Pharaoh Tutankhamun died aged only 19. The shrines enclosing the stone sarcophagus where his coffin was placed were fitted into the burial chamber inside his tomb. The other chambers were filled with goods and treasures that the pharaoh might need in the Afterlife. It was intended, of course, for the pharaoh’s mummy to lie inside his tomb for ever. But the abundance of gold and jewellery would usually attract robbers—probably within only a few years of the pharaoh’s burial. But, incredibly, after two early break-ins, during which few treasures was stolen, Tutankhamun’s tomb remained undisturbed for more than 3000 years until it was discovered in 1922. Inside the tomb were statues, furniture, jewellery and many other precious items left exactly as they had been placed all those centuries before.

Discovering the tomb

On 4th November 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter, who was carrying out excavation work in the Valley of the Kings, discovered steps that he hoped would lead down to Tutankhamun's tomb (later given the official name KV62). He sent a message to the man who funded the expedition, Lord Caernarvon, to come to Egypt.

​​​​​​​On 26th November, accompanied by Caernarvon and his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert, Carter chiselled a small hole in the doorway to the tomb and peered in. Caernarvon asked him, "Can you see anything?”. Carter, who caught a glimpse of gold treasures by the light of a candle, replied, “Yes, wonderful things!"

Sarcophagus

Tutankhamun's funeral took place around 1323 BC. Inside the burial chamber, his coffin was lowered into a sarcophagus, a large box made of a hard rock called quartzite. The lid was of red granite. The sarcophagus was decorated with exquisite carvings. Standing at each corner was a god with winged arms outstretched to envelop the box.

The priests covered the sarcophagus with a linen shroud as they said prayers for the dead king. Then they lowered the lid.

Tomb treasures

The tomb contained other chambers, used for storing the pharaoh’s treasures and other objects. For most pharaohs' tombs, many of the walls of the chambers and linking passageways would be decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and scenes of the pharaoh’s funeral and his journey into the Next World. Only the burial chamber in Tutankhamun's tomb had decorated walls.

The mummy

Tutankhamun's body had been wrapped in linen bandages. Placed both inside and outside the wrappings were many jewels, including amulets or charms, most of them made of gold. They included a small vulture, worn around the collar. The mummy was covered by an ornate shroud. Sewn on to it were a pair of gold hands, clasping the symbols of kingship: the crook and the flail.

Over the head lay a beautiful face mask, expertly fashioned from solid gold and inlaid with glass and precious stones. The mask showed the pharaoh as Osiris, the god of the dead. The eyes were made from quartz and obsidian, a glass-like stone. He wore the nemes headdress that signified his kingship. At Tutankhamun’s burial, priests had poured fragrant resins over his body before placing the gold mask over his head and shoulders.

Three coffins

The mummy of the dead pharaoh was laid in a coffin made of solid gold. Again, he was shown as the god Osiris and his crossed arms clutched a crook and flail. A cobra, Wadjit, the symbol of Lower Egypt, and the vulture-goddess Nekhbet of Upper Egypt both rose from his forehead. A thick, black resinous fluid was poured over the gold coffin.

This coffin was laid inside a second coffin. It was made of gilded wood and plaster, inlaid with lapis lazuli, a semi-precious blue stone. It was decorated with a red and blue feather-like pattern, called rishi, which symbolized the soul.