Funeral of Tutankhamun
Funeral of Tutankhamun -
King Tut
The funeral of the boy king
Tutankhamun would have been filled with various death rituals and
ceremonies. We know a great deal about his burial as details of it are
painted on the wall of his burial chamber. The death of the young King
Tut was untimely and unexpected. His tomb had to be prepared hastily.
King Tut died in 1325BC and his funeral would have occurred about 70
days later after the embalming and mummification process and death
rituals had been completed.
Tutankhamun Tomb Paintings
Funeral of Pharaoh Tutankhamun -
The Death Rituals
The
death rituals and ceremonies preceding the burial of the Pharaoh
Tutankhamun were dictated by the Ancient Egyptian belief that every person was thought to have three souls
called the Ka, the Ba and the Akh. These 3 elements of the soul, were
believed to be perishable and
therefore at great risk. The process of
embalming, mummification, death rituals, funerary text, magic spells
and even the tomb itself used for the burial of Tutankhamun would ensure the preservation of
his Ka, Ba and Ahk. The death rituals kept the soul alive and
ensured the Pharaoh Tutankhamun a clear path to the Afterlife.
Funeral of Tutankhamun -
Embalming and Mummification of King Tut
The purpose of
preserving and embalming the dead body of King Tut was the belief that the body would
be necessary in the afterlife. The Ancient Egyptians used a special and
ritualised process to remove all moisture from the
body leaving a dried form that would not easily decay. The brains and
the brain fluid were drained out of the corpse of Tutankhamun and his
stomach, liver, lungs and intestines were removed and stored in
special alabaster containers called canopic jars. The heart of
Tutankhamun was left in the body as the Ancient Egyptians believed the
heart would be needed on the Day of Judgement in the Underworld. The
body cavity was then sewn together and covered with layers with
linen shrouds and bandages. Between the layers gold amulets and jewelry
were added - no less than 143 separate items were wrapped with the mummy
of King Tut.
The embalming and mummification process preceding
the Funeral of Tutankhamun would have taken 70 days.
Funeral of Tutankhamun -
The Mummy and the Coffins
The embalmed mummy of
King Tut was then sealed in his man-shaped (anthropoid) coffin. In fact
there were three coffins which were all painted with the likeness of
Tutankhamun, the two outer coffins were
made of gilded wood but the final coffin was
made of solid gold. These likeness paintings were extremely important as
they provided the dead with a face in the afterlife. The solid gold
coffin housed the mummy of King Tut and his fabulous golden death mask
was placed directly over the mummified head of Tutankhamun.
Funeral of Tutankhamun - the
Funeral Procession
After 70 days following
his death an elaborate funeral procession, fit for the Pharaoh, headed towards the
designated tomb of the deceased. The location of the tomb was a closely
kept secret. The mummy, lying in the nested coffins, was placed on a
bier protected by effigies of gods. Oxen would have pulled the sledge
through the desert heading towards the Valley of the Kings. The members
of the funeral procession consisted of the new Pharaoh Ay, members of
the royal family, the vizier, the generals and court dignitaries. These
people would have followed the musicians who headed the procession.
Behind the chief funeral procession wailing mourners followed accompanied by priests, some
wearing animal masks including the jackal masked impersonator of the god Anubis. Servants or slaves followed
carrying the items that would be buried with the mummy in the tomb. The
funeral guests wore white sandals and white headbands which were worn at
holy or sacred ceremonies. The funeral procession
ended when the location of the tomb was reached and the 'Opening of
the Mouth' death rituals commenced.
Funeral of
Tutankhamun - the
Opening of the Mouth Ceremony
The Opening of the Mouth Ceremony was an important Death
Rituals and in the case of Tutankhamun this was conducted by the new
Pharaoh, Ay. The 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony or death ritual was
believed to revive the mummified senses of the deceased so that he
could eat, drink and speak in the next world. Details of the 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony
are as follows:
-
The mummy of
King Tut, in
its nested coffins, was removed from the sledge and held in
the standing position, facing South, by the jackal masked
impersonator of Anubis and other priests
-
Close family
members burned incense, the women wailing
loudly
-
Garlands of
flowers were draped around the neck of the coffin
-
Priests
chanted potent spells from the Book of the Dead
-
A Death sacrifice
were made of a calf
-
Ritual
Purification was conducted using salt and cow's milk
-
The new Pharaoh
Ay
touched the mouth, eyes, ears and nose with an 'adze' in order
to awaken the senses of King Tut and enable him to accept the
food sacrifices
-
When the opening
of the mouth ceremony and the other death rituals had been
completed the coffin and the chief mourners entered the tomb
-
The coffins were
placed the protective red quartzite sarcophagus
-
The sarcophagus
and coffins were then placed in a series of four gilded
shrines nested one inside the other in order of decreasing
size
-
The mummy of
Tutankhamun was finally sealed in his tomb
The funeral of Tutankhamun
and the Ancient Egyptian
Death rituals would have ended with a feast and a celebration as
the boy King Tut had started his journey into the glorious
afterlife.
Funeral of Tutankhamun
Each section of this Funeral of Tutankhamun website addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
Pharaohs and of Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details
of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject
of the Pharaoh Funeral of Tutankhamun - Tutankhamun!
|
