The fascination of Tutankhamon

2004/11/01 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Historia
• Giza zientziak

Museum of Cairo

Although Tutankham was not as important in history as many other kings of Egypt, the discovery of his grave made him famous after thousands of years since his death. The burial is also no more valuable than the rest. However, when they were opened, all were fascinated, both archaeologists and society as a whole.

The excavation director was Howard Carter, who had been working in the Valley of the Kings for years among the tombs of the Pharaohs. His dream was to find the tomb of Tutankhamon, but being the area practically excavated, he had not many expectations. But in the end the money of Lord Carnarvon and Carter sweat were not useless.

Jar of luck

On November 4, 1922, one of Carter's employees made a hole in the ground to place a jar. But when the hole was made, one of the stones that were removed was called attention, since it was perfectly carved. He excavated the land a little further and soon realized it was the beginning of a staircase. So it all began, although its name does not appear in history books.

In the valley of the kings are concentrated the tombs of the pharaohs of old.

USCIA

Guided by Carter, they opened the hole very carefully and in the next few days they continued excavating until the staircase went to the surface. On level 12 appeared the top of a door, scented and sealed. Carter examined the door seal to find out who was in the tomb. But there did not appear the name, but the funerary symbol of the kings.

However, it was not a bad sign, but it meant that the tomb belonged to someone of great importance. In addition, the entrance of the staircase is XX. It appears under the shacks of the dynasty, so since then no one could enter it, that is, C. From 1139.

He made a sufficient hole to introduce the hand light into the door and observed that the other part was filled with bedbugs and stones. It was evident that the builders tried to close the entrance well. Then, Carter ordered to cover and monitor again the hole made and warned Lord Carnarvon. Lord Carnarvon answered him immediately and on November 24 he was there willing to participate in the adventure of the appearance of the tomb.

From darkness to light

The stone burial protected four coffins, among which were three others. In the last was the mummy of Tutankhamon.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

When the staircase and the door appeared completely, the stamps of the lower part of the door were analyzed. In them one could see clearly the name of Tutankhamon. The thieves also found signs that they managed to open the tomb twice. But this happened thousands of years ago, and then they realized that the robbers of yesteryear had not passed in front of the station.

It was the first camera they saw. The thieves left everything thrown and mixed, and surely they would try to carry everything they could. However, it was full of wealth. In front of it was the mortuary chamber, in front of which were two statues of the same size as Pharaoh, decorated with gold and with the body covered with two bodies. Besides the states, there were thousands of objects: divine figures, beds, chariots, containers, furniture...

After the church, the mortuary chamber was opened. Officially they did not enter until February 23, 1923, and what they found was really exciting: there was a beautiful sarcophagus protected by four golden coffins, and in that sarcophagus there were three others, as before. In the last one was the mummy of Tutankhamon, with the face covered by a golden mask. The walls were decorated with murals.

Behind a hallway was a small stay, the treasure chamber. It is the name given to him by Carter. Taking care of the entrance, there was a statue of the god Anubis, and inside the room an elegant wardrobe with four canoe boats. In them were stored the viscera extracted from pharaoh in the process of mummification. In the treasury chamber there were many other vessels and boxes filled with jewelry, amulets, and other valuable objects.

Egyptania Egypt

And the discoveries did not end there. Behind a bed of the prechamber was a hole in the ground and when Carter entered there, he saw that there was another room. That room was the smallest, but there were more than two thousand objects stacked one above the other: Images of 236 waiters, arches and arrows, armor and shields, tables and tokens of the senet game, beds, meals and drinks, decorative utensils... Everything so that in the other life Pharaoh does not lack anything.

In total, it took about ten years to take out and examine the treasures in the tomb. However, they failed to resolve all doubts about Pharaoh's life. In addition, some surprising events provoked a rumor about Pharaoh's curse. During this time, the fascination for those Egyptian times was enormous around the world, and thousands of visitors continue to visit the Cairo museum and the Valley of the Kings attracted by the mystery of Tutankhamon.