually lated "Perfect is the life of Amun" or
represents a length of rope formed "Living image of Amun." On, better
into a loop by tying the two ends known by its Greek name Heliopolis,
together. The ancient Egyptians was the ancient center of the cult of
called the cartouche shenu, a noun the sun god Ra that is mentioned
derived from a verb meaning "to in the Old Testament. When Amun,

encircle," the underlying idea being the god of Thebes, was identified
to represent the king as ruler of all w ith the sun god, "On of LTpper w ood has not lieen scientifically

that the sun encircled. Many of the Egypt" was adopted as a name identified, it is believed to be of a
objects illustrated in this book — the for Thebes. coniferous kind. All the edges of the
knobs of this box among them — bear On the rectangular panel, which box and the cartouche on the lid

a circular form of the cartouche represents the downward extension are veneered with strips of ebony.
( usually but not invariably without of the tied ends of the rope, are The bands of inscription, which
an inscription ) the sense of which is incised the king's personal name, his give the king's names and titles and
'"infinity" or "universality." throne name (both in cartouches), some of his many epithets, are inlaid
The decipherment of Egyptian and his Horus name, each with its with a golden pigment on the lid and
hieroglyphics in the early years of appropriate Beneath the car-
title. with blue frit on the box.
the last century w'as greatly helped by touches are written the words "Given Most of the contents of this box,
the fact that the hieroglyphic inscrip- life like Ra for ever." The ebony like the chests in its vicinity, had
tion on the Rosetta Stone contained knobs on the lid and on the panel bear been plundered by the ancient rob-
six cartouches, spaced at irregular images of ffeh, the god of eternity, bers and other things had been
intervals apart and all enclosing the kneeling on the hieroglyphic sign hastily substituted by the necropolis
same hieroglyphic signs written in that signifies "gold" and holding staff ( see Nos. 30-32 ) . Included,
the same order. A study of the Greek in each hand a palm rib. the hiero- however, were some scepters that
text carved beneath the hieroglyphic gly[)h for "year." Attached to the Carter considered to be part of the
inscription showed that the name base of each palm rib are a tadpole original equipment, and if so the box
Ptolemy occurred at about the same and the shen sign convey the sense
to was probably used on ceremonial
distances apart as the cartouches in of an infinite number of hundreds occasions, possibly even at the king's
the hieroglyphic inscription and, of thousands of years: the sign for coronation, when changes in

if the conjecture that one text was "life" is looped over the right arm regalia were required.
a translation of the other was correct, at the elbow ( see No. 2 I . On the
it was reasonable to deduce that the god's head is the sun's disk. Cairo No. 61490; Carter No. 269.
hieroglyphic signs within the car- Although the reddish-brown Length 25 in. (63.5 cm.) width llVs ,

139
 .

in. (30.2 cm.), height 12% in. a hemispherical button of transparent

(32.1cm.). glass. When the clasp is closed, one
Carter III, 67, pis. IV, XVI; Des- tube fits inside the other. A portrait
roches-N oblecourt 84, 86, pis. of the king appears behind one
44-5; Aldred, Jewels, 244-5, button on each earring, and is

pis. 155-6. visible through the glass covering;

Exhibitions: None. microscopic examination suggests
it is not, however, a true painting:
it seems to consist of particles of
colored glass fused on the under
surface of the clear glass button.
29 Two pendent uraei attached to the
EARRINGS disks flank the portraits. Suspended
COLOR PLATE 17 on ring eyelets from the clasps are
figures of hybrid birds with gold
The cartouche-shaped wooden box, occur in the wall paintings of at least cloisonne bodies and wings of falcons
No. 28, contained, among other two Theban tombs antedating his and heads of ducks. The wings are
pieces of jewelry, this remarkable reign. Compared, however, with the curved inward so that they meet at
pair of gold earrings. At least for countless representations of female the top to form a complete circle.
royalty, earrings were a relatively wearers of earrings, the number of In their claws the birds hold the
recent innovation at the time of representations of male wearers is hieroglyphic sign for "infinity"
Tutankhamun. Their popularity in very small and, in the main, confined (shen). The heads are made of
the New Kingdom was probably a to young princes. The lobes of the translucent blue glass and the bodies
legacy of the Hyksos invaders who ears of the mummies of several kings, and wings are inlaid with quartz,
brought them from Western Asia, including Sethy I ( about 1291-1279 calcite, colored faience,and blue,
where they had been in vogue for B.C. and Ramesses II (about
) red, white, and green glass. Pendent
many centuries. Apart from a very 1279-1212 B.C. were pierced and
I , extensions from the tails of the
small number which have been it must be supposed that at some birds consist of openwork gold
ascribed to the Middle Kingdom, stage in their lives they wore earrings. frames encrusted with alternate rows
the earliest recorded examples in Moreover, sculptures of kings from of gold and blue inlay, arranged in
Egypt were found by Sir Flinders Amenhotpe III to Ramesses II often a feather pattern, and cylindrical
Petrie in a tomb at Thebes that he show pierced loi)es. A possible ex- blue and gold beads that terminate
dated to the end of the Seventeenth planation is that earrings were nor- in five heads and hoods of uraei.

Dynasty about 1580 B.C.

( ) mally — though not invariably, and
At first they seem to have been worn particularly not in Amarna times — Cairo No. 61969; Carter
chiefly by women, not merely by discarded by boys when they reached No.269a(l).
members of the nobility but also by manhood. Such an explanation would Length 4]4, in. (10.9 cm.) .ividth
some of those who served the nobility, accord with the fact that, in spite of 2^Uin. (5.2cm.).
such as musicians and dancers. the profusion of other kinds of Carter III, 74-5,pi. XVIII; Fox 28,

According to one of the Amarna jewelry, no earrings were placed on pl.49;Drioton42,pl.l30;

letters, earrings were among the prin- the mummy of Tutankhamun. Riesterer pi. 40;M oiler 38-45;
cipal items of jewelry brought by a It would also account for the covering inikinson-XXVII, XLV B;
Mitannian princess to Egypt at the with gold foil of the perforations in Bimson 294.
time of her marriage to Amenhotpe the ears of the gold mask ( see No. Exhibitions: Paris No. 16; London
III (about 1386-1349 B.C.). How 25 ) . That these earrings were actu- No. 39; U.S.S.R. No. 27.
soon, and to what extent, the custom ally used by TutankJiamun is highly
was adopted by men is uncertain, probable, because they show signs
but the first king whose mummy of the kind of friction that would 30
shows pierced lobes of the ears is come from being worn. MIRROR CASE
Thutmose IV (about 1419-1386 In order to attach them to the COLOR PLATE 18
B.C. ) , who lived al)Out eighty-five pierced lobes of the ears, a stud-like
years before Tutankhamun. i'erliaps clasp was made in two pieces, so that In tile Egyptian language a hand
no more than a coincidence that
it is it could be taken apart. Each piece mirror was generally called "that
he was the first F,gy])tian king to is composed of a short cylindrical which sees the face" (maw her), but
marry a Mitannian princess, because tube closed at one end liy a gold disk it was also known by another word,
instances of men wearing earrings with raised rim, on which is mounted ankh, spelt like the word meaning

140
 . )

"life." The artist who designed this

mirror case in the form of the hiero-

glyphic sign for "Hfe" was no doubt
deliberately indulging in a play on
words. \^'hat the ankh sign represents
is not known w ith certainty : the ex-
planation accepted by most author-
ities is that it reproduces in a de-
veloped form the strings or straps of
a sandal. In Christian times the
symbol w as retained as a variant
for the cross, the so-called cross
with a handle (crux ansata)
Hand mirrors were usually kept
inwooden cases, but not of this
shape. As a rule the case protected
only the disk of the mirror: the
handle, which was often ornamented,
remained exposed. Tutankhamun's
case is unique. It consists of two
pieces, a lid and a box, both carved
in wood and covered externally with
thin sheet gold. The lid was fastened
to the box by means of catches at
the base and silver knobs at the top
to serve as terminals for a knotted
and sealed cord. Inside, the box is
lined with thin sheet silver. Within
the loop of the ankh is an inlaid
motif consisting of an open blue lotus bers. Generally. Egyptian mirrors 2000 B.C. I mirrors were regularly
flower and two buds supporting the were made of copper or bronze and included among the objects painted
king's throne name flanked by uraei were slightly elliptical in shape. on the wooden coffins and intended
with "infinity" (shen) signs and A tang at the base of the disk fitted toassume reality for use in the next

Sim's disks, the inlay being colored into the handle, which could be made world. Sometimes they were actually
glass with the exception of the disks, of many different materials, includ- placed under the head of a mummy
which are carnelian. and the base ing wood, ivory, ebony, stone, and inside the linen wrappings. In the case

of the hoods of the uraei. w hich are metal. In earlier times mirrors, which of an Eleventh Dynasty official named
quartz. The motif is probably were owned by both men and women, Wah. whose tomb at Thebes was ex-

intended to suggest to the eye the were a mark of social distinction. cavated by the Metropolitan Museum
emergence of the sun god from the A sage, writing about the chaotic in the season 1919-1920, the mirror
lotus at the time of the creation of conditions that prevailed in Egypt was found in front of his face —a
the universe ( see No. 1 I . Embossed probably between the Old and Middle reminder of its name "that which

upon the sheet gold of the outer Kingdoms about 2100

( B.C. ) , de- sees the face."
surface are the kings throne name scribed the reduced status of the This piece was among the ob-
and his personal name, w ith their ap- upper classes and the corresponding jects found in the cartouche-shaped
propriate titles, repeated several elevation of that of the lower classes box. No. 28.
times, and the standard epithets in these words "'She who had
:

concerning his connection with [formerly] to look at her face in

the gods. water is now the owner of a mirror Cairo No. 62349; Carter No. 269 b.
In order to fit this case the disk [ankh]." Length 10''/^ in. (27.0 cm.), width
of the mirror must have been pear- Tutankliamun's mirror and case 5% 6 in. (13.2 cm. , depth 1 ''i r, in.

shaped, a shape that came into vogue may have been personal possessions, (4.0 cm.).
in the Eighteenth Dynasty. It was which he used in his lifetime, but it Carter III, 67, 78-9,pi. XXI B;

made of polished metal, perhaps seems more likely that they were Desroches-Noblecourt 188, 302,
silver, as Carter conjectured, and specially made for his tomb equip- pi XL b.
doubtless stolen by the ancient rob- ment. In the Middle Kingdom about (
Exhibitions: None.

141
 . ,

31
worn. Its presence suggests that the
NECKLACE
necklace, like many of the other
WITH LUNAR PECTORAL objects found in the cartouche-
COLOR PLATES 18-19 shaped box. No. 28, was a personal
possession worn by the king in his
Pectorals attached to necklaces and lifetime.
decorated with figures of deities The chains of the necklace con-
or symbols associated with them sist rows of spherical and
of four
formed a high proportion of the large barrel-shaped beads made of gold,
amount of jewelry found in Tutankh- lapis lazuli, carnehan, feldspar, and
amun's tomb. This pectoral symbo- resin. Carter considered that the
lizes the nocturnal journey of the dark-colored resin was perhaps the
moon across the sky. At the base is
most remarkable material used in
the long, narrow hieroglyphic sign for Egyptian jewelry; he was not, how-
Vb C\jij UU ly 6 U L • IT U u^ UVj £
the sky, appropriately inlaid with ever, referring to these beads in
blue lapis lazuli. Beneath it are fringe- particular. At the top of the necklace
hke inlays of feldspar and lapis lazuh is a gold cloisonne counterpoise
representing drops of moisture; inlaid with a lotus flower and buds,
they are added to the sky sign in the two poppies, and two rosettes. Ten
hieroglyphic writing of words mean- bead tassels, each ending in a faience
ing dew and rain. Lotus flowers and corolla, are attached to a gold bar
buds grow from the celestial waters supported by the lotus flower. The
and a golden bark seems to be floating clasp consists of a tenon that
above them. This arrangement illus- projects from the left-hand corner
trates the convention regularly of the counterpoise and shdes into
adopted by Egyptian artists to show a mortise in the upper terminal bar of

Ik two objects on the same plane when

one object was behind the other:
the necklace.
which are joined
The lower terminals,
to the pectoral, bear
the farther object was placed above the king's personal name and his
the nearer. In this case the bark must throne name, flanked by uraei with
be understood to be floating on top
nil mi of the sky sign behind the flowers.
outstretched wings embracing the
sign of "infinity" (shen).
5555 To indicate that the bark is conveying
the moon and not the sun, the cres- Cairo No. 61897: Carter
cent is added to the moon's disk, No.269k.
again in accordance with convention. Length of chains 9 'A in (23.5 cm.)
Furthermore, the moon and crescent width of pectoral YVia in. (10.8
are made of electrum, a mixture of cm. ) ividth of counterpoise 2% in.
,

silver and gold and therefore lighter (6.8 cm.).

in color than pure gold or red Carter III, 76-7, pi. XIX C; Wilkinson
carnelian, which were the materials 144, pi. LIV B; Aldred, Jewels,
normally used in representations 220-1 ,
pi. 101 ; Vilimkova 41
of the sun. The bark itself with its in-
Exhibitions: None.
curved prow and stern is a develop-
ment in more solid material from the
ancient Nile craft made of stems
papyrus lashed together. The de-
TTTTrrrTR of
sign is the same as that of both the

sun's bark and the bark used to

convey the dead on funerary voyages
to the sanctuary of Osiris at Abydos.
A thin cord, of which traces can be
seen at the base of the moon's disk,
is not part of the equipment of the
vessel but a simple device for attach-
ing the pectoral to the clothing in
order to keep it in position when

142
 ,

32 33
lazuli, the material used for most of ORNATE PEN HOLDER
SCARAB BRACELET Tutankhamun's col-
the scarabs in
COLOR PLATE 17 COLOR PLATE 20
lection of jewelry, has not been found
in Egypt, the nearest source at
Like Nos. 29-31, this massive gold
The earliest inscriptions written in
present known being Badakhshan
the hieroglyphic script belong to the
bracelet was found among the objects in northeast Afghanistan, more than
beginning of the dynastic period
placed in the cartouche-shaped box, 2.000 miles away.
about 3100 B.C. and the last
No. 28, some of which bear evidence
I i

On each side of this bracelet

suggesting that they were used by the
known example — an inscription
is a narrow raised band composed
found at the island of Philae — is
king in his lifetime. of gold, lapis lazuli, turquoise, quartz,
dated to August 24, A.D. 394.
The central feature is a gold and carnelian inlay, bordered on the
openwork scarab encrusted with Between those two extremes, the
inner edge with gold granules. The
script underwent enormous changes,
lapis lazuli. The ancient Egyptians bands are continued on the back of
adopted the scarab (Ateuchus sacer) both in the number of signs employed
the hoop. Two identical botanical
as a symbol of the sun god because
and in their outward appearance;
ornaments flank the scarab, each
an inscription can often be dated ap-
they were familiar with the sight of consisting of a mandrake fruit sup-
proximately by the character of its
the beetle rolling a ball of dung on the ported by two poppy buds, with gold
signs. In the time of Tutankhamim
ground and this action suggested to marguerites filling the interstices
about 700 signs were in regular use,
them that the invisible power which between the stems of the mandrake
rolled the sun daily across the sky
but many of them had more than one
and the buds. The yellow and green
significance. It is hardly surprising
could be represented pictorially as
a scarab. Moreover, they had noticed
that writing was a professional
that the young beetle emerged from accomplishment that needed pro-
a ball of dung by what they imagined longed training for its mastery, nor
is it surprising that scribes were a
to be an autogenic process, so that a
further parallel was seen between this privileged class, having their own
creature and the sun god. who was patron deity ( god
the ibis-headed

also credited with having created Thoth and enjoying exemption from
)

himself. In reahty the ball of dung paying taxes and doing forced man-
rolled by the scarab is only a reserve ual work. Besides the hieroglyphic

supply of food that it hides in a script, they had to learn its cursive

convenient crevice, whereas the ball derivative, known as hieratic, and,

containing the egg is pear-shaped in late times I from about the seventh
and is never moved from the burrow century B.C. I . a derivative of hieratic

in which it is placed by the female. called demotic.

In the Egyptian language the words Scribes in Tutankhamun's time

for the scarab and for existence colors of the mandrake are painted were usually portrayed holding the
were identical (kheper), and the at the back of the translucent quartz so-called scribe's palette, a narrow

name of the sun god, on his first ap- inlay. Both the hinge and the fast- strip of wood or ivory about 9%

pearance every morning, was Khepri. ening are made of interlocking inches 25 cm. in length with two
( I

In hieroglyphic writing the scarab cylindrical teeth held together by small cavities at one end and a long,

sign was used for all three words. long gold pins, the hinge pin being central slot partly open and partly
In spite of black being the color fixed and the other movable. covered, sometimes with a sliding lid.

of the scarab in nature, the Egyptians The cavities held solidified ink of

seldom copied it in their reproduc- Cairo No. 62360; Carter No. 269 n. two colors, black and red. the former
tions, perhaps because there was Max. diameter 2Vs in. (5.4 cm.). made of carbon and the latter of red
no native semiprecious stone of that Carter III, 77, pi. XX
A ; Fox 28, pi. ocher. both of which, in their powder
color, and obsidian, volcanic glass, 48 B; Wilkinson 106, XXIV, pi. form, had been mixed with weak
was not easily obtainable. Quite XXX A; Aldred, Jewels, 225, pi. solutions of gum to produce small
exceptionally, however, two scarabs 110; Vilimkovd pi. 54. cake-like blocks when dry. The
placed on Tutankhamun's mummy Exhibitions: London No. 35; central slot held the pens, which were
were made of black resin see ( U.S.S.R. No. 29. really brushes made of short, slender

No. 31 Glazed specimens were

I .
stems of rushes (J uncus maritimus)
usually green or light blue, and it is their tips cut at a slant, like a chisel,

clear that no importance was and then chewed by the scribe to

attached to reproducing an exact separate the individual fibers.

likeness of the living beetle. Lapis When writing, the scribe dipped his

143
 . ,

brush in water and rubbed it on the was able to write. Chapter 94 of the
surface of the solidified ink, whicli Book of the Dead puts the following
quickly dissolved. The true pen, words in the mouth of the deceased
made of a hollow reed ( Pliragmites person "'Bring me the water bowl
:

aegyptiaca) was used for writing

, and [scribe's] palette, which are the
Greek documents in Egypt in the writing materials of [the god] Thoth,
fourth century B.C., but apparently and the secrets that belong to them."
was not used by the Egyptians for Tutankhamun, by having his own
writing in their own scripts until equipment, was merely making sure
Christian times. that he would have, for use in the
Before the combined ink and next world, what he thought the god
brush-holder palette was invented, Thoth required of him.
.scribes used two separate articles,

a smaller rectangular palette with Cairo No. 62094; Carter No. 271 e.

two cavities for the inks, and a tubu- Height m^A

in. (30.0 cm.)
.!

lar case for brushes. An additional diameter ^'fin in. (2.1 cm.).
item in their equipment was a small Carter III, 68, 79-80,pi. XXII D;

bag of leather or linen that contained Desroches-N oblecourt 148, pi.

extra supplies of solid ingredients IV b: Fox 28, pi. 40 c; Cerny,
for making ink. In its earliest form Paper and Books, 77-30.
the hieroglyphic sign for a scribe Exhibitions: None.
consists of these three articles joined
by string, and it is evident that the
brush case was a simple reed, closed
base with a plug upper
at the (
34
drawing In the course of time the
| .
PAPYRUS BURNISHER
bag was discarded and replaced by COLOR PLATE 20
a bowl to hold water, and the brush
case was made of wood or some other This handsome object was found with
material and shaped like a miniature a small group of articles used in
palm tree. The hieroglyphic sign was writing, one of which was the pen
accordingly adapted so that it re- holder ( No. 33 ) . Although uncom-
produced the water bowl and the mon, it is not unique, nor is it the
brush case in its developed, ahno^st only instrument of its kind found in
Above: A scribe's lily-like form lower drawing ( ) association with the equipment of
palette, the papyrus
Tutankhamun provided himself a scribe. Carter himself discovered
burnisher (Cat. no.
34), and the pen for his next life with a number of a similar tool, but made of wood,
holder (Cat. no. 33) composite palettes of the kind de- with a set of writing implements in a
scribed above (one is illustrated at tomb at Thebes, when he was ex-
the left ) and this very elaborate cavating for Lord Carnarvon in the
lirush holder. It is made of wood early years of this century, and there
overlaid with cha.sed gold and inlaid are four examples in the Egyptian
with ornamental bands of carnelian, collection of the Metropolitan
(ilisidian.and blue and green glass. Museum, one of which, though in-
In form it represents the architectural complete, still hears the name of its
|ialm-tree column with a flaring, owner, the scribe Merymaat. From
foliate capital, a rectangular abacus, their shape, it has been deduced that
and disk-shaped base. Both the aba- they were u.sed for polishing sheets
cus, which serves as a lid and pivots of pai)yrus in order to remove slight

on a pin, and the base are made of on the surface that

irregularities
[laintetl ivory. The king's names are would hinder the even application
engraved in cartouches between the of ink.
two middle bands of the ornament. I'apyrus, from which our word
Th<' inclusion of writing equip- paper is derived, was used by the
ment in the furniture of the tomb ancient Egyjjtians from very early
does not imply that Tutankhamun limes. The oldest written specimens

144
known at present date from the end naturalistically. Unless the yellow Cairo No. 62095; Carter A'o. 271 g.
of the FifthDynasty (about 2380 appendages are merely decorative, Length 6V2 in- (16.5 cm.) max. ,

B.C. ) but an unwritten roll of

, they may be intended to suggest width l^Yie in. (4.4 cm.) max. ,

material that has been identified as a tie attaching the head to the flower. thickness ^Yic in. (2.2 cm.).
papyrus was found in a First Dynasty The slender handle reproduces the Carter III, 81 , pi. XXII C; Desro-

tomb about 3000 B.C. at Sakkara,

( ) thin stem of the lily, here given the ches-N oblecourt 148, pi. 87; Lucas
and the hieroglyphic sign that prob- appearance of greater strength by 137-40; Fox 28, pi. 40 B.
ably represents a roll of papyrus was the binding at the junction of the Exhibitions: None.
used as early as the First Dynasty. flower and the stem. It is evident
Sheets of papyrus w ere made that such a handle would not with-
from the stems of a sedge plant stand the strain imposed on it in use
(Cyperus papyrus) that, in ancient and therefore the burnisher was
times, grew in the marshes of Lower probably a model intended for fun-
Egypt. In the process of manufacture erary purposes. At the base of the
the stems were first cut into pieces handle is a terminal in the form of
of uniform length, generally about a papyrus flower.
15% inches 40 cm. and the green
( )
,

outer rind was peeled off. The white At the left of this box appears the set of writing equipment as found, wrapped in linen

inner pith of each piece was then

divided lengthw ise into a number of
by shcing it
thin, flat strips, either
with a knife or again by peeling.
When these preparatory stages were
finished, some of the strips were laid
side by side, perhaps with a fine
overlap, on a flat board, followed by
a second layer of strips, similarly
arranged but superimposed on the
first layer and laid at right angles to
it. By beating the double layer with
a wooden mallet, the sap was released
and both the individual strips and
the two layers became firmly welded
together to form, when dry, a very
durable sheet of writing material.
If a document was too long for one
sheet, additional sheets were pasted
together w'ith an adhesive. A bur-
nisher would be particularly useful
for smoothing the step in a join of
such a kind.
Tutankhamun's burnisher is
composed of tw o pieces, the head and
the handle, both of which are made
of ivory. The head is capped with
gold foil, cushioned on a strip of linen
coated with an adhesive on both top
and bottom surfaces. It is inscribed
with his name and his throne name,
coupled with his titles and the regu-
lar phrase "Given life like [the
sun god] Ra." Carved in one piece
with the head is a stylized lily, the
corolla of which is shaped to fit the
rectangular outline of the head,
although the sepals are represented

145
35
TUTANKHAMUN reached the Delta, though at that decided to return to Egypt. On
time must have been a very excep-
it reaching Edfu he instructed Horus
THE HARPOONER tional occurrence. Ancient Egyptian to attack the enemy, whose identity
COLOR PLATE 21 nobles hunted them, and representa- is not at that point specified, though
tions of such hunts were sometimes subsequently reference is made to
Egyptian sculpture in the round, included among the wall decorations Seth I the god of evil I and his con-
if it portrays a king or a queen, very of tombs. The method employed federates. Horus carried out his
seldom shows the subject perform- was to attach a cord to a barb and to attack by first flying to the sky in the
ing an action, although representa- project it by means of a harpoon. form of the sun's disk with wings
tions in relief of kings engaged in When several barbs had entered the and then swooping down on the
religious and secular activities are animal so that had become weak
it enemy, killing very many, though a
very common ( see Nos. 6, 13, 18, through it was pulled
loss of blood, number seem to have escaped. Think-
and 51 This piece, which shows the
1 . to the bank by the cords and killed. ing his victory was complete, he re-
king harpooning from a boat made Here the king is shown with turned to the boat of Ra-Haraklity.
of papyrus stems, is an exception the harpoon in his right hand and The surviving enemies, however,
to the rule, and artistically it is an the coil of rope in his left. He changed themselves into hippopotami
outstanding example of the Egyptian is engaged, however, not in an ordi- and crocodiles in order to attack
sculptor's ability to represent real- nary hippopotamus hunt but in the the sun god in his boat. Once more
istically the poise of the human body performance of a religious rite. the battle was taken up by Horus and
at a chosen point in course of According to a legend preserved in this time he and his followers slaugh-

movement. a late text on a wall of the temple tered the enemy with harpoons, pur-
In pharaonic times hippopotami of Edfu, the god Ra-Harakhty when suing them down the Nile until they
frequented the swamps and papyrus he ruled on earth conducted a mili- were utterly destroyed.

marshes of the lower Nile; even as tary expedition into Nubia accom- Although the legend — which
recently as the beginning of the last panied by his son. Horus. While still is not the only one of its kind — had

century the traveler W. J. Bankes away from home, he received news probably undergone many changes
recorded that a hippopotamus had that his throne was in danger and he in detail by the time it was recorded
at Edfu for presentation in the form
of drama, the essential features are
unlikely to have been very different
in the days of Tutankhamun. This
figure very probably commemorates
such an event, or at least one in the
same cycle, with the king imperson-
ating the god Horus, of whom he
was thought to be the earthly embodi-
ment. The hippopotamus of Seth
would not be shown for magical rea-
sons, because his presence might
be a source of danger to the king.

It is one of a pair of similar

figures found together in one of the
black wooden shrines set against
the south wall of the Treasury. Both
figures were enveloped in single

sheets of linen extending from the

shoulders to the ankles. Carved in
wood, the figure of the king is coated
with gesso and gilded. Its eyes of
glass ( perhaps with pupils of
obsidian are set in bronze or copper
I

sockets, the same metal being used

for the eyebrows. The boat, also made
of wood, is painted green apart from
tlif bindings of the papyrus stems
and thecalices, both of which are
gilded. Beneath the hoat is a rec- linked that the stars and the sun were probably acacia. It is shaped in a

tangular wooden pedestal varnished conceived as moving across the graceful curve to represent a carvel-
with black resin. The king wears celestial ocean in boats, and every built craft suitable for sailing on the
the red crown of Lower Egypt, a bead night the sun god was believed Nile. The main deck has been hol-

collar, pleated kilt with apron, and to make his perilous journey through lowed to a depth of half an inch
sandals. The uraeus, sandals, har- the waters of the underworld in his I 1.2 below the level of the
cm. I

poon, and rope are made of bronze, night bark. \^ hen an image of a god bulwarks. Amidships is an elongated
all except the rope being gilded. was taken from its own sanctuary to cabin, its stepped roof following
visit another templewent by boat,
it the curve of the hull and the walls
Cairo So. 60709; Carter No. 275 c. and the boat was carried to and of both its upper and lower sections
Height of figure 27-y><. in. (69.5 cm.). from the quay on poles mounted on terminating at the top in dados
Carter III, 54-6, pis. XIII, LX; the shoulders of priests. The dead and cavetto cornices. In the fore-
Desroches-Noblecourt, ph. 159, too needed boats to travel in the next castle and poop are screens for the

XLV;Drioton41,pl.l20; world. Navigable craft, however, crew, mounted on decks overhanging

Riesterer pi. 24; Fairman 26-36; were not necessary: wooden models the gunwales on both sides. Two
Fox pi. 57; Vandier III, 358, or even painted representations were long steering paddles are manipu-
pl.CXV,6. considered effective substitutes. lated in upright crutches held firmly

Exhibitions: London No. 27; This boat is one of seven of its at the top by a horizontal bar and
L.S.S.R. No. 8. kind that, together with four other fixed at the base to a crossbeam in
boats equipped with masts, rigging, front of the poop deck. The walls
and square were stacked
sails, of the screens and the cabin are
36 higgledy-piggledy, mostly on the tops covered with a multicolored checker
MODEL BOAT of shrines, in the innermost chamber pattern broken on the starboard

COLOR PLATE 20 ofTutankhamun"s tomb. Since it and port sides of the cabin by two
has neither oars norsail, it must have doors and three windows in the lower
L ntil the seventeenth century B.C.. represented a barge that would be section, and two additional windows

when the two-horse chariot was towed in a flotilla on some formal in the upper section on the port side.

brought to Egypt by the Asiatic in- occasion. It may have been a model Two green bands and two bands
vaders known as the Hyksos, wheeled of one of the boats used to transport of blue, white, and red concentric
vehicles were never used in the Nile mourners and furniture to the tomb circles at the lowerends of the
\ alley. From the earliest times on- at the time of the king's funeral, feather pattern on the hull resemble
ward, the regular vehicle of transport or it may have been intended for his strengthening ties.

was the boat. Nature had provided pilgrimage in the afterlife to sacred
a river that was navigable at all places such as Abydos and Busiris.
seasons, and sailing against the cur- Nothing in its build or decoration Cairo No. 61339; Carter No. 310.
rent was greatly simplified because is truly indicative of its function. Length 47V4 in. (120.0 cm.), height
the prevailing wind blew in that Apart from the yellow and green 8Hcin. (20.5cm.).
direction, i.e. from the north. extensions with their shallow keels Carter III, 34, 60-61, pi. Ill;

In the minds of the Egyptians, at thestem and stern, the hull is Desroches-Noblecourt 83.
travel and ships were so closely carved from a single block of wood, Exhibitions: None.

147
37
GOLDEN SERPENT
COLOR PLATE 22
Twenty-two black wooden shrines
were stored in tlie innermost room
of Tutankhamun's tomb, and each
of them contained one or two figures
of either the king see Nos. 35, 38
( )

or a deity. Most of the deities are

well known see No. 39( but some ) ,
In the Eighteenth Dynasty at was fraught with dangers, largely
are scarcely mentioned in Egyptian Thebes the priests of Amun, the caused by malevolent demons that
religious literature, and information national god, endeavored to synthe- tried to bar the sun god's progress,
about their attributes and connec- size the different local conceptions but, with the aid of friendly deities
tions is very slender. To the latter of the afterlife in a book called Am and mysterious demigods, he always
category must be assigned this gilded Dual, meaning "What is in the emerged triumphant on the eastern
wooden serpent with eyes of trans- underworld," which describes, with horizon in the morning. One of the
lucent quartz, painted at the back illustrations, the nocturnal journey demigods in serpent form, who acted
and set in copper or bronze sockets. of the sun god through the under- as the custodian of the entrance to
In spite of the shortness of the tail, world from the western to the eastern the sixth section of the underworld,
it is clearly a cobra with neck dilated horizons. The "book" appears, for bears the name Netjer-ankh, who
like the uraeus on the brow of a king. the first time, on the walls of the may be the same divine entity as his
An inscription painted in yellow tomb of Thutniose III, who died a namesake on the earlier coffins,

on the black pedestal describes the hundred years before Tutankhamun. but to whom the priests of Amun
deceased Tutankliamun as "beloved It is divided into twelve sections, had assigned a different function.
of Netjer-ankh," which leaves no each representing both one hour of This serpent, however, does not bear
room for doubt that the name of the the night and a geographical region, the emblem of Neith on its hood,
serpent deity was Netjer-ankh, the latter being the subterranean although two other serpents, which
meaning the "living god." A serpent counterpart of an important cult assist the sun god in the eleventh
with that name, or its variant Ankh- center in Egypt itself. The journey section of the journey, not only bear
netjer, is represented on painted the emblem, at least in some repre-
wooden coffins found in middle sentations, but are accompanied
Egypt and dating from some five by Neith herself ( shown in the draw-
centuries before the time of Tut- ing above ) . The name is certainly
ankhamun; on the underside of its of greater significance than the
hood is the emblem usually associ- emblem, but it must be conceded

ated with the goddess Neith, a feature that there is no exact parallel in
also seen on the serpent in Tutankh- the Book of Am Duat, or in any other
amun's tomb. The serpent depicted New Kingdom religious work,
on the coffins is, however, not shown either to the serpent on the cofllns
alone but as one of a group of five or to Tutankhamun's gilded serpent.
serpents, all with different names and Variations in form, in function, or
more than one with the emblem of in name are not surprising after so
Neith on its hood. It has been sug- long a lapse of time, and there is

gested that each of the serpents little doubt that Tutankhamun's

originally represented one of the figure represents one of the serpents
mystical elements immanent in the that he believed would help him in

royal uraeus, and thus were minor his passage through the underworld,
deities with specialized functions. either with the sun god or actually
as the sun god himself.

Cairo l\o. 60754; Carter No. 283 a.

Height 22^ in. (56.5 cm.).

I

Carter III, 51-3, pi LIX B; Keimer

"Hisloire de serpents" 1 f}., fig. 11;
Jiquier 12-15, figs. 34-38.
Exhibitions: IS'one.
38
THE KINGUPON A LEOPARD
COLOR PLATE 21
This composite figure is one of a pair

of images shrouded in Hnen sheets and

placed in a single black wooden shrine
I illustrated at lower right ) . It consists
of a figure of the kingand a figure
of a leopard, both mounted on
pedestals. Apart from details such
as the uraeus and the sandals, which
are made of gilded bronze, the whole
composition is carved of wood, the
figure of the king being coated with
gesso and gilded. The eyes and eye-
brows are inlaid with glass. Only
the facial markings and the internal
pectinations of the ears of the leopard
are gilded, though traces of gilt are
also visibleon the claws; the rest
of the body is covered with a black
resin varnish. The king wears the
crown of Upper Egypt, a broad bead
collar, pleated kilt in the Amarna
style, apron, and sandals, the soles
of which are imitated in gilt on the
surface of the pedestal. He holds
a flail in his right hand and a long that such figures were connected
staff in his left, his handrest being with incidents in the passage of the
in the shape of a papyrus flower; king through the underworld. The
both are made of gilded bronze. The black color of the leopard also sug-
name of the king is painted in gests a connection with the under-
yellow on his pedestal. world. It is not a black "panther,"
Wooden leopards with mortises in the zoological sense; the under-
which when com-
cut in their backs, world was dark and its inhabitants,
pletemust have been parts of similar human, animal, and divine, lived
models, were found in the tombs of in darkness and were therefore rep-
Amenhotpell (about 1453-1419 resented in black, the color of
B.C. Thutmose IV about 1419-
) , ( darkness. It would have been inap-
1386 B.C. — now in the Museum of
) propriate to depict the king in black
Fine Arts, Boston — and Haremliab because he was associated with the
(about 1321-1293 B.C. but, apart I . source of light, namely the sun god,
from showing that the Tutankhamun who passed through the underworld
examples were not w ithout parallel each night, bringing a brief spell of
in the tomb equipment of kings in light to its inhabitants.
the Eighteenth Dynasty, they offer
no help in solving the problem of Cairo No. 60714; Carter No. 289 b.
their interpretation. Rather more Height 33 ' !i e in. (85.6 cm.) height ,

instructive is a painted representation ofking22%(i in. (56.4cm.) height ,

of a figure of the same general char- of leopard 7% in. (19.4 cm.).

acter on a wall in the tomb of Sethy Carter III, 56, pi. XIV; Desroches-
II (about 1199-1193 B.C. I, the Noblecourt249, fig. 158; Bonnet
chief difference being that the 581-2; Fox 30, pi. 56; Riesterer pi.
statuette of the king and its pedestal 24; Vandier III, 359, pi. CXV, 5.
are mounted upon From this
a lion. Exhibitions: London No. 28;
slender evidence it may be deduced U.S.S.R. No. 9.
 ; ) .

39 40
THE GOD PTAH MINIATURE EFFIGY
COLOR PLATE 22 OF THE KING
LYING ON A BIER
Ptah was the principal god of COLOR PLATE 23
Memphis, the capital of f^gypt in the
time of the kings who built the Carved from a single piece of wood,
pyramids, and his importance in the this model consists of a figure of
country as a whole must have been the king wrapped in a shroud and
partly a result of his association with lying on a bed in the form of two
the early seat of government. In lions with elongated bodies. Apart
later times Amen-Ra, the god of from the hands, which once held the
Thebes, achieved very wide recogni- crook and flail the insignia of
(

tion in a very similar way when Osiris I . nothing can be seen of his
Thebes was the capital. The Greeks body except the head and neck on
identified Ptah with godtheir which the royal nemes headdress is
Hephaistus because he was the patron placed. At the sides of the body are
deity of artists and craftsmen carved almost in the round small
Ptah's high priest bore the title figures of a falcon and a human-
"Greatest of those who undertake headed bird ( ba) each with one wing
,

a craft," or "Chief Artificer." laid on the body of the king.

The theologians of Memphis Like so many other objects
maintained that it was Ptah who had from the tomb of Tutankhamun, this
created not only the world but gods, piece has no parallel. It was placed
men, and animals too. In doing so he in a small rectangular wooden sarco-
was directed by his heart believed ( phagus padded with linen, and in
to be the seat of intelligence which )
, this respect, as well as in its general
prompted his tongue to utter the appearance, it is reminiscent of some
name of everything and thereby of the shaivabty figures of its period.
bring it into existence. It was a more Moreover, a set of miniature im-
intellectual conception of the crea- plements of the kind made for
tion, liut less picturesque, than the shaivabty figures had been buried
notion that the sun god emerged with it. Nevertheless, it is difficult to

from the lotus see No. 1 or, in the

{ ) believe that it was intended to serve
form of a falcon, from an egg, as an ordinary shaiiabty figure
and it never lost its appeal to the covers his chest and shoulders. (see No. 42).
Egyptians. Other gods were thought In his hands he holds a bronze The twin lion bed on which the
to 1)6 immanent in him, merely scepter (ivas) with an animal head figure lies resembles both the bed
members of his body. and the symbols for "life" (ankh) used by the embalmers when mum-
This carved wooden figure is and "stability" (djed) The figure is . mifying the body and the so-called
coated with gesso and gilded. Like mounted on a pedestal of the same funerary bed on which it was taken
many other objects found in the tomb shape as the hieroglyphic sign for to the tomb. Tutankhamun's funerary
of Tutankhamun, the gilt on the body, "truth" (maat) varnished with black bed, which was found beneath his
but not apparently on the face, has resin and bearing in yellow })aint outermost coflui, was made of gilded
a reddish tinge I see No. 6 ) . The the inscription: "The good god, wood and its design was very similar
skullcap is made of dark blue faience Nebkheperura. son of Ra, Tutankh- to the pattern of this model. Every-
and the eyes and eyebrows are in- amun. ruler of Heliopolis of Upper thing seems to show that the piece
laid with glass. A straight artificial Egypt, beloved of Ptah. lord of truth, represents in miniature the body of
beard of bronze encrusted with gold given life for ever." the king lying on his funerary bed
is represented as being held in after the completion of the process
position by sidestraps. As a rule Cairo IVo. 60739; Carter No. 291 a. of mummification. The wrajipings
figures of Ptah show the god wrapped Heifihl of figure 20% in. (52.8 cm.). and enveloping shroud, which were
in a shroud like a mummy, the head Pedestal: Length lO-Yia in. (26.0 held in position by one vertical and
and hands alone being exposed, cm . , lieiplu 2 % in (7.4 cm . ) four horizontal bandages, are indi-
but in this figure the body is wrapped Carter 1 11, 52-3, pi. LVB. cateil in this piece by bands of inscrip-
in a garment of feathers; a broad Exhibitions: London No. 6; tion. The human-headed bird and the
collar with back pendant (mankhel) U.S.S.R. No. 6. falcon are two of the forms that the

l.'SO
king might adopt when visiting his that are in you.' " Nut was the goddess Overseer of the Treasury, Maya."
body was mummified. A high
after it of the sky and the Imperishable His greatest service to his deceased
Egyptian official, who hved not long Stars were the circumpolar stars that sovereign, however, may have been
before the time of Tutankhamun. in- did not disappear from view like rendered in his capacity as "Super-
cluded in his tomb at Elkab an in- other stars, but were visible during intendent of Building Works in the
scription containing a promise to every season of the year. According (Royal Necropolis," an
I office that
transform himself into "a phoenix, a to one conception of the afterlife, would have enabled him to keep an
swallow, a falcon, or a heron," trans- the dead ascended to the sky and eye on Tutankhamun's tomb after the
formations of a kind also mentioned became stars. Understandably they king's death, and it is possible that it

in the Book of the Dead ( cf. Chapters wished to be one of the stars that was he who resealed it after the
77-8. 83-6 I . Chapter 89 has, as its never died. ancient robbers had violated it.
illustration, a representation of the The inscriptions on the bier
human-headed bird hovering over the record that the object was the gift of Cairo No. 60720: Carter No. 331 a.
body of the deceased that lies on a the Superintendent of Building Length 16% in. (42.2 cm.), width
funerary bed of the same kind as Works in the Necropolis. Royal 4^Mc in. (12 cm.) height of bier
,

this piece. Scribe, and Superintendent of the I'^ViG in. (4.3 cm.).
The inscription on the central Treasury, Maya. It was not his only Carter III, 84-6, pi XXIV; Des-
bandage reads: "Words recited by gift a fine wooden shmvabty bears
: roches-Noblecourt 88, 135, 216-9,
King Nebkheperura [i.e. Tutankh- an inscription under the soles of its pi LIV, ^281,305, fig. 182; Fox 29,
amun]. 'Descend, my mother Nut. feet recording that it was "made by pi 55; Zabkar84.
spread yourself over me and let me the servant who is beneficial to his Exhibitions: Paris No. 34; London
be [one of] the Imperishable Stars lord, the Osiris Nebkheperura, the No.lO;U.S.S.R.No.l6.
 . .

Amenhotpe III, however, conven-

tional styles were undergoing
changes, which developed rapidly
under Akhenaton and continued, in
amore restrained form, under Tut-
ankhamun. It is therefore not im-
probable that the figure, whether it

Amenhotpe III or Tut-

represents
ankhamun, is merely an example
of the many artistic innovations
of the time that possessed no sym-
bolical significance and were soon
41 discarded.
wooden coffin, however, bore the
SQUATTING FIGURE
names of Tutankliamun, and it seems Cairo No. 60702; Carter No. 320 c.
OF A KING more probable that the figure repre- Height 2 Vs in. (5.4 cm.) length of
,

COLOR PLATE 16 sents Tutankhamun himself. In sup- chain 21 V4 in. (54 cm.) diameter
,

port of this identification is the fact of chain Vs in. (0.3 cm.)

This figure of solid gold was found, that the lobes of the ears are shown Carter III, 86-7, pi. XXV C; Desro-
wrapped in a piece of linen, within pierced for earrings, a feature seldom ches-N oblecourt 134-5, pi. Ill a.
a gilded miniature coffin. It repre- shown in representations of kings Exhibitions: London No. 46;
sents a king wearing the khepresh before Akhenaton see No. 29 )
( U.S.S.R.N0.II.
crown (see No. 17) with uraeus and Egyptian kings and nobles are
a kilt with the regular apron in front. often shown on monuments wearing
The upper part of his body, apart necklaces with pendants, and a num-
from a bead necklace, and his arms ber of the finest pieces of this kind
42
and legs below the knee are bare. from the tomb of Tutankhamun are SHAWABTY FIGURE
In his right hand he holds the crook included in this volume. As a rule, COLOR PLATE 23
and flail see No. 5 the left hand
( )
; however, such pendants were amu-
rests on his knee. At the back of the letic in character, or at least repro- In the time of Tutankhamun a statu-
neck is a loop for the plaited gold duced mythological events. A squat- ette of this kind was known as a
suspension chain. Instead of a clasp, ting king is both exceptional icono- shaivabty, probably because such
linen cords terminating in tassels graphically and difficult to under- figures were originally made of
are attached to the upper ends of the stand in its underlying conception. the wood of the persea tree, which was
chain for fastening the necklace. The pose is at first sight suggestive called sliawab in the Egyptian lan-
In addition to this figure, the of the representations of the sun god guage. Later the name was changed
gilded coffin contained two smaller as a child squatting on a lotus flower to ushabty, a word meaning
one inside the other, the inner-
coffins, ( see No. 1 ) , who is also sometimes "answerer," perhaps because the
most being inscribed with the name depicted holding the crook and flail original connection with shaivab
of Amenhotpe Ill's wife. Queen in one hand. The lotus flower was, wood had been forgotten and it fitted

Teye, and preserving a lock of her however, an essential element in the the function of the figure as one who
auburn hair. It has therefore been composition of the scene because answered on behalf of the dead
conjectured that the squatting figure it provided the support for the sun owner. As a rule such figures, even
represents Amenhotpe III (about god when he emerged from Nun, those of kings, were just formal rep-
1386-1349 B.C. I , but in the absence the primordial waters, to bring light resentations of their dead owner, not
of an inscription the identity cannot to the universe at the time of its portraits. In this case the sculptor
be proved. Howard Carter regarded creation. In tliis pendant the king is has produced in wood (cedar? what )

and the lock of hair as

the figure squatting on a thin plate of gold and, seems to be a likeness of Tutankh-
heirlooms that were buried with although he is young in appearance, amun, the lower part of his body
Tutankliamun because he was the last he is clearly not a child. In Egyptian being shrouded like a mununy. He is
successor of Amenhotpe III in the art kings, unless they were engaged depicted wearing the blue khepresh
direct line of descent. Other writers in some recognizable activity such crown (see No. 17 with gilded I

have considered them as evidence as hunting, warfare, or religious uraeus and headhanil. The broad
that Amenhotpe? Ill and Teye were ceremonies, were usually portrayed collar and the flail in iiis right hand
the parents of Tiitankhannm. Both either standing or seated on a throne. are also gildeil, but the crook in his
the gilded coffin and the outermost Even before the end of the reign of left hand is bare. An inscription

152
written in hieratic on one of tlie boxes The dead Tutankhamun is repre- inscription: "Made by the servant,
containing many of Tutankliamun's sented as addressing the sJiaivabty and beloved of his lord, the General of the
shmvabty figures ( this figure was in instructing him that, if he i.e. Tut- ( Army, Minnaklit, for his lord, the
ankhamun summoned to work Osiris, King Nebkheperura, justi-
a black wooden shrine ) records that ) is

the figures were made of mry wood in the god's domain " to cultivate the fied." The figure was therefore a gift

to which gold had been applied,

leaf fields, to flood the meadows, or to from the general to the king's

but the word mry has not yet been transport the sand of the east to the funerary equipment.
identified. west," he {i.e.. \.\\e shxiwabty) shall
Shmvabty figures are among the say that he is ready to do the work Cairo No. 60830; Carter No. 318 a.

commonest objects that have been The crook and flail are the
for him. Height 18'Ag in. (48.0 cm.).
emblems of the god Osiris see Carter III, 82-3, pis. XXIII,
preserved from ancient Egypt. Some (

413 figures of varying quality and No. 5 ) and throughout the text LXVII; Fox 29, pi. 54; Cerny,
Tutankhamun identified as the Hieratic Inscriptions, i2-i3; Schul-
material were found in this tomb is

alone, while the tomb of Sethy I, who god Osiris. man 61-6, 68.
reigned about forty years later Incised under the feet is the Exhibitions: None.

than Tutankhamun, yielded about

700, by far the highest total from any
single tomb. When shauabtys were
first introduced as part of the equip-
ment of an Egyptian tomb ( under the
Eleventh-Twelfth Dynasties, about
2000 B.C. they were very few in
)
,

number, sometimes only one figure in

a tomb. Their number was not sub-
stantially augmented until the Eight-
eenth Dynasty (about 1.570-1293
B.C.). In the case of nonroyal per-
sons the ideal number — at least at

certain times — was 401, one figure for

every day in the year and 36 foremen
to control each group of ten figures.
The figures were made in the temple
workshops under the direction of a
priest who bore the title '"Chief
Fashioner of Amulets," no doubt be-
cause the main occupation of his
workshop was the manufacture of the
small protective amulets that were
placed in mummy wrappings and
were worn by persons in life. The
family of a dead person bought the
figures, and the money paid served
the dual purpose of paying the vendor
and paying the notional wages of
the figures.
Although they were sometimes
called "servants" in Egyptian texts,
shawablys were more often consider-
ed as substitutes or deputies for their
deceased owner when he was required
by the god Osiris to perform corvee
duties of an agricultural kind in
the next world. This conception
underlies the spell from the Book of
the Dead Chapter 6
I ) ,
part of which
is inscribed on the front of this figure.
43
SELKET most striking feature is the turn of Freestanding figures of four
the head sideways so that it faces goddesses, one being this figure of
COLOR PLATES 24-25
toward the left. It is the more re- were placed outside the gilded
Selket,
This graceful figure of the goddess markable because it breaks one of the wooden shrine that housed Tutankh-
Selket. whose emblem, a scorpion, is most fundamental and persistent amun's alabaster Canopic chest
placed on her head, is made of wood rules of Egyptian plastic art. the so- (see Nos. 44, 45 The other three
I .

overlaid with gesso and gilded. She called rule of frontality. By this rule goddesses were Isis, Nephthys. and
is clad in a close-fitting pleated dress every figure carved in the round must Neith, each of whom bore, like Selket.
with short sleeves, the dress being face the viewer directly. The effect her emblem on her head. They were
gathered in at the waist by a ribbed of the deviation in this instance is the guardians of the four genii
girdle. A pleated shawl, draped over to show the head in profile, as though I Imset, Hapi, Qebehsenuef, and
her left shoulder, extends down her it were carved in relief. Amarna in- Duamutef with whom
I the mummi-
back and is knotted under the right fluence may be detected in the long fied internal organs of the king were
breast. Over both garments she wears neck, as exemplified by the famous identified. Selket was the guardian
a broad collar, modeled to imitate head of Nafertiti in Berlin. The out- of Qebehsenuef. All four goddesses
rows of beads. Her headdress repre- stretched arms and hands are also had their arms outstretched in the
sents a linen kerchief into which her long, as well as thin, but the reason same fashion, such an attitude being
hair is gathered, tied at the nape of for this was probably functional, suggestive of spreading their pro-
the neck, and continuing downward as will be evident when the purpose tection over their charges. They are
as a broad flap. The eyes and eye- of the figure is described. Neverthe- represented in high relief with out-
brows are painted in black. less, both their positioning and their stretched arms and wings on the
In its naturalistic style this figure anatomical character contribute to corners of both the alabaster Canopic
resembles the art of Amarna, but its the jiiece's elegance as a work of art. chest and the quartzite sarcophagus

'f:0^M^
containing Tutankliamun's nuinimy. ities with which she was associated, I who utter it [i.e. a spell], it is
and the purpose in each case was the but she was chiefly noted for her not I who repeat it; it is Selket who

same. An inscription that refers to control of magic and. in particular, utters it, it is she who repeats it."

similar figures on the sarcophagus of for treating scorpion stings by means The magician in this instance claimed
Thutmose IV defines their role in of magic. It may seem strange that to be no more than the mouthpiece

these words: "These four goddesses a goddess whose emblem was a of the goddess, a feature of priest-
shall be with you. accompanying scorpion should be concerned with hood that is not uncommon. With the

you. driving out every evil that is in nullifying its actions, but homoeo- exception of no Egyptian god-
Isis,

your flesh, exterminating those who pathy — the countering of like by dess was more closely connected with
come against you and setting their like — played an important part in magic than Selket. and even Isis
magic spells against them.'' The side- ancient magic; no doubt she was be- sometimes assumed the form of a
ways glance of the three goddesses lieved to have at her command the scorpion or was represented as being
who faced the sides and back of the particular poison contained in the escorted by scorpions and thereby
shrine. Selket. Neith. and Nephthys. sting of a scorpion and could use it identified herself with Selket.
was also intended to suggest that they for therapeutic purposes. Profes-
were looking out for intruders. sional magicians are often mentioned Cairo No. 60686; Carter No. 266 a.

Selket's divine role was not in Egyptian texts as being attached Height 53% in.(90 cm.).
limited to funerary duties; like her in a priestly capacity to the cult of Carter III, 46-51, ph. V, VIII; Des-
three companion goddesses she ac- Selket. perhaps as specialists in cur- roches-N oblecourt 78, 83, 85, pi.
quired those functions in virtue of ing scorpion stings. A well-known XXXI; Piankoff 19-20, pi 12;
her long-established reputation in a magical papyrus in the Turin Yoyotte 128, pi. 129; Bonnet
wider field of protection. Childbirth Museum ascribes the following words 696-7.
and nursing were two human activ- to one of these magicians: "It is not Exhibitions: None.

Lf'jl: The shrine eonlaining Tutunkh-

amun's Ciinupie equipment. Above: Three

of the goddesses who surrounded the shrine;
Selket (Cat. no. 43) is at the right

155
 .

three represented heads of a baboon,

a jackal, and a falcon, the forms
ascribed to the Four Sons of Horus.
Canopus was the name given by the
Greeks to a town near Alexandria
afterone of their legendary heroes,
Canopus, the pilot of Menelaus, per-
haps because they believed he was
buried there. It was the seat of a cult
of Osiris in which the god was rep-
resented as a bulbous jar with a
human head, not unlike the jars used
for preserving the viscera. Once the
town had acquired its name, it is not
difficult to understand how ancient
visitors toEgypt imagined that it
was Canopus himself, and not Osiris,
who was worshiped in the form of
a human-headed jar. Early European
antiquarians, unaware of the dif-
ference between the Osiris jars and
the human-headed jars that contained
the viscera, added to the error of the
ancients by associating the viscera
jars with Canopus and calling them
Canopic jars, a name they have
retained to this day.

Cairo Ao. 60687; Carter A'o. 266 e.

Height 9'{q in. (24 cm.) max. depth ,

44 7'/,6in.(19cm.).
inner compartments was a stopper, Carter III, 46-50, pis. IX, X, LIII;
STOPPER
made of alabaster, in the form of the Desroches-Noblecourt 78, 83, 161,
FROM CANOPIC CHEST head and shoulders of a king wear- pi. XXXIII, 222, 238, 246, 301;
COLOR PLATE 12 ing the striped royal headdress with Fox 27, pis. 44-5; Aldred, Art.
the vulture's head and the cobra 89, pi 147.
The gold miniature coffin ( No. 45 I separately carved and inserted in the Exhibitions: U.S.A. No. 24; Paris
containing one of the iiing's internal brow. Details of the features are No. 30; Japan No. 15; London
organs, perhaps the lungs, was placed picked out in black and red. The like- No. 8; U.S.S.R. No. 13.
inone of four cylindrical compart- ness to Tutankhamun is so striking
ments in a magnificent Canopic chest that ithard to imagine that the
is

shaped like a shrine. It was covered sculptor was not portraying the king
by a linen jjall and placed on a gilded himself. Each stopper has a black
wooden sledge see No. 43 The
( ) . symbol on the shoulder to indicate the 45
whole chest, except the movable lid, ])articular compartment into whicli CANOPIC COFFIN
was carved of a single block of ala- it fitted. COLOR PLATES 26-27
baster ( calcite ) . On the outer walls Although chests containing the
were inscribed magical utterances by deceased's mummified viscera are This is one of four miniature coffins,

four goddesses, depicted at the four known as Canopic chests, the name all of the siime form but tliflering in
corners with their arms outstretched, has no historical justification. their inscriptions, which were placed
namely Isis, Nephtbys, Selket, and Usually such chests Iield four jars, in an alal)aster calcite
( ) ciiest, the
Neith. They were the protectors of the actual receptacles of the viscera, so-called Canopic chest ( see No. 41- )

the Four Sons of Horus Imset, Hapi, ( which, until shortly after the tiiTie Thev are made of beaten gold, in-
Qebehsenuef, and Duamutef with )
, of Tutankhamun, were providetl with laid with colored glass and carnelian.
whom the internal organs were human-headed sto|)pers. Later, one Each coffin contained one of the in-

identified. At l\n; top of each of the stop[)er only was human-headed and ternal organs of the king — liver,

156
stomach ( or spleen I , lungs, and in- containing one of the internal organs, Carter 111, 46-51. ph. LIU, LIV;
testines — that were removed from his perhaps the intestines. The remainder Desroches-JS oblecourt 83, 162, pL
body during the process of embalm- of the inside of the lid and the whole XXXIV, 220, 222, 301 ; Fox 27, pi.
ing. In design these coffins are mini- of the inside of the box are covered 46;Piankoffl9,pl.9.
ature replicas of the second of the with magical inscriptions. Exhibitions: Similar to U.S.A. No. 2;
tiiree anthropoid coffins within which Paris No. 31; Japan No. 2;
tiie king's mummy was placed. Cairo A o. 60691 ; Carter No. 266 g. London No. 9; U.S.S.R. No. 12;
Tutankhamun's names in the Length Si's in. (22.5 cm.). Vienna No. 58.
inscriptions appear to have been sub-
stituted for others that have been
completely erased. It may therefore
be conjectured that the coffins, like

some of the other objects in the tomb,

were originally made for Smenkhkara,
Akhenaton's co-regent at the end of
his reign. This explanation would
account for the general facial re-

semblance to Tutankhamun if, as

seems probable, the two kings
were brothers.
The mummiform effigy is por-

trayed wearing the striped royal head-

dress fnemes) with the vulture's ,

head and the cobra on the brow, a

plaited beard on the chin, and an
elaborate collar composed of imita-
tions of petals. The lobes of the ears
are pierced for earrings after the
fashion of the period. Crossed over
the chest and held in each hand are
the shepherd's crook and the flail
Isee No. 5 emblems of the god
I ,

Osiris w ith whom the dead king was

identified. Two vultures, one with
the head of a cobra representing the
goddess ^'adjet and the other repre-
senting the goddess Nekhbet, spread
their wings over the arms and shoul-
ders of the effigy; they hold in their
claws the hieroglyphic sign for
"infinity" (shen) . The lower part of
the body is decorated in cloisonne
work with a stylized feather pattern
arranged in compartments. In the
center of the front, inlaid in colored
glass, is the inscription: '"Words
spoken by Selket: T place my arms
on that which is in me, I protect
Qebehsenuef who is in me, Qebeh-
senuef of the Osiris. King Neb-
kheperura [i.e. Tutankhamun] justi- ,

fied.' " The goddess Selket, on the

underside of the lid (illustrated at
the right shown standing on the
I , is

hieroglyphic sign for "gold" and

enveloping with her wings a packet

157
ANNEX

^
1 : #-.W
<^
46
GAMING BOARD Like many of the other known
examples, this box is double-sided,
COLOR PLATE 31
the game played on the reverse side
being called tjau, a word that seems
In the introduction to Chapter 17 of tomean "robbers." That board is di-
the Book of the Dead, playing a game vided into twenty squares, a middle
called senet is described as one of the row of twelve squares flanked by four
occupations of the deceased person squares on each side at one end.
in the next world, and the vignette Three of the squares in the middle
accompanying the chapter represents row are inscribed, one with a kneel-
him seated, often in the company of ing figure of Heh, the god of millions
his wife, at a checkerboard but with- of years, another with two thrones in
out an opponent. Like so many other pavilions (the sign for a jubilee
activities ascribed to the next life, festival ) , and the third with the hiero-
playing this game was also something glyphic signs for life, stabihty, and
that the deceased had done in his dominion.
lifetime. It must have a long history, Nothing is known with certainty
because it is represented occasionally about the rules of play for either
in the scenes on the walls of Old game, but it is believed that the aim
Kingdom tombs, a thousand years of each player in senet was to be the
before the time of Tutankhamun, first to reach the square at the angle
sometimes in association with music of the L-shaped arrangement in-
and other kinds of entertainment. On scribed with three signs meaning
the standard board there were gener- "happiness, beauty." The square pre-
ally three rows of ten squares, five of ceding it may have been a hazard,
which might be inscribed with hiero- because its hieroglyphs represent
glyphics; each player had five or water. Certainly it was a game of
seven playing pieces, frequently coni- chance, the moves being determined
cal in shape. by the throw either of knucklebones
To judge from the number of or of four casting sticks, both of
boards in Tutankhamun's tomb, the which were found in the tomb. The
game must have been one of his casting sticks were of two kinds, one
favorite pastimes. The boards — four pair having ends in the form of the
in all — vary in size from a miniature tips of human fingers and the ends of
set to the largest and most elegant, the other being carved in the form of
which is shown here. It is box-shaped a long-eared canine animal, probably
and is mounted in a rebate on top of a fox. Both pairs consist of black specially intended for religious or
an ebony stand in the form of a bed ebony in the upper half and white funerary purposes. The incised in-
frame with feline paws resting on ivory in the lower half. Perhaps the scriptions filled with yellow pigment
gilded drums. Beneath the drums is number of points scored from a cast on the sides and ends of this box are
an ebony sledge. The claws of each depended on the number of sticks strictlymundane, wishing the king
paw are made of ivory and the that finished with the white or black life and prosperity and employing

"cushions" and the braces, which side uppermost when they were cast. such titles and epithets as "The
strengthen the joints between the Besides the reference in the Strong Bull, beautiful of birth, image
frame and the paws, are gilded. The Book of the Dead to the game of of Ra. precious ofFsjjring [literally
box itself is veneered with ebony and senet, another religious text men- "egg"! of Alum, king of Upper and
the thirty squares, five of which are tions what appears to be the same, Lower Egypt, ruler of the nine bows
inscribed, are inlaid with ivory. At or at least a very similar, game played [i.e. foreign lands! . lord of all the
one end of the board is a small drawer by the deceased against a divine lands, and possessor of might Neb-
for the gaming pieces. Originally it opponent to decide his fate in the kheperura." On the other side he is
was fastened by two bolts, probably of underworld. The extant versions of called "Fair of laws, he who pacifies
gold, which slid into staples fixed on from later than the
this text all date llie Two Lands, 'the Horus of Gold'
the frame. Since the pieces were miss- time of Tutankhamun, but they may exalted of crowns who placates the
ing. Carter su])posed that they were preserve an ancient belief. Nothing, gods." The short inscriptions around
made of gold and silver and were however, in the character of his the drawer, which are of the same
stolen by the ancient robbers. boards suggests that they were kind, describe him as "The gooil

160
 The top of the
gaming board
(Cat. no. 46)
as it was found,
labeled "345"

god, lord of the Two Lands, lord of

crowns whom Ra created" and "Be-
loved of all the gods, may he be
healthy, living for ever." The three
component parts were
of this piece
found scattered about the Annex.

Cairo No. 62058; Carter No. 345.

Board: length 18% in. (46.0 cm.),
ividth 6% 6 in. (16.0 cm.) height ,

3-^'\(, in. (8.1 cm.) Sledge

. and
stand: height T^Viq in. (20.2 cm.).
Sledge: length 21% in. (55.0 cm.).
Carter III, 130-2, LXXV; Des-
pi.

roches-N oblecourt 95,-pl. XLIX b;

Baker 99, fig. 126; Needier 74;
Pieper, Brettspiel; idem
Zeitschrift.
Exhibitions: London No. 18; U.S.S.R.
No. 46.
 47
due of its contents remaining inside
ALABASTER FLASK
the vase could not be identified.
COLOR PLATE 30
Cairo No. 62129; Carter No. 344.
Finely carved stone vessels were one Height 26/46 in. (66.2 cm.) diame- ,

of the outstanding achievements of ter 7^ Vie in. (19.6 cm.).

the early Egyptian craftsmen. Mak- Carter III, 147, pi. LXXXIX B; Des-
ing use of the rich variety of materials roches-N oblecourt 188, pi. XL a,

available to them, they produced 302.

vases and dishes of a quality and Exhibitions: U.S.A. No. 23; Japan
simple elegance that were never sur- No. 16.
passed and seldom equaled in later
times. Basalt, breccia, diorite, schist,
and alabaster were the stones most
commonly employed, serpentine and 48
granite not infrequently, particularly HEADREST
in the early dynastic period, and rock COLOR PLATE 29
crystal and porphyry exceptionally.
Many thousands of vessels of these Egyptian headrests show many varia-
materials were buried with King tions in material, and in form they
Djoser (about 2650 B.C. under his ) range from the plain to the elaborate.
famous step pyramid at Sakkara, and Usually they consist of three parts:
very large numbers were placed in a flat and
base, a small central pillar,
tombs of nobles and high officials at a curved support on which the head
the beginning of Egypt's history. rested. In this ivory example, which
After the Old Kingdom about 2180
( has no close parallel in Egyptian art,
B.C. ) the production of stone vessels, the central pillar is formed mainly of
apart from small unguent pots in the a figure of the god Shu kneeling and
Middle Kingdom, diminished until holding with upraised arms the
the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty, curved head support. Looped over
when there was a notable revival. each of his shoulders is the hiero-
New and more elaborate shapes were glyphic sign for ''protection." Two
designed and the material employed couchant lions, carved almost in the
was generally native alabaster, a round, are on the top of the base.
stone that should strictly be described Shu was the god of the air and
ascalcite. consequently his image was used as
This flask is one of a pair of its symbol. According to legend he
almost identical vases fashioned in a brought chaos to an end. at the crea-

new and apparently not in large

style tion of the universe, by raising the
numbers, to judge from the known sky ( symbolized by his daughter
examples. It is made of the finest JNut ) high above the earth ( symbol-
alabaster, with no break in the con- ized by his son (n'b ) . It was an action
tinuity of the gentle curves of its that had to be maintained continu-
outline.Spaced apart on its long neck ously; failure to do so would result in
are three inlaid bands of imitation the fail of the sky and a return to chaos.
lotus petals, the blue being faience The ancient Egyptians regarded
and the white limestone, all sus- I he head as the seat of life and conse-
pended from strings of black and quently its preservation was thought
white glass. They represent the gar- to be of particular importance for
lands that were regularly at this continued existence after death. It

period attached to pottery jars at could not. however, function without

feasts and were reproduced, as char- the hel]) of magic, which could be ob-
acteristic features,on painted pottery tained by various means, one of
at the palace of Amenholpc III and which was an amulet in the form of a
at Aniarna. Stains on the alabaster headrest, either model or actual.
suggest that the vase had been used Tutankliamun possessed four full-size
in the king's lifetime; the slight resi- headrests and one model that was

162
made of iron and placed in the linen
wrappings of his mummy at the hack
of the head — the natural position for
such an object. A spell in the Book of
the Dead (No. 166) has been inter-
preted as attributing to the headrest
the power of resurrection, and an-
other spell (No. 55) sometimes writ-
ten on headrests identifies these
objects with the god Shu, probably be-
cause air was a vital necessity for life.

In order to show symbolically

that the base of the headrest repre-
sents the earth or its god Geb, the
artist has carved two lions, one at
each end of the base, representing the
two mountains on the eastern and
western horizons between which the
sun rose and set. As a development
from this conception, two squatting
lions placed back became a
back to
symbol and tomorrow.
for yesterday
On the shoulder of each lion is a kind
of rosette, the interpretation of which
is uncertain. It has been variously
explained as representing a tuft of
hair and an ornament placed on live
lions at the court of a king. Its occur-
rence as an artistic feature is not
confined to Egypt: found init is also
the art of Syria. Mesopotamia, and
Persia. The position of the tail, lying
beside the body, is a peculiarity of the
period see No. 16). At other times
(

itwas curled over the flank.

Behind the figure of Shu is the
hieroglyphic inscription: "The good
god. son of Amun, king of Upper and
Lower Egypt, lord of the Two Lands,
Nebklieperura [i.e. Tutanklianiun],
given life like Ra for ever."
The object ismade of two pieces
of ivory joined iiy wooden dowel in
a
the middle of the figure of Shu and
held together by four gold nails. De-
tails are inlaid with a blue pigment.

Cairo No. 62020; Carter No. 403 c.

Height d'/s in. (17.5 cm.) , length

irU in. (29.1 cm.), width 3Y2
in. (9.0cm.).
Carter III, 116-7, pi. XXXVI B; Des-
roches-Noblecourt288, pi. 187;
Fox 31 , pi. 62; Piarikoff pi. 59.
Exhibitions: Paris No. 41; London
No. 37; U.S.S.R. No. 39.

163
49
timber grown in Egypt that were suit- row of leaves at the base. The cor-
ORNATE STOOL responding feature at the base of the
able for furniture. It is painted white
COLOR PLATE 31 apart from the grille, stretchers, feet, lotus stems represents a plot of land
and cartilaginous protuberances on divided by irrigation channels, the
Egyptian stools two main
fall into the legs, all of which are gilded. canals being the natural habitat of the
classes, folding and rigid. Within Under the feet, the ringed drums are lotus in Upper Egypt. As a hiero-

each class there is a wide variety of capped with metal, either copper or glyphic sign it is sometimes used to

patterns, ranging from the simple to bronze. The double-cove seat is bor- indicate the general sense of the
the elaborate, many of which are rep- dered on the outer edges by a narrow Egyptian word for Upper Egypt
resented in the furniture found in the cornice, which contributes to the (shema) The stretchers under the
.

tomb of Tutankhamun. A fine model lightness and elegance of the piece. It grille are decorated with the striated
of a folding stool is included here is the gilded grille, however, which is design found on the borders of the
( No. 1 1 and two illustrations of the
1 the most distinctive feature of the inner gilded panels of the chair il-

king seated on such a stool with a stool. On all four sides it consists of lustrated as No. 8.
cushion may be seen on the sides of the hieroglyphic sign for "unifica- In one respect this stool, apart
the gold shrine No. 13 In a third
( ) . tion" (sema ) to which are tied stems
, from being a seat, resembles a chair:
scene, on the left-hand door of the of the lotus and papyrus flowers. It is the front and the back are easily dis-
same shrine, he is shown seated on a a motif regularly found on the sides tinguishable, the front being the face
rigid stool that is also covered with a of the seats in royal monuments, corresponding with the direction in
cushion. A fine distinction cannot be sometimes with figures of two deities, which the feline feet are pointed. In

drawn between the different uses of representing Upper and Lower Egypt, decoration there is no difference
stools and chairs in ancient Egypt, holding the ends of the stems. As a between the two faces, except that the
but in the time of Tutankhamun symbol it commemorated the unifica- lotus and papyrus flowers are on op-

chairs are more common in represen- tion of the Two Lands

Upper and ( i.e. posite sides of the sema sign and

tations of formal occasions and stools Lower Egypt under Menes, the first
) therefore back to back. This arrange-
in scenes of the ordinary activities of king of the First Dynasty f see No. ment shows that the stool was
daily life. 10 ) . In ancient times the papyrus intended to be placed facing eastward,
The wood of which this stool is plant flourished in the marshes of the so that the papyrus would be on the
made has not been identified with Delta, and the artist has suggested northern side and the lotus on the
certainty, but it is believed to be this natural settingby showing the southern side.
acacia, one of the very few kinds of stems of the flowers emerging from a Although it is solidly built, with

164
 ,

mortise and tenon joints strength-

ened by metal pegs capped with gold,
it has suffered some distortion from

the strain of being tightly wedged

between a bedstead and the wall of
the Annex, where it had been thrown
by the ancient robbers in their hur-
ried operations in the tomb.

Cairo No. 62038; Carter No. 467.

Height 17^Vi 6 in. (45.0 cm.) width ,

IT^Viein. (45.0 cm.), depth

16^ 6 in. (43.0 cm.).
-'/i

Carter III, 114, pi. LXVlll B; Baker

87, pi. VI II; Desroches-N oblecourt

93, pi. IV a.
Exhibitions: Paris No. 14; London
No.20;U.S.S.R.No.44.

50 rior kings of the early Eighteenth the king of Babylonia, Burnaburiash,

POMEGRANATE VASE Dynasty. Although it is mentioned, that Akhenaton had sent Burnaburi-
COLOR PLATE 30 by its Semitic name, which the Egyp- ash a present of silver and ivory
tians retained, in a biographical pomegranates. In another letter in

Egypt, so rich in gold, had very little inscription dating from Amenhotpe I the same collection of letters Tush-
native silver.It did, however, possess, or Thutmose I, the earliest represen- ratta, king of Mitanni, stated that he
though not in very large quantities, tation occurs in the so-called botanical was sending Akhenaton seven gold
a natural alloy of gold and silver, garden of Thutmose III at Karnak — pomegranates. It is evident, therefore,
electrum, which was so light in color a small chamber whose walls are that in the time of Tutankhamun the
that it was sometimes called "white decorated with reliefs showing the pomegranate was still uncommon
gold." Early texts that mention both trees and plants that he collected in enough for its shape to attract interest.
gold and silver place silver first, Palestine and Syria. Thereafter it Besides this silver vase, Tutankh-
which suggests that it was the more appears in painted scenes on the walls amun had an ivory pomegranate,
valuable metal, but the order had of the tombs of nobles and high found in the alabaster casket. No. 9.
been reversed by the Eighteenth Dy- officials, but at first only rarely, in Chased on the neck and shoulder
nasty, when an appreciable amount of small quantities, and exclusively in of the vase are bands of petals. A
silver must have reached the country the tombs of the most important third band on the body of the vase is
from western Asia as tribute and in courtiers. In atomb at Amarna pome- composed of cornflowers and leaves,
trade. Nevertheless, it was not com- granate trees are shown growing in which may be those of a vine, but
mon; the tomb of Tutankhamun the royal garden. their identity has not been firmly
yielded only two "silver" objects of Very soon after the introduction established. On the neck are nine
any — this vase and one of the two
size of thepomegranate into Egypt, imi- sepals one broken in antiquity )
(

trumpets see No. 3 — but probably

( ) tations of it were made in glass and whereas in nature the sepals number
some other pieces had been stolen by faience and certainly in other
( only five to seven — perhaps an indi-
the ancient robbers. Alfred Lucas, the materials too ) for use as vases and, cation that the silversmith who made
chemist who assisted Carter, noted in miniature, as pendants to neck- itwas not very familiar with the fruit
that this vase contained "a con- laces. Some faience examples were Originally it had a rush stopper
itself.

siderable proportion of gold and found in the tomb of Thutmose Ill's that had been forced into the vase by
might be regarded as either silver or son, Amenhotpe II, at Thebes, a cir- the ancient robbers in order to obtain
electrum." cumstance that would be consonant whatever it contained.
Whether the material of which with the assumption that they were a
the vase is made came from a native prized novelty. Perhaps more in- Cairo No. 62192; Carter No. 469.
source (which seems likely ) or not, dicative of the esteem in which they Height SVi in. (13.4 cm.) diameter ,

the pomegranate whose fruit it imi- were held is a record in the diplo- 4V^in. (10.8 cm.).
tates was certainly not indigenous to matic correspondence — the so-called Carter III, 130, pi LXXIII A Fox
;

Egypt. It was brought from western Amarna letters — between Tutankh- 33, pi. 68.
Asia after the campaigns of the war- amun's predecessor, Akhenaton, and Exhibitions: None.

165
 .

51
ORNATE CHEST
COLOR PLATES 32-33
and technically this ivory. The feet are capped with fer-
Both artistically

wooden chest is undouhtedly one of rules of bronze or copper.

the outstanding works of art in the

The difference already mention-
ed in portraying the relationship be-
whole collection of objects found in
the tomb of Tutankhaniun. No more tween the king and queen in the time
than four pieces, of which two are this of Akhenaton, on the one hand, and

chest and the small golden shrine Tutankhamun, on the other, is well
show the king and queen illustrated in the delightful scene
( No. 13 ) ,

carved in low relief on the central

together, in a style reminiscent of so
preceding panel of the lid ( Color Plate 33 )

much of the art of the

It is set in a bower richly bedecked
Amarna period, but different in
theme. Perhaps the most striking with flowers, mostly in festoons. The

difference is that Akhenaton and posts supporting the vine-covered

Nafertiti are generally represented roof are decorated with circular floral

participating almost as equal partners

spaced at intervals apart, open
frills,

in the performance of some activity, poppies arranged in spiral fashion,

whereas the role of Ankhesenamun and, at the top, clusters of papyrus,

tends to be rather subservient, that of lotus, and poppies. Under the bower,
an intimate companion who attends the king, leaning lightly with one

to Tutankhamun's needs. The rela- hand on a long staff, is in the act of

stretching out the other hand to re-
tionship between king and queen is

nearer to that of a nobleman and his ceive two bouquets of lotus, papyrus,

wife as portrayed in some of the and poppies from the queen. In con-
trast with the relaxed pose of the
painted tombs of the pre- Amarna peri-
od at Thebes, but it is not identical king, her bearing is erect and yet

because the nobleman's wife is rep- graceful and mobile. Her headdress,

resented merely as an onlooker. surmounted by a conical unguent

In its design the chest embodies holder flanked by two uraei with solar
as
main architectural elements of disks, is turned toward the viewer,
the
were seen from the front, where-
the standard Egyptian cabin-shaped if it

main as her head is shown in profile re-

shrine, except insofar as the
dimension is horizontal and not ver- vealing a very long side lock - a fea-

tical. The lid is an elongated adapta- ture of coiffure that was a recent in-
The novation. Both the lie of the side lock
tion of the hunchbacked roof.

entablature of the box consists of a and the flowing ends of the long sash,
cavetto cornice overlaid with gilded which gathers her pleated robe in
of
gesso and edged with ebony, a wood- at the waist, add to the impression

en torus molding painted dark green, movement in her whole body. She is
and a narrow ebony frieze. On the the devoted and intimate companion

ledge above the cornice is an inlaid of the king, seeking to give him

band consisting of red and blue pleasure, but nevertheless ministering

plaques, the former of painted calcite tohim. Beneath this scene and. in
and the latter of glazed composition, accordance with Egyptian artistic
arranged alternately and separated convention, nearer to the viewer (see

by black and white striped plaques, No. 311, are two female attendants
apparently made of ebony and ivory. picking flowers and mandrake fruits

A similar band of decoration serves to take to the king and queen, per-

as a border to the painted scenes haps when sitting on the cushioned

carved on the lid and in ivory panels seat with a floral valance reaching to
the floor, placed under the bower
on the outer faces of the four walls,
each scene being set within a frame liehind the royal pair.

strips of plain In virtue of its position and also

composed of broad

166
The ornate chest and its cover (Cat. no. 51 ) are numbered "551" and "540" here, amid the confusion of the Annex
 1

of its character, the principal scene

on the box is undoubtedly the one
carved in low
the head end of the chest
at right which depicts Tutankhamun
I ,
relief on the panel
(
at

illustrated I'^iiimiMi
shooting with bow and arrow wild
fowl and fish from the bank of a rect-
angular pond. In accordance with
a common artistic convention, part of
the string of the bow and the butt end
of the arrow are concealed behind
the king's head and body, while his
right hand, which holds them, is
shown it would occupy
in the position
if the string were on the near side of

his head cf., however, Nos. 13 and

(

18 His extended left arm is protected

) .

by an archer's leather bracer from in-

jury through friction caused by the
string. He is seated on a curved-back
chair with a cushion, and his feet rest
on a cushioned footstool. He wears
the blue crown with uraeus and pend-
ent streamers, a broad bead collar,
and a pleated skirt tied around the
waist by a long sash, the ends of which
reach nearly to the ground, and an
apron also suspended from the waist.
On his arms and wrists are broad
bracelets and on his feet sandals. The
lobe of his ear is pierced for an ear-
ring see No. 29
( The queen squats I .

on a cushion in front of the king

holding a lotus flower in her right
hand and an arrow, ready to pass to
the king, in her left hand. Her dress
is the same as on the lid. At the top As a background to this scene, by a lily palmette and a blue lotus and
of her wig is a fillet with uraeus and the artist has filled the entire field supporting buds of red poppy, stand
pendent streamers, surmounted by a with festoons, garlands, and bouquets one at each side of the panel, giving
diadem of uraei with sun's disks. in which the flowers and individual the appearance of architectural col-
Resting on the wig is a conical un- petals of the blue lily, buds of the umns and suggesting to the eye that
guent holder adorned with a floral white lotus, and the leaves and fruit the action is taking place under a
circlet. The name and titles of the of the mandrake are predominant. liower. Tlie whole composition is in-
king ( who bore the epithet "beloved Among other plants recognizable by tended to convey the impression of
of Ptah, Lord of Truth" ) and those their flowers and leaves are convol- the idyllic surroundings in which the
of the queen are engraved in the hiero- vulus, cornflowers, and possibly a king would lead his afterlife.
glyphic inscri])tions in front of their vine. Even the gap between the legs of Very similar floral motifs are
figures. Beneath the ])on(l is an at- the king's chair and the narrow aper- repeated on the sides and back of the
tendant carrying a and a iluck, fish ture between the stiles and the back- chest, but their setting is entirely dif-
both transpierced by one of the king's rest are draped with flowers. Two ferent. Each [)ant'l has. within its
arrows. upright bouquets, each surmounted ribbon border, a frieze consisting of

168
 : .

Right side: a spotted calf rising

to its feet, an ibex attacked by a lion,

a spotted bull in flight, two spotted

calves, one recumbent, the other run-
ning, a spotted calf in flight with its

hind legs in the air.

Just as the scene on the lid re-

sembles some of the episodes on the
gold shrine ( No. 13 I , so these scenes
have much in common with those on
the reverse side of the sheath of the
gold dagger ( No. 20 ) , and it is not
inconceivable that in both cases they
were drawn by the same draughtsman
or at least by draughtsmen from the
same workshop. At first sight those
on the box appear to have little con-
nection with the scene on the front
panel, but the hound is clearly the royal
hunting animal and, although the
king himself is not shown, the whole
composition gives the impression of
being the hunting counterpart to the
fowling and fishing scene, in which
it was necessary to represent the king
as the archer whose arrows secured
the prey.
Although this chest had been
stripped of its contents by the ancient
robbers and had been separated from
its lid, so that the box was found in
the northwest corner of the Annex
and the lid in the northeast comer, it
may be deduced that it probably held
some of the king's ceremonial robes.
It was fastened by a string tied round

a black and white checkered band kept inside the divisions. Beginning the gilded wooden knobs on the lid
and white pendent petals on a blue from the end with the panel already and the head end of the box, the knot
and red background above a rec- described, the following episodes being sealed.
tangular black and white frame, are shown
which is divided by three oblique Left side: a spotted calf attacked Cairo No. 61477; Carter No. 540
wavy lines, colored black, red, and by a white hound wearing a collar, an (lid), 551 (box).
black, into five compartments on each ibex in flight, a spotted calf in flight, Length 28% e in. (72.0 cm.), width
side and two compartments at the a spotted bull attacked by a cheetah 20~ie in. (53.0 cm.).
end. Within these compartments are that has jumped on its back, and an Carter HI, 118, frontispiece; Baker,
representations of animals, some ibex attacked by a white hound 95-7, fig. 117; Desroches-Noble-
being attacked by other animals and wearing a collar. court 95, pi. 1 76; Fox 32-3, pi. 65;
others without visible attackers. It Back, right: an ibex attacked by Harris 39, pi 35; Yoyotte 125.
is noticeable that the legs of the ani- a cheetah that has leaped on its back: Exhibitions: Paris No. 24; London
mals often cut across the dividing left: a spotted bull attacked by a No.21;U.S.S.R.No.48(all
lines, but the floral backgrounds are hound wearing a collar. without lid)

169
52 53
ROYAL SCEPTER STANDING LION JAR
COLOR PLATE 31 COLOR PLATE 28
This scepter is made of sheet gold This alabaster I calcite ) unguent jar
beaten on a wooden core. The shaft is carved in the form of a lion stand-

is in the form of a papyrus flower and ing upright on a pedestal, the head
stem; it is embellished at each end and body being hollowed out to hold
with a feather design in cloisonne the unguent. The teeth and the
work inlaid with carnelian, turquoise, tongue are made of ivory, the latter
lapis lazuli, feldspar, faience, and stained red the eyes are gilded.
; The
glass. Embossed on one side of the left front paw rests on the hiero-
blade (illustrated at the left) are rows glyphic symbol for "protection,"
of trussed and slaughtered bulls, while the right is held high. Both
partly dismembered, beneath a frieze front paws have holes for the insertion

of lotus petals between borders of of claws, perhaps made of ivory. The

checker and diamond patterns. On right back paw, slightly raised, is
the other side of the blade, beneath placed in advance of the left, a pose
a similar frieze, is an inscription that differs from that of standing

reading: "The good god, the beloved, figures of men, in which the left leg is

dazzling of face like the Aton when generally forward. Fixed to the top
it shines, the son of Amun, Neb- of the lion's head is a crown-like addi-

kheperura, living for ever." tion that serves as the mouth of the

Scepters of this kind have three vase. It consists of a circular base

names in Egyptian texts, kherep, "the from which project representations of

controller," sekhem, "the powerful," pointed sepals of the blue lotus and
and aba, "the commander." They single lilies surmounted by single

were carried as symbols of authority papyrus flowers and small rosettes.

from very early times, but no distinc- Tufts of hair, inlaid with blue pig-
tion can be drawn between their ment, are engraved on the back of
various uses. In temple ritual and in each shoulder I see No. 48 ) . The lobes
the mortuary service the aba scepter of the ears are pierced to hold ear-

was often held by the officiant who rings. On the chest are inscribed the

presented the offerings. If the sacri- names and titles of Tutankhamun and
ficial offerings shown on the blade of Ankhesenamun. Beneath the checker
this scepter are indicative of its use, pattern band of blue, black, white,

it probably represents the aba and yellow rectangles, the frieze of

scepter, but precise identification is the pedestal consists of representa-

not possible. was found in the

It
and
tions of individual lotus petals

Annex, whither it had probably been mandrakes. The sides of the pedestal
taken from the Treasury by the are designed in the fashion of trellis-

robbers. work.
Another alabaster unguent vase
Cairo No. 61759; Carter No. 577. found in the tomb of Tutankhamun
Length 21 V-i in. (54 cm.), width No. 16 in this book is furnished
( )

with a lid on which is carved a recum-

2% 6 in. (6.6cm.).
Carter III, 133-4, pi. XLIV; Des- bent lion: two miniature lotus

roches-Noblecourt 202, pi. 123; columns on the outsitle of the vase are
Fox 33, pi. 67. surmounted by heads of the god Bes,
Exhibitions: London No. 38; a domestic deity associated with

U.S.S.R.No.19. pleasures of every kind. Egyptian

unguent vases frequently embodied
in their composition a figure of Bes,

usually represented as a bandy-legged

dwarf with ears, mane, and tail of a

lion. The association of the god with

 both the lion and unguent vases is

thus very close, and seems evident

it

that the lion form was chosen for this

vase because of the animal's connec-
tion with Bes and consequently with
receptacles for unguents.
When the vase was found the
crown was missing, having been
wrenched off by the ancient thieves.
The contents, however — some dried
fatty substance black in color ( see
Nos. 10 and 16 )
— remained intact.

Cairo No. 62114; Carter No. 579.

Height 20% in. (60 cm.) width 7% ,

in. (19.8 cm.).

Carter HI, 144, 146, pi. XLVIII;
Desroches-N oblecourt 96; Ries-
tererpl. 35.
Exhibitions: Paris No. 35; London
No.4;U.S.S.R.No.42.

54
IBEX VASE
COLOR PLATE 32
^ ^ ui.
Ivory, stone, and pottery vessels in
the shape of animals and birds were
made in predynastic times and in the
early dynastic period (about 3000
B.C. )
, but subsequently they seem to
have gone out of fashion until the
Eighteenth Dynasty, when, perhaps
under western Asiatic influences,
theirmanufacture in stone, pottery,
faience, and glass was resumed. As a
rule the creatures chosen for this pur-
pose were not those sacred to deities,
the ibex being no exception in this
respect. Apart from the present
example it occurs in painted repre-
sentations of vessels in the tomb of a
high official of the Eighteenth Dy-
nasty named Kenamun and in a relief
dating from the time of Thutmose III
in the temple ofKarnak. As an orna-
mental motif the head and neck were
sometimes fixed on the outside of
vases near the rim. They are also
reproduced in the round as figure-
heads on the prow and stern of an
alabaster boat found in Tutankh-
amun's tomb.

s" S^^SS^EM*«A5Br 171

P^
 )

The most distinctive features of Dynasty bulls' heads made of sun-

; that the animal is bleating, is made of

the ibex (capra nubiana F. Cuvier) baked clay and provided with real ivory stained red. Paint has been used

are usually its long, curved horns and horns were sometimes mounted on for the eyes, which are overlaid with
a short beard. In this vase ( and also low platforms in niches in the outer glass and copper or bronze
set in

in the figurehead on the stern of the walls of tombs of the First Dynasty. sockets, for the markings on the head,

boat I the beard has been broken off. Both the body of this ibex and the and for the cartouche see No. 28I

Only one of the horns has survived; it pedestal on which it rests are carved on the left shoulder, which bears
is a real horn of the animal and not of a single block of alabaster ( cal- Tutankhamun's throne name, Neb-
an imitation. The attachment of real cite ) ,
but the ears and made
tail are kheperura, surmounted by the sun's
horns to models of animal heads was of separate pieces.The tongue, pro- disk and plumes.
not an innovation of the Eighteenth jecting from the mouth and suggesting In the center of the back is an
 .

orifice into which a low funnel with gold granulations, and gold bands.
flatrim was probably inserted. If the The pattern is broken on the "face"
funnel was covered with a stone cap by clumps of papyrus in flower and
fixed with cement, it would explain on the "back" by figures of an ibex
why
ing the
the ancient robbers,
from the hollowed-out
oil
when steal- and a horse. Both animals are repre-
sented in association with flowers,
^ '^A
body of the animal, found it simpler which are difficult to identify. Perhaps
to wrench off the whole funnel than to the flowers with the ibex —a desert
remove merely the lid. Their action animal — are some species of desert
in emptying the vase when so much plant, while thetwo clumps shown
gold lay within their reach shows how beneath the horse may be lotus.
valuable its cosmetic contents must Ostrich plumes adorn the horse's head-
have been. stalland an ostrich-plume fan is
shown behind its flank see No. 18 )(

Cairo No. 62122; Carter No. 584. This bow was found enclosed in
Length 15^s in. (38.5 cm.) width , a wooden box containing articles of
7%6 in. (18. 5 cm.), height IO^Viq clothing, sticks, and arrows, the mix-
in. (27.5 cm.). ture probably being the result of the
Carter III, 147, pi. XLIX B; Des- robbers' activities. As a weapon, the
roches-Noblecourt212, pi. XLIV, simple bow was used by the Egyptians
303. in predynastic times and throughout
Exhibitions: None. their history, but the composite bow,
of which this is an example, was not
introduced until about three centuries
before the time of Tutankhamun,
55 when it was brought to Egypt by im-
COMPOSITE BOW migrants from Asia, known as the
COLOR PLATE 28 Hyksos. With it they also brought the
horse-drawn chariot, and it was prob-
In the intricacy of its decoration this ably the possession of these two ad-
angular bow is one of the most elab- vanced weapons that first enabled
orate of some weapons of its
fifty them to subjugate the Egyptian peo-

class found in Tutankhamun's tomb. ple. By gumming a sinew to a simple

It is composed of a thin wooden stave bow, the elasticity of the stave was
overlaid on both faces with a middle greatly increased and its range was
layer of a gelatinous substance (
per- thereby considerably extended.
haps decayed sinew that has been I

molded on the inner face to form a Cairo No. 61518; Carter No. 596 q.

keel, and an outer layer of tree bark Length 40% 6 in. (103.0 cm.), width
possibly birch
I Both the "back"
) .
'/s in. (2.3 cm.), thickness % in.
and the "face" are ornamented sym- (1.0cm.).
metrically on each side of the grip Carter 1,114; McLeod 25, No. 27.
with geometric, chevron, and floral London
Exhibitions: Paris No. 22;
motifs inlaid and bordered with gold, No.49;U.S.S.R.No.22.
 . ) ,

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